Sam Winder Playing Guitar Live

Sam Winder at Muse Music.  Photo by John Murrugarra.

Here I am performing at Muse Music.  This was at a stand up comedy show known as, 'The Cat Fashion Show.'  I was invited to be the musical act by Greg Orme.  The picture above was taken when I was performing my song, 'The Oasis.'  This show was back in February 2012.  It has taken me along time to finally blog about it.  

This show was a miracle!  This was a hard time in my life, because I was trying to balance school and work.  I was closing every night at Brick Oven Pizzeria as a cook.  I also had no car, so I was walking a couple miles everyday.  I kept working on my artwork and music though.   

One night, I told my co-worker, Max Orme, about my interest in the arts.  He seemed very interested, which made me ecstatic because most people don't care when I tell them about my passion. 

Max told his brother Greg about me and a couple weeks later they asked me to be the musical guest at 'The Cat Fashion Show.'  I got a text around 11pm when I got off work.  It basically said, "Will you be our musical guest at The Cat Fashion Show?"  I checked my phone right after my shift was over.  I read the text outside the kitchen doors.  I was so happy I ran back into the kitchen and yelled, "Holy Cow!"  Everyone looked at me a little strange, so I explained what was going on. 

The show was very rewarding.  There wasn't a huge crowd but I had about nine friends there supporting me.  There were maybe thirty more people at the show.  The show gave me confidence, and that is probably the most important thing. 

Sam Winder at Muse Music.  Photo by John Murrugarra. 

The picture above is when I was playing my song, 'Never Trust the Devil.'  I got my friends John, Ryan, and Nick to sing the background vocals.

Sam Winder at Velour 

The above picture shows the first time I played at Velour's open mic.  I played my songs, 'The Oasis' and 'Where the Kids Go.'   I moved to Provo, Utah in February 2011, and knew about 'Neon Trees' and that was about it.  I also knew there was a lot of talent coming out of BYU.  It wasn't until my friends told me about Velour and Muse Music (aka 100 block) when I had to check it out for myself.  

I luckily chose the right night to attend Open-mic because Colin Hatch was there.  After my show Colin Hatch (an owner at Muse Music) came up to me.  He told me how much he liked my stuff.  He offered some free recording time at Muse Music.  I took him up on the offer about six months later.  I only recorded one song at Muse because Colin left to London, England for a study abroad in July 2012. 

The pictures above were taken in November 2011.  One week after I played at open mic I went to the 'Searching for Celia' and 'Elemantal' concert on December 1, 2011.  I won a free guitar at that concert, but that is a different story for another time.  At the concert I met Chance Clift who did the sound at the open mic the week before.  Chance complimented my performance.  The conversation went something like this:

"Did you play at open-mic last week?" Chance asked.

"Yeah," I said, "I was the guy wearing the suspenders."

"I remember.  You were cool.  I enjoyed your set."

"Thanks man!"

Little did I know that Chance is probably the most connected musician in Utah.  Chance has more connections with musicians in Utah, because he has been working and playing here for ten years or more.  Over the next year I did some recording at Muse Music and by myself.  I also kept going to Open-mics.  This forced me to become a better musician and performer.  During this time I kept seeing Chance and told him about my ambitions to record a full studio album.  

Chance was very interested in my idea of the album, 'The Oasis.'  He told me he would record and produce my album for a reasonable price.  I told Chance yes, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life.  Chance added in drums, bass, and worked with me on my vocals.  In the end my album turned out how I envisioned it.  Thanks Chance!

Sam Winder at Velour

Here I am at Velour playing my song, 'Where the Kids Go.'

Sam Winder playing with friend John Biddle

The picture above is of me (left) and my friend John (right).  We played at an open-mic at BYU-Idaho. This was the spring of 2009.  At this time I knew I loved music, but had no idea where it would take me in the next couple years.  I am very grateful to my friend John because he forced me to play in front of people.  I would never had played open-mics at Velour or Muse Music if it wasn't for John showing me how much fun it is to perform in front of people.  This helped me overcome many of my fears.  Thanks John!