Sam Yesner is a 3rd year Physics student at Bristol University. A songwriter and keen performer, Sam is the President of Bristol University’s Live Music society and is a member of Alt Rock band Over to You. They have just released a new single, ‘Alone Again’, which can be found on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/overtoyouband?fref=ts
What gave you the idea to run for President of LiveSoc?Well I enjoyed being involved with LiveSoc (Live Music Society) as a fresher and second year student as they provided everything I liked in music such as performing, going to gigs and socialising with other musicians so I wanted to be involved with them for my final year. I initially went to the AGM to try and get the role of events organising, but then the presidential role really appealed to me so there was a change of plan!
What plans and ambitions do you have for the society this year?Just to grow as a society and provide as much as possible to our members. We’re also thinking about new events and ideas for our members.
In your own spare time, what type of music do you listen to? Do you have any favourite artists?
I wouldn’t really say I have a specific genre that I listen to, although my favourite is probably punk rock/punk pop/alt rock, that sort of thing. But I really like other stuff like Pop, Acoustic, Indie, Dubstep, Dance, Drum and Bass, House and Swing as well. I would say my favourite bands/artists are Green Day, Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, Newton Faulkner, The Story So Far, Don Broco, Sammy Davis Jr., Netsky, Magnetic Man, Radiohead… I imagine there’s a few more that I can’t think of that are on this list as well.
What has your own experience been of performing live? Do you enjoy it? Yeah I love it! Performing solo is really fun but I’d personally say that playing and performing in a band is better – just because you’re in it together playing songs you all really like and want to play to others. Then when you finish your set you’re all buzzing and looking forward to watching the next band. It’s great fun and once you get past the nerves I would encourage anyone to try it.
Tell me a bit about your band – how did you get together and what do you intend to achieve in the future?
We’re a rock band (Alt Rock/Punk Rock kind of) called Over To You and we’ve recently released a single, ‘Alone Again’, that we’re getting out as much as possible currently! So it was just before Easter holidays this year and I was in bed, horribly hung over and feeling pretty grim! My friend Jimmy messaged me saying something like “Hey! How’s it going? We’re getting a band together and we were wondering if you want to play bass and sing?”, to which I replied “Yeah definitely!”. Simple as that. It’s early days but we’re really enthusiastic and just focusing on growing as a band and getting as many gigs as possible. It’s hard at the moment as I’m here at Bristol Uni but once I’ve finished I can focus completely on the band and I’m really looking forward to it.
How would you describe the music scene in Bristol? Everybody knows Bristol has a great reputation for it’s music scene and all I can say is that it deserves that reputation. No matter what sort of scene you’re into, I’m sure you can easily find a venue that is ideal for you. My personal favourite venues are Motion for Drum and Bass/House/Dubstep/Reggae and The Fleece for rock, but that’s just me. There’s so many different places to check out.
Lastly – do you have any advice for aspiring musicians? How can they get involved in the live music scene in Bristol?
I’m far from an expert on this sort of stuff but from what I know, it’s very important to get involved with social media so people can listen to and get to know your stuff easily, and so you can promote your gigs to more people. Then go and perform as much as possible! That’s about all the useful advice I can give!