Sam Genders

Born in Cheltneham but breed in Derbyshire, Sam Genders has long been central to a lively Matlock music scene which launched, among others the roots rock band Gomez. He got into music at school and was playing in his first band Smoke at age 12. By the time he was 18 he was still playing in Smoke.

"We were a rock band we started doing covers, you know wild thing and Status Quo Songs before we got into doing our own stuff and write more serious songs". His move into serious song writing had its frustrations. "The problem was I was always comparing myself to people like Dylan and I just wasn't as good obviously.

There were further attempt at a band with three Quarters To Dust, who even supported Gomez at The London Forum in November, 1999 but they split. "Musical differences," says Sam, laughing. "It was all my fault. I have set ideas about how I do things and I need to say what I think and that doesn't always work. It's so hard to make it in the music business that what ever I do I want to have fun doing it. If I'm not going to make it then the least I want is to have fun for the rest of my life."

There was a spell as a promoter now he's back playing solo though he hasn't discounted getting another band together. I want to do it but I don't want to do it on a local level with a bunch of mates because well I like my mates!" Some surprising names trip of the tongue when the inevitable primary influences question arises. Steve Earle, Kate Rusby, Gomez, Bob Dylan and .....Noel Gallagher. "I'd be sitting in the bedroom listening to blues guitarists for years then Oasis come along with this classic rock and that influenced me alot.

He freely acknowledges the influence of Traditional Music on his own writing. "An important element of the tradition is the narrative, that story telling tradition and that is something that often gets lost in modern music. It's always something that strikes me when I'm listening to John Tams or Kate Rusby, that whole story telling thing they have."

Genders is currently working 50 hours a week in a pub by night and a health food shop by day, but with an album in the works, he's in the process of moving to London with a view to to making a big push towards a full time music career. "I don't have ambitions to be rich and famous but I'm keen to put a proper album and get a real crack at playing gigs. It would be nice to be able to make enough money to be able to do that. I used to think I'd have to make it in a big way but now I just want to be able to play music in the way I want to play it.

By Colin Irwin first published in Froots Magazine Sept 2001