such an interesting video. I just discovered your channel. I once did a gig where 5 people turned up (2 were my parents) and it rained and my car wouldn't start. So I had to get a taxi which was more than I got paid for the gig. Then after we played it stopped raining, and 1000s of people came!!!!I But it so just happened that 1 of the other 3 people who watched us was a composer. Two years later he called me saying he wrote the music for a show and asked if I wanted to play. That lead to playing the workshop, initial run and then transfer to the West End (London), 250 shows! You just can never tell.
Luck is where 'preparation meets opportunity'. One of my favorite self-motivating memes that has inspired me for a half century. To hear you say it was music to my ears. Your journey is an inspiration to so many who know you and one hell of a trip. Your insight is invaluable. I know, I'm someone who is rather biased because I've watched, listened and at times been part of your journey even if in but a small way. We've had some good thought-provoking conversations, that like your videos, leave one feeling nourished, if that makes sense. Enjoyed the OOTBS music underlay in the video.
I grew up with a kid whos father is a true legend in the music business. His modest homes walls were covered in gold records. He had a small studio he converted his garage into. As a very young kid i met many legends who dropped by his home studio. They were just big adults to me at the time, i was very young. That said id like to say at one time this legend was just a guy like you sir. Then he got a break, and another, and another. If i mentioned any of what he plays on you would know within a couple of musicians who im talking about and i dont want to drop names. All im saying is if you love what you do, dont give up. Not only did he become a wildly successfull legend, he also launched the careers of people who became even bigger legends than himself. I mean among the biggest. As you say in your video, you just never know...
This is a great video. I sent it to my students at LCCM (music college in London). Your story is very similar to mine, except crazier. I also got this kind of call to play for some major UK artists after I killed the sound design for a wedding gig!
Thanks for sharing Sam, what a great story, and what a good way to show to never give up, be dedicated, believe in what you can do and also know your weaknesses. Everybody thinks you’re a milionaire, because you are in the vicinity of stars and nobody understands the hard work and dedication that is required!
Love how humble and relatable you are. You have an honest and natural vibe. Great video. Keep it up, I hope UA-cam and content creation builds how you want it to.
Good on you Sam for being brutally honest (hope that doesn't sound patronising). In these days of fakedom from photoshop to autotune (which does have it's uses), where kids are told the lie that "You can be anything you want to be" you realise that luck plays a big part in your success (not to downplay the hours of practice you've put in). Good luck in the future.
Woow, bro.. as a Musician, keys player, dad of other musician and as a human being.... thank you for this video, I'll will share with my 19 years old son.
Few weeks to my 30's , This video just hits so close to home, I'm so grateful to hear this. Started playing music officially at the age of 8. Playing Instruments from blues to metal and everything in between , to full time producing and being a DJ that just couldn't commit to one specific sub genres of electronic music , or any genre for that matter, I can't express how much I needed to hear this. As in recent years, I realized that this music dream (that I convinced myself was Imminent for years under many alias, forms & mediums) was just not going to happen trying to fit a preexisting mould or trying to please contradicting labels & crowds. SO, then Covid happened, while inflation's exploded and so many friend fell around me one after the other, I said fuck that, I'm trying one last ''thing'' and that thing was increasingly worrying as it came under the form of a very expensive midi guitar pickup , MPE controllers and then I switched to Bitwig overnight for it's live capabilities. everything around me was crumbling, but there's this thing in my guts that kept telling me to do whatever In my power to make this project a reality. That ''dream band'' project Is what Pulsar Hunters aims to be and that involve everything that defined us the most (me and friends/ band-mate) over the entirety of our evolution, without exceptions, without rules, So the goal is a fully dynamic hybrid DJ/Band thing that aim to include organics instruments, analog synths / loop machine, Djiing , visuals , story telling and satir. Djentechno ? It wants to be blues but with Zenonesque sound design, and even dub/fusion Psychedelic whatever. one thing's for sure.. it has METAL !! And this project absolutely exist in my reality. I opened this channel just now so that I can salute you and everybody and to remind me to just fucking go for it.
