Sam Plecker

When I met Sam Plecker in the summer of 2024 he was wrapping up a lease on a studio space in Los Angeles and had a couple songs burning a hole in his pocket. He wanted to record at BIG EGO with a full band on a Tascam 246 Portastudio. Sam was making a living for himself in the music business but was no stranger to manual labor jobs. He understood the difference between the mundane and the magical. He was knowledgeable and suspicious of anyone's party line. The more we talked, the more I liked him. Making an album on four tracks requires tunes and musicians of a certain caliber. Thankfully our rhythm section was unimpeachable: Ben Lumsdaine on drums, David Tranchina on electric and upright bass, Philip Glenn on fiddle and keys, with Sam playing acoustic and electric guitar and singing. Listen to the mandolin swing of "See It Through," and you'll hear a roomful of vibe. We got the band balanced to tracks 3 and 4 with Sam's guitar and vocal on 1 & 2. If a take didn't work, I rewound the tape and recorded over it. Keep what works and leave the rest. Leeann Skoda came in for a day of backing vocals and I put a couple mics overhead and played the tracks through the live room speakers at low volume. No headphones. Sam picked up a guitar and cut an overdub while Leeann sang and when their voices came together on the chorus of "Understood" I got goosebumps. Still do. - Chris Schlarb, Long Beach, California 2025