Think about the “what if” scenarios in your life. Not really regrets. Not things you wished had gone differently, but situations in which—because of circumstances beyond your control—you’ll never truly know what could have been or where the road might have led. However, every so often, we get lucky. We get the opportunity to remove the detour from the pathway and we are offered a second chance at taking the road that we didn’t take.
Nearly 30 years ago, way back in the mid-90s, Vanessa Downing was in a Pennsylvania based rock and roll band called Samuel. They were good, they played a lot of gigs, and then things started to get serious. The band was courted by A&R reps and were slated to record their debut with indie/punk engineer and musician Bob Weston (Mission of Burma, Volcano Suns, Shellac). However, as you’ll learn in this interview, decisions were made and the band’s momentum was halted.
While they released a few 7-inches and a EP during their day, recently, the thought was floated among the band members who had continued to keep in touch. What if we revisited some of those old songs? What if we added a few new ones? What if we engaged the flux capacitor and recorded the album that we would have recorded back then?
So, here they are—slightly rebranded as Samuel S.C. with a new album called, High Places (ORG/Art Monk Construction). Vanessa joins me on this episode to explain the rise—and fall—and rise again—of the band and point out some of the sights along the road not taken.
Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.
