Pōneke/Wellington musician, songwriter and producer Sam Fowles releases his debut album ‘After Dark’ today, November 15.
Bursting with raw emotion, blazing electric guitars, soulful vocals, funky rhythms and steady grooves ‘After Dark’ is an honest and authentic expression of Fowles journey in life so far and the role music has played.
“As a younger man I had a hard time making sense of the world, I lacked purpose, got mixed up in things I probably shouldn’t have and lost my way. The one thing that stayed constant through all of that was my love of music.
Music has been an outlet for so much of my life, helping me make sense of the world when
nothing seemed to make sense. It has given me hope in times when there appeared to be none,
providing a space to truly be in the moment and be myself. Many songs I’ve listened to over the years have given me hope, so this album is my offering to the world.”
Fowles unique sound can be described as psychedelic soul laced with blues and funk. Fowles says of the album “it's the blues really, today’s blues just dressed up differently. I believe fans of artists like Gary Clark Jr., Jimi Hendrix, Ocean Alley or even the psychedelic vibes of Tame Impala might find something here they really connect with. After Dark is also for people who appreciate honesty in music and want to feel something real.”
‘Sitting On Top Of The World’, ‘Slipping Away’, ‘Butterfly Baby’ and ‘Destination Unknown’ preceded the album's release. The title track ‘After Dark’ (Listen to After Dark here) is the lead single. “The concept for the album came late one night when I was feeling troubled. I was living in the city at the time and left my home to go for a walk to clear my head” shares Fowles “I walked down to the waterfront and wandered into Waitangi park. There I sat on a concrete stoop and was looking out into the nights sky it was a starry clear night with the full moons light beaming down on me, when it hit me the tune and the words to the title track ‘After Dark’ “into the park after dark, stumbling through my memories, Into the park after dark, reaching out for what my eyes can’t see.” I quickly rushed home and sat on the floor furiously scribbling on a note-pad whilst picking up my guitar and fleshing out the tune. The song just fell out. It was one of those beautiful moments where life made perfect sense to me. This moment inspired the concept for the whole album; finding your way through the dark.
This album is a collection of moments like this. Everything I write and have ever written is in a 2B8 notebook on the pages or on the back of envelopes or scraps of paper stored in between the pages. These writings contain snapshots of my life and this album is a collection of these moments, moments when I was trying to find my way through the dark and into the light. Music was the light that guided me through and changed/ is changing my life for the better. After Dark is my offering to the world to help those like me to find their way.”
Fowles worked alongside two New Zealand music icons in the creation of this album, Barnaby Weir was Co Producer and Warren Maxwell his mentor. “The value of collaboration cannot be overstated” says Fowles.
A serendipitous meeting with Weir (The Black Seeds, Fly My Pretties, TRiPS) at a gig in Foxton beach, completely changed the direction of Fowles path. It was the beginning of a deep friendship between the two and Weir supported Fowles in all aspects of his music, starting at Wellington's songwriter nights at Poquito, to providing tips on songwriting, compositions and production and eventually collaborating as co-producer on ‘After Dark’. “Barnaby has always gone out of his way to support me and my music” Fowles shares. “He’s got an incredible ear for the details in a track which has pushed me to think outside the box in the development of my tracks. He created a space in which I could experiment with finding my sound and he guided me towards it through that experimentation. Collaborating with him has been a masterclass in record production and it has totally changed my approach to music production.”
Fowles is a Master's graduate of Massey University's College of Creative Arts, where he studied music performance, composition, and production under the mentorship of Warren Maxwell (Trinity Roots, Little Bushman). “Warren Maxwell has been a massive influence on me, both musically and personally’ says Fowles. “He inspired me to seek inspiration from the universe around me and to utilise, to research it, and find all of the little details that could possibly inform and inspire my work. Encouraged by his master's thesis - Kia tūhono i te taiao e ngā toi anō : reconnecting with the natural world via experiential multi-disciplinary assemblages, I took that kaupapa and applied it to my own work. For Slipping Away I recorded samples of the ocean at Taputeranga in the south coast of Pōneke and wove them into the sound design of the track. Similarly in Sitting On Top Of The World I created a sound world out of samples I had captured of native birds and bush ambiences in the beautiful parks of Pōneke; Otari-Wilton, Takarunga-Mt Victoria which can be heard in the intro and outro of the track. As a person he taught me humility and to stay grounded in who I am while I am evolving as an artist.”
Fowles draws on an eclectic range of artistic inspirations such as Jimi Hendrix, Bill Withers, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, D’Angelo and Bob Marley, but he finds most inspiration a little closer to home “to be honest what I find most inspiring is living, taking in a beautiful view, having great conversations, spending time with loved ones, life experiences shape my work in a big way.”
Fowles concludes “If listeners can find some solace, joy, or even reflection within these songs, then I’ve achieved what I set out to do.”
‘After Dark’ is available on all digital platforms today, November 15, 2024.
Sam Fowles & The Experience will play an album release show on Thursday the 5th of December at San Fran (Doors 7pm) alongside Badtab and Casual Healing. Tickets available from Moshtix.