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Sometimes opportunity presents itself in the most unlikely of places — equally was the case for guitarist Sam Sugarman. Existence a fourth-generation Los Angeleno, Sugarman grew upwardly surrounded by talented artists and musicians. After learning to play guitar from his father and afterward striving to play professionally, he owes his biggest gig to date — playing alongside contemporary R&B meets soulful-rock powerhouse, Childish Gambino — to a small martini lounge in Beverly Hills. We had the opportunity to speak to Sugarman about his early days jamming with Maroon 5'south James Valentine, the experience of touring globally, and how his Ernie Ball Music Human Albert Lee guitars make him feel "inspired and excited".

EBMM: Nosotros hear you have a unique relationship with Ernie Ball. Can you tell united states of america that story?

SS: My parents were born in Los Angeles and so was my grandmother and bully grandmother. So, I'grand 4th generation which I recall is pretty rare. That being said, it feels practiced to exist a function of a guitar visitor that withal makes instruments in Southern California. My dad was born in the early '50s and started playing guitar right afterwards The Beatles played Ed Sullivan. And then many kids were rushing to their local guitar shops and starting bands. My dad was totally part of that wave. He started taking lessons at the first Ernie Ball shop on Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana, which is the neighborhood I was born in. He taught me how to play guitar when I was nine, and I've been using Ernie Ball since day one.

EBMM: When did yous start playing pretty seriously? Was in that location a moment when you knew you wanted to play professionally?

SS: From around 9 or 10 years old. I wanted to be in a band and dreamt almost doing this professionally. I was the kid in sixth grade playing "Fiddling Wing" at the talent evidence and wearing a Dark Side Of The Moon t-shirt.  I went to a schoolhouse in North Hollywood called Oakwood. Information technology's sort of like the Crossroads (a pretty well-known schoolhouse on the west side) of the San Fernando Valley. I was so lucky, a lot of my friends inside a grade or two of me became professional person musicians. Chris Hartz, the drummer and [musical director] for Gambino, besides went to Oakwood. I think there was and then much talent at that schoolhouse. Ivan Johnson, our jazz band teacher was a massive influence on all of us, and it was a great atmosphere to exist in. Information technology really gave united states the education equally well as the confidence to believe in ourselves and become for it.

EBMM: Currently, your main focus is with Kittenish Gambino, simply what other projects were you involved with prior to taking on that gig?

SS: I played with a band called JJAMZ, which was James Valentine of Maroon v's side project. Alex Greenwald from Phantom Planet, Jason Boesel from Rilo Kiley… information technology was kind of this niggling indie supergroup. This was right when "Moves Like Jagger" came out, right before Maroon 5'due south resurgence. James got too busy, and then they asked me to make full in. Also, correct before Gambino, I played some shows with Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes. I also MD a 13 piece wedding ring that plays about xl shows a year nationally.

EBMM: So after JJAMZ, is this when everything with Childish Gambino started to take off?

SS: When I was most 20, Chris and I worked at a sandwich shop in Studio City called Artisan Cheese Gallery. The possessor of the shop hired us to play Beatles covers for her husband's 60th birthday. It went well, and we decided to telephone call up our friend Luke, whose begetter ran this restaurant chosen Nick'due south Martini Lounge in Beverly Hills. They had live bands playing in that location every Th, Friday, and Saturday night. We booked a Beatle dark every Saturday, which turned into a soul dark and that's how we met everyone from Childish Gambino. Thomas Drayton, who plays bass in the band had a night at Nic'southward, and so did Ludwig Göransson, the main producer who started Gambino with Donald from the beginning. Then this petty martini lounge in Beverly Hills ended up existence a weird melting pot, and Chris and I were just in the right place at the right time. It's a very unlikely gig that led to such astonishing opportunities. It was a lesson for me to be open-minded; that you simply never know where an unassuming gig or relationship might pb you lot.

EBMM: The band met through mutual friends and playing in these intimate venues, when did Donald Glover get involved?

