Music Q&A with Sam Barbera of BEGINNERS and L.A. Exes
Photo by Nick Rasmussen
Sam Barbera of L.A. Exes recently released an EP titled Ooey Gooey, under her own project BEGINNERS. If you’re a fan of Santigold, MIA, The Strokes, and/or Sleigh Bells, this is up your alley! In this Q&A, Sam talks about the EP, her favorite city to play in, her favorite thing about making music, and more! Ooey Gooey is out NOW!
Congratulations on the release of Ooey Gooey! What does the EP mean to you?
For the last few years I've been releasing single after single, garnering up momentum with fans, and waiting until I felt like I had a body of work worthy of releasing as an album again. With Ooey Gooey, I finally feel like I have a personal snapshot of my life that I'm ready to share with the world. It’s exciting and also kind of scary! ha
What is your favorite song off Ooey Gooey?
My favorite song from Ooey Gooey is probably “Broke”, the first single I released. It just perfectly encapsulates where I was at in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. It also allowed me to get some pretty heavy relationship demons off my chest. And even though the subject matter of the song is pretty dark, there is still a big optimistic spirit in the choruses which makes me feel good every time I listen to it.
How has working on music for BEGINNERS been different from other projects you’ve been a part of?
With L.A. Exes, it’s much more of a traditional band set up I’d say. With BEGINNERS, it’s truly an ever-evolving mix of incredible collaborators, including my live band members and many more. Since it’s sort of my baby to succeed with or fuck up, I feel the freedom to explore whatever I want to creatively which is nice.
When did you realize you wanted to create music?
Oh man, I’ve been creating music since I was 12 and I first learned how to play guitar. I never imagined myself being a professional musician honestly. Both of my parents were musicians and I just always imagined myself in a more traditional 9-5! But here we are and I’m very grateful every single day!
What is your favorite city to play in?
Denver! We’ve always been really well received in Denver and over the years have made some incredible friends there.
What's the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?
“I never, ever had it in my mind that I wanted to be in the record industry, because I still contend that the record industry is an insidious affair. It's this terrible collision between art and commerce, and it will always be that way.” - Ian MacKaye
What is your favorite thing about making music?
Getting to work through life’s challenges in a healthy manner. And on the same token, having these pivotal life moments forever documented in songs, almost like a personal diary that I’m definitely too lazy to write in otherwise. lol
How do you stay positive?
Honestly, I just try to stay grateful. It sounds cliche because you hear it so much, but I think it’s so important. It’s easy to lose sight of all the incredible privileges we have, and just focus on the few we don’t. I try my best to keep that in perspective.
Any last words or final message for the readers?
Just thank you for reading and I hope you love the Ooey Gooey EP as much as I do. And I cannot WAIT to be on the road again seeing you all in person!