Sam August, a postgraduate in the class of 2010, is not only a baseball player. He is also the talented musician who opened for Grasshopper Night 2009, jamming on the electric guitar. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. August also plays bass and drums, and writes tons of songs. He has received tens of thousands of hits on Youtube, where both his original tunes and cover songs are popular. August divulged this and more in an interview with Phillipian Arts. Q: How did you get involved with music? A: I am very fortunate in that my dad raised me listening to good music. We would go down to our basement and listen to old records of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and basically great classic rock. I really love my dad for bringing me up listening to such good music because it is such a rarity nowadays to have a father and son listen to the same music. When I was twelve, I discovered Jimi Hendrix, and I listened to his albums solely for the next two years. However, from that point on I immediately became interested in playing the guitar, so I began to teach myself. Q: How did you learn to play guitar? A: I was actually self-taught. Because I taught myself, my skills are still developing and every time I play, I learn something new. Q: Have you ever been in a band? A: Yes. At my old school I was in a band named Have Some. We did a lot of work recording and song writing. But my goal here at Andover is to start another band here. I am currently in that process and, if we could get it together, I would definitely love to see us compete at Battle of the Bands. Q: Do you write your own songs? A: Yes I do. I write songs all the time, which is difficult for me because I actually can’t read music. It is hard to explain but my songs are basically compiled from bits of music flying in my head. I usually get my inspiration from listening to other people and essentially ripping them off. I myself am not the most original guy but I write stuff that I think sounds good and songs that I hope other people will want to listen to. My favorite song that I ever wrote was [called] “When Southern Rock Ruled the World.” Q: Have you ever recorded? A: At my previous school, all seniors were required to do an independent project. Mine was recording an album. I have a recording studio in my basement and I stayed down there for months alone just writing and recording. I played the guitar as well as the drums and the bass for all the songs, but I am an atrocious singer so I brought in some friends to sing for me. The album was entitled Rawg’s Record. Q: What are your favorite genres of music to play? A: I love to play rock music. I [dabble] a bit in Blues seeing as it is the foundation for rock, but right now I am really into country. Country is where it’s at. There are some really talented artists in country. I like Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney. They keep it real country, and I respect that. Now I am really working on and trying to reach out to country. Q: Would you want to pursue a musical career? A: Yes definitely. My fantasy is to be a famous country star alongside Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, and basically all of those hugely talented country stars.