SS: Ludwig was composing for Customs, a show that Donald starred in. The two of them got together to make music for Donald's new project. Ludwig put together a alive band and reached out to players he had met at Nic's Martini Lounge. Ludwig is an incredible guitar player, then he needed bass and drums, and called Chris and Thomas. When Ludwig started to get actually busy and couldn't tour whatsoever longer, that's when I got involved.

EBMM: Did you lot expect the project to be as successful as information technology is today?

SS: No manner. I specifically recall the first iteration of the band playing at The Bootleg Theater, a 200-300 cap room. If you lot wait back at it, information technology was near more experimental in a way, they had violin and metallic guitar tones. The whole thing got a lilliputian bigger and I specifically recollect seeing shows at USC and UCLA where things started popping off. But information technology wasn't until 2015ish when I had the opportunity to write on Awaken, My Love!. Donald started singing in a fashion that I hadn't heard from him before. I didn't realize yet merely how skillful his voice was. Atlanta hadn't come out however… you lot could see that he was heading in a direction, channeling something much deeper.

EBMM: It sounds like it all happened pretty organically.

SS: It did. But frankly, I got super lucky. Donald wanted to essentially make soul music. That's a world I felt really comfy playing in. Donald was inspired by records I, fortunately, knew well and really loved. He and Chris had a session booked at our studio in Atwater Village, and Chris asked me to come work. If the projection went in a unlike direction, maybe things wouldn't take fallen into place the fashion they did.

EBMM: Shifting gears a bit, permit's talk instruments. The Albert Lee is your become-to guitar, how has that instrument been the one yous gravitate to the most?

SS: Information technology's difficult to explain why something feels expert. I recall I wanted a guitar that played like something I was already really familiar with, just that looked unique and unlike; that still had something classic about it. I also liked the thought of having something fairly light. The Albert Lee comes from a sort of Strat universe, which is what I grew up playing. I have 2 Albert Lee's I play on everything, one with unmarried coils and ane with humbuckers. They encompass everything I need for almost every occasion.  Ultimately, I believe a guitar is more personal and nearly experience than anything else. If y'all have actually good pickups and know how to play the damn thing well.. the majority of the sound from that indicate is gonna be most the amp and pedals. And so more than than annihilation, it's near picking it up a guitar and feeling inspired and excited. That's what those guitars bring to the tabular array for me more than annihilation else.

EBMM: 2019 was a big yr for y'all and the band, where y'all guys were touring basically all year. How was 2019 for you?

SS: When you lot're on the motility and traveling, it can be really difficult to truly relish the moment and soak it all in. It tin all experience pretty normalized when you're doing it regularly, even though you lot're in this situation that is truly one-of-a-kind and super rare.

I was the nerdy kid that would expect for five hours to get a good spot to run into Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead or Bjork at Coachella. So for me, I knew right away how lucky I was to headline all of these festivals and play all these arenas around the world. It's something I'll never forget and I'g so lucky I got to do it with my shut friends.

EBMM: Is there any advice y'all would requite to aspiring guitarists or musicians who promise to be a traveling musician one 24-hour interval?

SS: Well, the first matter I'll say is that I have no business giving anyone any communication. But, if I had to give my younger self communication, I'd say, to focus on the simple stuff more. You might recall playing a Bob Dylan song is easier than playing a Metallica song. Yous might retrieve that practicing scales at a high bpm is the most of import affair.  But it's actually really hard to make an amp and a guitar sound proficient in a very primal, primitive style. Even with just simple open up chords. So don't put off the "piece of cake stuff". Leave and actually try to play that music in front of a crowd and go far audio really, actually skilful and have it connect with an audience. Also, just remember, more than beingness a practiced musician, if yous want to get hired in a band, you have to be able to connect with the ring and crew. If you lot're a shitty person, yous probably won't become hired!

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Source: https://blog.music-man.com/artists/artist-in-focus-q-a-with-sam-sugarman-of-childish-gambino/