You are my hero, brother! Agreed! You are a natural story teller! Just stop selling yourself short musically. When you say you are not the best, you are comparing yourself. What you should come to terms with is the fact that your style is unique, and therefore you are incomparable.
gotta say, I love this, and your story. I started on UA-cam and had some success in the beginning, which led to some cool opportunities. Life eventually dealt me a hand of cards that led to me stepping away from UA-cam. Respect to you for living the struggle/hustle.
I'm a drummer, and my first professional band covered some Zappa and Yes along with other more mainstream '70s stuff. Always had an affection for synth stuff. 40 years later I wind up playing for a yes tribute. No real money anywhere along the way, and most of my life I've worked in non-musical tech positions, but I think you make the point it's all about the way you live and not what you make.
Really enjoyed watching this. I haven’t seen all your videos but I’ve seen a handful of them. The content and production is always spot on and worth watching. Keep ‘em’ coming!!
Sam you are the man... happy for your success, impressed with your honest videos and need you to know you've always been held in ultra high regard in your home of Philly area
Your lessons about music apply to life in general. I believe God has a plan for our lives, but that He reveals it in our desires and abilities. Thank you for your candid sharing. One of the best videos I have seen in a long time and very thought-provoking. You have added to my life. Thank you Sam.
My man...i enjoyed this vid immensely. Watched your money vid as well..that one struck a chord (love that pun) i gave up my music career to go adulting in 2007...made my fortune and now im back..playing with 1 of Latin musics biggest artist...its been a blast and a grind. Im experiencing what I never got to experience with my band in the early 2000s. I shall subsribe
Wish YT was around 40 years ago and I had watched this then. I may have found a life in music. This video is just great and i know it's going to help a lot of those watching it. Sam is obviously a very grounded and creative guy who works very hard at being good enough and collaborative enough that people want to spend good money working with him. Love those life lessons. Applicable to other industries too, but especially where you create, produce with skill.
Really well done. You have a good stage presence showing sincerity and wisdom. Maybe follow in Rick Beat's footsteps and do interviews with some of the successful and weird characters you have worked with, or hope to work with. I'll be watching.
Subscribed - this is the second video of yours I've watched. They're very cool and hopefully inspirational for young musicians. I'm retired (formally) now, but I still make my music without ambition. Art for Arts sake, if you like. Keep it going Sam.
Great video. Your lessons certainly transcend the music world and can be applied to most areas of life. The lowest common denominator might be networking and interacting with others. People can't call you with an opportunity unless they know you exist. I never regret getting to know people that I may have initially been reluctant to interact with. Everyone has a story, and there may be overlap with yours that turns into friendship and/or opportunity.
Thanks Sammi, for letting us know the story we've all been dying to hear;). Nice work! And, gratitude to Ms. Lauryn, and props to you for making it all work.
Incredible story, thanks for sharing. Appreciate the openness and honesty. And I've seen you a few times with OotBS, you're a pretty damn good keyboardist, don't sell yourself short.
Fantastic story and advice!! I couldn’t agree with your takeaways any more - especially the bit about observing which of your skills the world responds to. Cheers from Boston! 🎹
so good thank you -- I'm about to turn 41 and I feel like this wild music career puzzle is finally "making sense" -- haven't landed a major tour yet like this, but I feel like it's close
Hey Sam! Thanks for sharing a little bit of your life here. I feel like we have been encountering similar problems and having similar thoughts/ideas. It is such a motivation to know that there are other people out there trying to find creative solutions to this fulfilling but also dangerous career path we both chose. Would love to connect someday if there's an opportunity. I'm a Brazilian percussionist currently based in Canada. Keep up with the great videos, editing, and storytelling! :) PS: I think I recognized the soccer stadium at 16:07! haha. Hope you had a good time in Belo Horizonte :)
I turned down a similar-sized gig from a revitalized 80s 'A'-band... They eventually went with a bud of mine. My life would have gone a different direction had I gone down that road. You have learned some very big core lessons already. Trust me, you are ahead of the curve. to anyone watching, these are legit lessons to keep in your pocket that take most people a lifetime to really learn. I would only add one thing... Constantly challenge yourself, expand your toolbox and be confident in your value. My dad used to say, A man is worth his wage. Be bold, humble and confident... those things can happen at the same time. I'm now scoring for film and TV, VO actor, writing. As a hobby, I fix classic synths... build crazy midi stuff. I didn't layout a road map to get here... I just followed similar 'lessons' of life like his shared in this video. Great job Sam! keep it up, my younger self. :)
Thanks for the kind words! That's amazing that you fix synths and build MIDI stuff. I've thought of going down that path before. One time I was determined to learn MaxMSP on a long plane ride, and it unfortunately didn't happen at all. I did build a square wave oscillator one time though!
