My story begins in 1993 in Houston, TX. I was ten years old and would fall asleep at night listening to my cassettes (usually of the mix-tape variety) and imagining myself performing the songs in front of an auditorium full of people. For a kid who’s singing parts in the school play were quickly rewritten into spoken lines, it was a long shot. In fifth-grade, my best friend, Dan, and I decided that we would start a band. It didn’t matter that neither of us could play an instrument or sing and though we never actually decided on a name our buddy Peter quickly signed on as band manager. We were on our way! On the day after Christmas Dan had a snare drum, I had an acoustic-guitar, and our still-nameless band had a surefire shot at taking over the airwaves. After three and a half years (and just two guitar lessons) we parted ways for high school and our shot at rock stardom seemed faded forever.
Most of the kids at my new school had known each other for years and high school for me consisted mostly of riding the bench on my high school football team, coating my face with Clearasil, and sneaking an occasional beer out of the fridge. One night in my junior year still stands out to me though. I went with a group of friends to see the Dave Matthews Band at the amphitheater just outside of Houston. What should have been a normal exercise in high school sociology and newfound independence turned into much more. I remember staring at the stage during the encore; we had lawn seats and the band looked like a group of ants, still, there was something incredibly electric coming from the stage. To this day I don’t know how to describe it but as I stood there watching I knew, “That is what I have to do.” It wasn’t a case of just wanting something, it was like I was being pulled into it. I didn’t say much on the way home that night, nor the next day at school, but I definitely felt different.
Just over a year later I found myself in Atlanta determined to prove to myself that I could survive going to college far away from my home in Texas. Though it was hard leaving my friends and family, I knew on the very first day that I had made the right decision. The opportunity to start over seemed nearly miraculous. I had been quiet in high school. Not quite shy, just more reserved. But in a dorm room eight hundred miles from home, I found a new sense of confidence and self-assuredness. I wasn’t just the new kid - I was one of thousands; and I was suddenly more outgoing that I had been before. One afternoon I was playing guitar in my room with the door propped open when a kid that I had met a few days earlier came in and said that he played as well. His name was Rich and he brought his guitar over and we played a few songs together. That night Rich and I sat on a couch in one of the common rooms and played while a group of kids began to come in and listen. Each night that week we played and each night the small crowd grew larger. With the encouragement of our new friends we went to the nearest bar to offer our services in exchange for a few pitchers of cheap beer and all of a sudden we had ourselves a weekly gig. We couldn’t believe our luck. We soon started writing our own songs and mixing them into our performances.
When Rich left Atlanta for a semester to study abroad I continued to write and pick up gigs around town. The songs I wrote during this period became the beginning of my first album, Above the Underneath. A friend of mine owned a studio and I started recording there in early 2004. I paid for the sessions by playing as many gigs in as many bars as I could. My social life quickly began to disappear as I would head to studio whenever I had a couple of hours in between classes and gigs. Finally in April of 2005 the album was finished and ready to go. I graduated in the following month and rather than getting a job I hired an agent. Since then I’ve been playing shows and writing songs as a full-time job and I couldn’t be happier. My fifth-grade dream that seemed so distant and impossible has come true. I play music for and with my friends every day. I’ve shared stages and written songs with artists that I used to line up to buy tickets to see. I have a band that is made up of musicians who humble and inspire me on a daily basis. I am incredibly grateful to the people who listen to and spread my music, come to my shows, and allow me to keep doing what I love.
At present, I am writing songs for a new album. I’m hoping to begin recording with my band this summer. The new songs are the best that I have ever written and I can’t wait to get them recorded. The shows also continue to get better and better. Each night something new and exciting happens and I love getting to share that with the folks who come out to watch and listen. And although I don’t know where I’ll be in the coming months and years, I do know exactly what I’ll be doing – I’ll be writing and playing my songs, telling my story.
- Sam Thacker 5/16/07
As promised, here is the brief run down of facts and stats:
- Debut album, Above the Underneath, is independently recorded and released in 2005. The album is heralded as “simply one of the best undiscovered gems of 2005” (Krissie Callahan, Just Another Song).
- Serenade, the first single from Above the Underneath, garners radio airplay on both commercial and satellite radio. The song is officially added to rotation on Top 40 station Hot 104.9-FM in Tallahassee, FL. Program and Music Director for the station, Brian O’Conner raves, “Sam is just one of those guys that knows how to connect to his audience – it pays dividends for him on stage and on radio. Serenade is reacting in Tallahassee RIGHT NOW!”
- Performed alongside Better Than Ezra, Collective Soul, Sister Hazel, Tonic, Gavin DeGraw, and Marc Broussard on The Rock Boat – “The World’s Greatest Floating Music Festival” – in 2004 and 2007.
- Shared stages with The Fray, The Doobie Brothers, Edwin McCain, Corey Smith, Sister Hazel, Jonny Lang, Cowboy Mouth, and Angie Aparo among others.
