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      a
     
     
      aie
      Sam
      Roberts
      is
      Not
      a
      Sell
      Out.
     
     
      Reporter
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Not
      to
      be
      a
      name
      dropper
      but
      Sam
     
     
      Roberts
      and
      his
      band
      partied
      at
      my
     
     
      house.
      He
      took
      pictures
      of
      my
      messy
     
     
      room,
      drank
      tequila
      and
      talked
      music
     
     
      while
      his
      drunk
      guitar
      tech
      hit
      on
      my
     
     
      roommate.
      His
      drummer
      doesn’t
      know
     
     
      the
      words
      to
      the
      song
      ‘Where
      Have
     
     
      All
      The
      Good
      People
      Gone’
      but
      does
     
     
      have
      every
      Jon
      Bon
      Jovi
      tune
      in
     
     
      existence
      memorized.
      I
      was
      expecting
     
     
      pretentious
      rock
      stars,
      instead
      they
     
     
      were
      more
      like
      the
      drunk
      goofy
      band
     
     
      kids
      we
      all
      knew
      in
      high
      school.
     
    

    
     
      “Yeah,
      sometimes
      after
      a
      show
     
     
      I
      just
      want
      to
      go
      out
      and
      let
      off
      some
     
     
      steam,
      and
      my
      fans,
      of
      course
      I
      want
     
     
      to
      meet
      people
      who
      want
      to
      meet
      me.
     
     
      My
      fans,
      people
      who
      come
      to
      my
     
     
      shows,
      it’s
      like
      making
      new
      friends.
     
     
      That
      being
      said
      it
      is
      weird
      for
      me
      to
     
     
      hear
      the
      sentence
      ‘Oh
      my
      God
      you’re
     
     
      Sam
      Roberts!’
      I
      mean
      that’s
      a
      weird
     
     
      sentence,”
      says
      Roberts.
     
    

    
     
      Born
      and
      raised
      in
      Montreal
     
     
      Sam
      Roberts
      has
      been
      playing
     
     
      instruments
      and
      making
      music
      since
     
     
      he
      took
      up
      the
      violin
      at
      the
      age
      of
      four.
     
     
      Upon
      the
      completion
      of
      high
      school
     
     
      he
      worked
      many
      day
      jobs
      while
      trying
     
     
      to
      make
      it
      as
      a
      musician.
      After
      a
     
     
      number
      of
      false
      starts
      he
      finally
     
     
      experienced
      commercial
      success
      with
     
     
      the
      release
      of
      his
      freshman
      album
      “We
     
     
      Were
      Born
      In
      A
      Flame’.
      This
      CD
     
     
      samples
      an
      almost
      schizophrenic
     
     
      range
      of
      musical
      styles,
      ranging
      from
     
     
      The
      Who-like
      power
      pop
      (Don’t
      Walk
     
     
      Away
      Eileen)
      to
      soft
      acoustic
      lullaby-
     
     
      type
      tunes(This
      Wreck
      of
      Life).
     
    

    
     
      “Well
      you
      have
      to
      have
     
     
      confidence
      to
      try
      to
      make
      new
      music,
     
     
      rock
      and
      roll
      is
      about
      progression,
     
     
      doing
      the
      same
      thing
      all
      the
      time
      is
     
     
      boring,
      if
      it
      has
      to
      have
      a
      historical
     
     
      background
      think
      of
      the
      Beatles,
      they
     
     
      did
      everything
      a
      band
      could
      do,
      they
     
     
      were
      the
      godfathers
      of
      melody
      and
     
     
      song
      writing.
      Bands
      like
      that
      are
     
     
      inspiring.”
     
    

    
     
      Sam
      Roberts
      and
      his
      band
      have
     
     
      opened
      for
      many
      big
      names
      like
      The
     
     
      Rolling
      Stones
      and
      Oasis
      but
      the
     
     
      biggest
      moment
      for
      himself
      and
      his
     
     
      band
      was
      opening
      for
      the
      Canadian
     
     
      rock
      group
      The
      Tragically
      Hip.
     
    

    
     
      Roberts
      explains,
      “Gord
     
     
      Downy
      is
      a
      great
      guy,
      he’s
      done
      a
      lot
     
     
      for
      us.
      It
      was
      huge
      for
      me
      to
      meet
      him,
     
     
      he
      was
      so
      accessible
      too.
      Like,
      we
     
     
      opened
      for
      the
      Rolling
      Stones
      and
      we
     
     
      never
      really
      got
      to
      talk
      to
      them,
      same
     
     
      with
      Oasis.
      Fame
      is
      like
      crack,
      you
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Photos
      taken
      by
      Mary-Jane
      Doucette
     
    
   
   
    
     
      know?
      So
      many
      bands
      get
      caught
      up
     
     
      in
      this
      game,
      if
      they
      have
      a
      void
      in
     
     
      their
      life
      they
      try
      to
      fill
      it
      with
      fame.
      It
     
     
      is
      pathetic.
      Outside
      of
      Canada
      we
     
     
      carpool
      to
      our
      own
      shows
      and
      gigs
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      we
      don’t
      care.
      The
      music
      is
      the
      more
     
    
   
   
    
     
      important
      thing.”
     
    

    
     
      In
      recent
      months
      Sam
      has
     
     
      returned
      from
      a
      trip
      to
      Japan,
      lost
      a
     
     
      major
      US
      contract,
      encouraged
      his
     
     
      bandmates
      to
      grow
      matching
      beards
     
     
      and
      finished
      work
      on
      a
      new
      album
     
     
      entitled
      ‘Chemical
      City’,
      which
      will
      be
     
     
      released
      on
      April
      6th,
     
    

    
     
      “Chemical
      City
      is
      more
     
     
      psychedelic
      then
      ‘We
      Were
      Born
      in
      a
     
     
      Flame’,
      it’s
      a
      record
      to
      get
      stoned
      to,
     
     
      Tm
      really
      excited
      about
      this
      one,
      we’re
     
     
      putting
      it
      out
      in
      those
      new
      paper
      cases,
     
     
      like
      Arcade
      Fire’s
      last
      album.
      I
      love
      it.
     
     
      We
      played
      some
      of
      our
      new
      songs
     
     
      when
      we
      were
      in
      Japan
      performing
      at
     
     
      the
      World
      Fair.
      Our
      audience
      was
     
     
      mostly
      eighty
      year
      olds
      who
      didn’t
     
     
      speak
      English,
      but
      we
      had
      them
     
     
      rocking.
      My
      Canadian
      label
      was
      really
     
     
      great
      about
      this
      album,
      you
      know
      I
      had
     
     
      total
      creative
      control.
      I
      recently
      lost
      a
     
     
      contract
      to
      Universal
      in
      the
      States,
      they
     
     
      wanted
      me
      to
      be
      huge.
      They
      had
     
     
      people
      come
      and
      try
      to
      coach
      me
      -
      the
     
     
      name
      John
      Mayer
      was
      thrown
      around
     
     
      a
      lot.
      But
      I
      don’t
      want
      to
      be
      a
      fucking
     
     
      John
      Mayer,
      you
      know?
      I
      wanted
     
     
      creative
      control,
      I
      couldn’t
      be
      happier
     
     
      about
      getting
      out
      of
      that
      contract.
     
     
      Now
      I
      am
      free
      to
      make
      the
      music
      I
     
     
      want.
      No
      more
      rock
      politics.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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