@@SamGutman Yeah, I think it's a good excersize for sound designers to build their own oscillator and gates etc just to understand the fundamentals. Additive / subtractive synth... fun stuff. I have made various specialty controllers, interfaces for midi. Even created a 'slideboard', multiple pedal board when you have a stack of synths and they each have their own pedal. MIDI itself is worth study. next plain ride, check out the protocol. with that info you can do some amazing routing stuff. I hacked a fire controller to where I can push one button, load all of my patches on all synths, open a lyric sheet on a monitor and set up loops. When playing live, that's the stuff that puts you over the top. I don't gig anymore, but I have over 40 rack and full synths in the studio and I still find myself programming stuff for it. Learn the MIDI protocol!!
but you already have done amazing things in the music world, your own music with your band, the fact that the herd didn't acknowledge it does not diminish how truly amazing it is.
Thank you for this wonderful video (says a middle aged attorney and piano player who always wondered if he had it in him to stick w music-sadly, I do not…I think I made the right choice, hard as it is to admit).
Man so inspiring! I’m also at a not so high point rn but planning some projects, I hope they turn out well… 😊 Also… what’s that keyboard that looks like a modded Jupiter-8??? at 8:13
What a great watch!!! Thanks for the insight!
This is the coolest shit ive seen in a while so happy for you
such an interesting video. I just discovered your channel. I once did a gig where 5 people turned up (2 were my parents) and it rained and my car wouldn't start. So I had to get a taxi which was more than I got paid for the gig. Then after we played it stopped raining, and 1000s of people came!!!!I But it so just happened that 1 of the other 3 people who watched us was a composer. Two years later he called me saying he wrote the music for a show and asked if I wanted to play. That lead to playing the workshop, initial run and then transfer to the West End (London), 250 shows! You just can never tell.
Incredible.
Luck is where 'preparation meets opportunity'. One of my favorite self-motivating memes that has inspired me for a half century. To hear you say it was music to my ears. Your journey is an inspiration to so many who know you and one hell of a trip. Your insight is invaluable. I know, I'm someone who is rather biased because I've watched, listened and at times been part of your journey even if in but a small way. We've had some good thought-provoking conversations, that like your videos, leave one feeling nourished, if that makes sense. Enjoyed the OOTBS music underlay in the video.
I grew up with a kid whos father is a true legend in the music business. His modest homes walls were covered in gold records. He had a small studio he converted his garage into. As a very young kid i met many legends who dropped by his home studio. They were just big adults to me at the time, i was very young. That said id like to say at one time this legend was just a guy like you sir. Then he got a break, and another, and another. If i mentioned any of what he plays on you would know within a couple of musicians who im talking about and i dont want to drop names. All im saying is if you love what you do, dont give up. Not only did he become a wildly successfull legend, he also launched the careers of people who became even bigger legends than himself. I mean among the biggest. As you say in your video, you just never know...
This is a great video. I sent it to my students at LCCM (music college in London). Your story is very similar to mine, except crazier. I also got this kind of call to play for some major UK artists after I killed the sound design for a wedding gig!
Thanks for sharing Sam, what a great story, and what a good way to show to never give up, be dedicated, believe in what you can do and also know your weaknesses. Everybody thinks you’re a milionaire, because you are in the vicinity of stars and nobody understands the hard work and dedication that is required!