- Recent songwriting collaborations include works with Emerson Hart (of Tonic), Charlie Mars, Aslyn, Duncan Coutts (of Our Lady Peace), Nate Butler, and Johnny Andrews.
- “We can expect to hear a lot from Sam Thacker. His incredible talent and strikingly honest vocals take over any venue he plays” (Ashley Hesseltine, Jezebel Magazine).
- “Thacker writes with the maturity of a seasoned songwriter and has an undeniable knack for weaving beautiful melodies” (Krissie Callahan, Just Another Song).
Oh Well
Sam Thacker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
looks like rain again
like that
my own company in darkness
no more TV screen yeah
and oh ain't it funny
how the silence that you never heard can wake you up
if could only find it
if i could only breath the air
i know i need so bad
and its all around
holding on to nothing
so I'm calling all my satellites
its time i brought them in
okay
so i lost my affirmation
it's all caving in
awake on the feelings
and the reasons
no one listening
i close my eyes
listen to the rewind
scared of what you might find
with a look behind the
masquerade of all these days
then i go
if could only find it
if i could only breath the air
i know i need so bad
and its all around
holding on to nothing
so I'm calling all my satellites
its time i brought them in
but she comes and goes
like the empty days
when nothing changes and oh
she comes and goes
and she'll leave behind
nothing but stories
left untold yeah
away
i know i go
if could only find it
if i could only breath the air
i know i need so bad
and its all around
holding on to nothing yeah
yeah
then i go
if could only find it
if i could only breath the air
that's there and its all around
holding on to nothing
so I'm calling all my satellites
its time i brought them in
Sam Thacker's "Oh Well" starts with the artist saying that on a Tuesday afternoon, the lights are out and it looks like it's going to rain. He talks about being alone in the darkness with no TV screen and how he finds it amusing how the silence he never paid attention to can now wake him up. He then goes on to say that he wishes he could find something, breathe a certain air he badly needs, but it feels like he's holding on to nothing. So, he calls out all of his satellites to come to him, signaling it's time to reconnect with people he has lost touch with.
Line by Line Meaning
lights out on a Tuesday afternoon
It's mid-day and the electricity is off, creating a feeling of darkness and gloom.
looks like rain again
The weather seems to indicate that it's going to rain again.
like that
Without any warning or explanation- the rain is a natural force beyond anyone's control.
my own company in darkness
The singer is alone without anyone else to keep him company.
no more TV screen yeah
The TV is off and not functioning, leaving nothing but silence.
and oh ain't it funny
It's ironic how the silence that we seldom notice can wake us up.
how the silence that you never heard can wake you up
The absence of sound and noise can be powerful and alerting.
then i go
The singer turns to himself for answers.
if could only find it
The singer seeks something but he doesn't know what he needs.
if i could only breath the air
The singer desires essential things for his survival.
i know i need so bad
The singer feels an intense need for something.
and its all around
The thing that he needs is present around him.
holding on to nothing
The singer feels empty despite his surroundings.
so I'm calling all my satellites
The singer reaches out to his potential support systems or companions.
its time i brought them in
It's a crucial time where he has to reach out to his companions for help.
okay
The singer is taking a breath and accepting his current reality.
so i lost my affirmation
The singer is unsure of their personal values and belief system.
it's all caving in
The singer feels like everything in his life is falling apart.
awake on the feelings
The singer is finally being honest and true to his emotions.
and the reasons
The singer is seeking reasons as to why he feels this way.
no one listening
The singer feels alone and like no one is interested in his problems.
i close my eyes
The singer is shutting out the rest of the world to focus on himself.
listen to the rewind
The singer is thinking about past events.
scared of what you might find
The singer is afraid that if he examines his past, he will find something upsetting.
with a look behind the
Reflection on past events is difficult, and it's easier to move on when we forget.
masquerade of all these days
The singer feels like he's been masking his emotions with his daily life.
but she comes and goes
A woman, possibly a metaphor for life's ups and downs, is erratic and unpredictable.
like the empty days
The days where nothing happens feel empty and unfulfilling.
when nothing changes and oh
The singer feels like his life is stagnant and monotonous.
she comes and goes
The woman/life's events are present and then disappear, just like life itself.
and she'll leave behind
When she's gone, she will leave many things behind.
nothing but stories
The memories or stories of the woman/life's events are all that will remain.
left untold yeah
Some of the stories will remain unspoken and unknown to others.
away
The woman/life's events are gone, and the singer can't do anything about it.
i know i go
The singer is aware that he must leave at some point.
if could only find it
The singer still has not found what he is looking for.
that's there and its all around
The answer is literally everywhere, but the singer cannot recognize it yet.
yeah yeah
The singer acknowledges this with enthusiasm.
Contributed by Jasmine R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.