Bienvenue sur / Welcome to

Philippe André (Profilprog PP): Hello Sammy thank you for giving us your time to answer our questions.
SAMMARY (SW): Hi! It’s my pleasure! Thanks for having me.

PP: Here we are in the presence of Sammary's third album, is it the most accomplished in your opinion?
SAMMARY (SW): I think so, yes. It feels to be the most consistent record so far and I am proud of the concept behind it. Also to feature artists like Jon Courtney or Randy McStine really makes me proud of it.

PP: Which city in Germany are you from?
SAMMARY (SW): I’m from a small town near Frankfurt. Frankfurt is where I study music.

PP: Which are the main differences between The Dream and The Deer Pants?
SAMMARY (SW): I think ‘’The Deer’’ is more progressive and more consistent as an album than ‘’The Dream’’. It has longer, more conceptual pieces on it and isn’t as modern produced as ‘’The Dream’’. And it feels like more of myself is in the record. That makes it more special to me.

PP: Why have you used several different vocalists since Sammary's beginnings?
SAMMARY (SW): Well, funny you ask that. SAMMARY started out as a duo in the early days, and the singer’s name was Mary. So, we combined the two names and came up with SAMMARY. She moved away to study abroad, so I was short of a singer. I knew Stella from my Jazz background, and it was an instant match. Since then, I like to feature different singers here and then. Especially when I do concept albums it can help the story more intense or more clearly. Sometimes one actor plays all the roles, but it is nice when some characters get their own individual voice. But Stella is just great, she just outdid herself on that one.

PP: What happened to Marie Stenger, who worked with you from the beginning?
SAMMARY (SW): Well, like I said, she moved away to study. She did though write a song for ‘’The Dream’’. Rotations is the name of the song.

PP: Is the band name inspired by your first names? Sammy and Marie?
SAMMARY (SW): Maybe you can copy/paste my answer from above to the best places ;)

PP: It seems that Stella Inderwiesen was the missing piece of the perfect puzzle. Am I right about this?
SAMMARY (SW): Yes, she is the perfect voice for SAMMARY. Both in a musical but also in a lyrical way. It’s always a thrill to go into the studio with her.

PP: Who are Jhin and Theresa Tadday who sing on the third and four tracks?
SAMMARY (SW): Jhin I know from university and Theresa I met when I played with the WDR Big Band (radio big band in Germany) at the Philharmonie in Cologne. I heard her sing and instantly wanted to do some music with her.

PP: For The Deer Pants, you chose an adaptation of Goethe's "Faust," why?
SAMMARY (SW): I always had a connection with that play. I read it at school, and the story always fascinated me because it is so universal and anthropological. It covers the themes of what humans want in this life, what is their purpose and how they can achieve happiness. It talks about good vs. evil morality and many more universal themes. And therefore, it is still relevant today. I tried to explore the story in our modern times and how we as humans developed as a society since then.

PP: The artwork of the records was entrusted to women each time, intention or chance?
SAMMARY (SW): To be honest it is chance. The last two covers were made by Viktoria Ciesluk. We know each other from school, and I always come back to her work for my music. Although I created the picture with the poodle! :)

PP: Jon Courtney from Pure Reason Revolution appears on a track, do you plan to continue your collaboration in the future? This eponymous title is also my favorite! The same question for Randy McStine?
SAMMARY (SW): Yes indeed. Though this collaboration, Jon and I became friends and jam around a lot in his studio in Berlin. Maybe if we both have some spare time we might release something. So probably never… but yeah, it’s great working with such talented and gifted musicians as them.

PP: What is your original instrument? Drums, I guess?
SAMMARY (SW): Yes, I started playing drums when I was six and I’m doing it since with much passion.

PP: And what is your favorite instrument today since you have become a multi-instrumentalist over the years?
SAMMARY (SW): Still the drums. Nothing gives me more joy than smash some grooves over a heavy riff. Although playing heavy riffs on stage is also very fulfilling.

PP: Do you have any plans for the coming months? Gigs or only studios?
SAMMARY (SW): I’ve got some things in mind. Next year, we’ll play some festivals. Winter’s End or Empire Of Prog for example. But there will be more, I promise.

PP: What are your other activities or professions besides Sammary?
SAMMARY (SW): Well, I study and teach music. I do a lot of Jazz and compose and arrange for Big Band.

PP: Thank you for your collaboration, Sammy and all the best for SAMMARY
SAMMARY (SW): Thank you for having me! My pleasure!