Love how humble and relatable you are. You have an honest and natural vibe. Great video. Keep it up, I hope UA-cam and content creation builds how you want it to.
Good on you Sam for being brutally honest (hope that doesn't sound patronising). In these days of fakedom from photoshop to autotune (which does have it's uses), where kids are told the lie that "You can be anything you want to be" you realise that luck plays a big part in your success (not to downplay the hours of practice you've put in). Good luck in the future.
Words cannot express how much I appreciate this video. So much wisdom. Thank you so much Sam.
Woow, bro.. as a Musician, keys player, dad of other musician and as a human being.... thank you for this video, I'll will share with my 19 years old son.
Few weeks to my 30's , This video just hits so close to home, I'm so grateful to hear this. Started playing music officially at the age of 8. Playing Instruments from blues to metal and everything in between , to full time producing and being a DJ that just couldn't commit to one specific sub genres of electronic music , or any genre for that matter, I can't express how much I needed to hear this. As in recent years, I realized that this music dream (that I convinced myself was Imminent for years under many alias, forms & mediums) was just not going to happen trying to fit a preexisting mould or trying to please contradicting labels & crowds. SO, then Covid happened, while inflation's exploded and so many friend fell around me one after the other, I said fuck that, I'm trying one last ''thing'' and that thing was increasingly worrying as it came under the form of a very expensive midi guitar pickup , MPE controllers and then I switched to Bitwig overnight for it's live capabilities. everything around me was crumbling, but there's this thing in my guts that kept telling me to do whatever In my power to make this project a reality. That ''dream band'' project Is what Pulsar Hunters aims to be and that involve everything that defined us the most (me and friends/ band-mate) over the entirety of our evolution, without exceptions, without rules, So the goal is a fully dynamic hybrid DJ/Band thing that aim to include organics instruments, analog synths / loop machine, Djiing , visuals , story telling and satir. Djentechno ? It wants to be blues but with Zenonesque sound design, and even dub/fusion Psychedelic whatever. one thing's for sure.. it has METAL !! And this project absolutely exist in my reality. I opened this channel just now so that I can salute you and everybody and to remind me to just fucking go for it.
You are my hero, brother! Agreed! You are a natural story teller! Just stop selling yourself short musically. When you say you are not the best, you are comparing yourself. What you should come to terms with is the fact that your style is unique, and therefore you are incomparable.
Might be one of the coolest stories on UA-cam. Thanks for sharing.
gotta say, I love this, and your story. I started on UA-cam and had some success in the beginning, which led to some cool opportunities. Life eventually dealt me a hand of cards that led to me stepping away from UA-cam. Respect to you for living the struggle/hustle.
I'm a drummer, and my first professional band covered some Zappa and Yes along with other more mainstream '70s stuff. Always had an affection for synth stuff. 40 years later I wind up playing for a yes tribute. No real money anywhere along the way, and most of my life I've worked in non-musical tech positions, but I think you make the point it's all about the way you live and not what you make.
The production if this was great. The content was something I needed. Thank for dropping another pebble into the ocean.
Inspiring. Thank you for sharing your journey sir.
This is such great advice for aspiring professionals. Your network is so much more important than your flashy chops. Great video 👍
Bless up.......I felt a lot like how u felt many times....This is inspiring bro.
What a great story. Love your videos and the POV. Keep 'em up!
Really enjoyed watching this. I haven’t seen all your videos but I’ve seen a handful of them. The content and production is always spot on and worth watching. Keep ‘em’ coming!!
Ah! nice video! Wonderful story! Wonderful musical concept! Kudus to Ms Hill for recognizing!
this is amazing, love the lessons!!!!
This was awesome. #2 is especially insightful. Thanks!
This is such a great feeling video. And I know some of those philly guys! Got a big smile seeing them pop up
I was one of those few people enjoying your ambient livestreams. 🐿
Sam you are the man... happy for your success, impressed with your honest videos and need you to know you've always been held in ultra high regard in your home of Philly area
This video is gold. Really great information put together in a valuable way! Great work!
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed :)
Your channel is fantastic amazing production I love watching it
Your lessons about music apply to life in general. I believe God has a plan for our lives, but that He reveals it in our desires and abilities. Thank you for your candid sharing. One of the best videos I have seen in a long time and very thought-provoking. You have added to my life. Thank you Sam.
Thank you Sam. Inspiring, and a lesson for life in general
My man...i enjoyed this vid immensely. Watched your money vid as well..that one struck a chord (love that pun)
i gave up my music career to go adulting in 2007...made my fortune and now im back..playing with 1 of Latin musics biggest artist...its been a blast and a grind. Im experiencing what I never got to experience with my band in the early 2000s.
I shall subsribe
Awesome !!Great story n life’s lessons !! Thank you!!!!
Wish YT was around 40 years ago and I had watched this then. I may have found a life in music. This video is just great and i know it's going to help a lot of those watching it. Sam is obviously a very grounded and creative guy who works very hard at being good enough and collaborative enough that people want to spend good money working with him. Love those life lessons. Applicable to other industries too, but especially where you create, produce with skill.
Really well done. You have a good stage presence showing sincerity and wisdom. Maybe follow in Rick Beat's footsteps and do interviews with some of the successful and weird characters you have worked with, or hope to work with. I'll be watching.
Another great video with meaningful words of wisdom. Subscribed!
Thanks. That was inspiring.
Subscribed - this is the second video of yours I've watched. They're very cool and hopefully inspirational for young musicians. I'm retired (formally) now, but I still make my music without ambition. Art for Arts sake, if you like. Keep it going Sam.
Really great video. Its honest reflection of your experience and its appreciated
You have no idea how badly I needed to hear this today!
Really interesting!
This life that we the musicians have is so hard some times...
Thank you for showing, this is kind of inspiring!
Great video. Your lessons certainly transcend the music world and can be applied to most areas of life. The lowest common denominator might be networking and interacting with others. People can't call you with an opportunity unless they know you exist. I never regret getting to know people that I may have initially been reluctant to interact with. Everyone has a story, and there may be overlap with yours that turns into friendship and/or opportunity.
Thanks Sammi, for letting us know the story we've all been dying to hear;). Nice work! And, gratitude to Ms. Lauryn, and props to you for making it all work.
This story is so cool! Goor for you man!
Incredible story, thanks for sharing. Appreciate the openness and honesty. And I've seen you a few times with OotBS, you're a pretty damn good keyboardist, don't sell yourself short.
Such an amazing story. Really love your videos!!
Spot on man. As someone who toured for years on keyboards, all of this hit home. Great topic to discuss, thank you!
What a great and inspiring story of "life in the music business"!! So, so true all of it!
I really needed this today 🙏🏾 THANK YOU!
Thank you very much for the story! It is really inspiring
I kind of needed to hear this
👏 it may have been luck that got you to where you are today, but you earned it. And it sounds like you deserve it!
Thanks so much Kevin!
Fantastic story and advice!! I couldn’t agree with your takeaways any more - especially the bit about observing which of your skills the world responds to. Cheers from Boston! 🎹
Keep going bro love your work
This was a life changing video for me. Sam, you're a good guy. Thx for sharing.
Great video Sam! Your 3 Major Lessons are spot on.
so good thank you -- I'm about to turn 41 and I feel like this wild music career puzzle is finally "making sense" -- haven't landed a major tour yet like this, but I feel like it's close
Hey Sam! Thanks for sharing a little bit of your life here. I feel like we have been encountering similar problems and having similar thoughts/ideas. It is such a motivation to know that there are other people out there trying to find creative solutions to this fulfilling but also dangerous career path we both chose. Would love to connect someday if there's an opportunity. I'm a Brazilian percussionist currently based in Canada. Keep up with the great videos, editing, and storytelling! :)
PS: I think I recognized the soccer stadium at 16:07! haha. Hope you had a good time in Belo Horizonte :)
Wow, just found these videos. Very cool Sam! Thanks so much for sharing your experience. ✌🏽
I turned down a similar-sized gig from a revitalized 80s 'A'-band... They eventually went with a bud of mine. My life would have gone a different direction had I gone down that road. You have learned some very big core lessons already. Trust me, you are ahead of the curve. to anyone watching, these are legit lessons to keep in your pocket that take most people a lifetime to really learn. I would only add one thing... Constantly challenge yourself, expand your toolbox and be confident in your value. My dad used to say, A man is worth his wage. Be bold, humble and confident... those things can happen at the same time. I'm now scoring for film and TV, VO actor, writing. As a hobby, I fix classic synths... build crazy midi stuff. I didn't layout a road map to get here... I just followed similar 'lessons' of life like his shared in this video. Great job Sam! keep it up, my younger self. :)
Thanks for the kind words! That's amazing that you fix synths and build MIDI stuff. I've thought of going down that path before. One time I was determined to learn MaxMSP on a long plane ride, and it unfortunately didn't happen at all. I did build a square wave oscillator one time though!
@@SamGutman Yeah, I think it's a good excersize for sound designers to build their own oscillator and gates etc just to understand the fundamentals. Additive / subtractive synth... fun stuff. I have made various specialty controllers, interfaces for midi. Even created a 'slideboard', multiple pedal board when you have a stack of synths and they each have their own pedal. MIDI itself is worth study. next plain ride, check out the protocol. with that info you can do some amazing routing stuff. I hacked a fire controller to where I can push one button, load all of my patches on all synths, open a lyric sheet on a monitor and set up loops. When playing live, that's the stuff that puts you over the top. I don't gig anymore, but I have over 40 rack and full synths in the studio and I still find myself programming stuff for it. Learn the MIDI protocol!!
@@SamGutman Bome MIDI translator.... must have.
Dude, very inspiring what your doing. I believe your content can inspire many young musicians. Keep on doing this good work. Thx for it
This is such masterful content and a great story Sam! Honored to be involved in your epic journey 🔥
but you already have done amazing things in the music world, your own music with your band, the fact that the herd didn't acknowledge it does not diminish how truly amazing it is.
thank you for sharing this...so valuable!
Great content man!
Man, what cool story dude thank you☮️❤️✨
Crazy story bro. Congrats. Life turned out quite different than what I had in mind but in a fantastic way.
Loved watching this Sam!!! So inspiring and grounding , important lessons for all of us to keep in mind ❤
This is awesome. And inspiring. Subscribed sir
Such an interesting story. Thanks for sharing this 😎👍
I have found that the more I work, the luckier I get! Great video Sam!
So inspiring man. Thanks for sharing
Amazing story!
You got a new sub from me. As someone that almost exclusively watches UA-cam, I think you have a future as a creator.
Great video!
this was feel good from start to the continued journey. respect. stay safe. keep jammin!
Thanks so much!
Loved this. I'm subbed. In in.
Amazing video and insight, and so happy to hear of everything you're doing Sam!
Very intriguing video.
I always wondered about this. Most I ever played for was about a thousand. Never toured.
Awesome content. As a pro keyboard player I feel you.
You’re a great story-teller Sam… I am not a musician. I simply enjoyed your story.
You’re a great storyteller 👍🏽
Thank you for sharing. What a great insight!
Great video thanks for sharing
You are incredible!
Thank you for this wonderful video (says a middle aged attorney and piano player who always wondered if he had it in him to stick w music-sadly, I do not…I think I made the right choice, hard as it is to admit).
You are very wise Sam!
Love your honesty! It's so inspiring, thank you!!
Thank you
Thanks Sam
Man I loved this
Definitely subbed and will probably pick up your Patreon. I need to learn some music theory!
Enjoyed the content😊
truly touching.
Great story
Nice presentation .
Nice one 👍
Man so inspiring!
I’m also at a not so high point rn but planning some projects, I hope they turn out well… 😊
Also… what’s that keyboard that looks like a modded Jupiter-8??? at 8:13
Found it - it’s a Jupiter KIWI-106 😍😎