Nashville-Based, Sam Varga Showcases Talent with Release of Debut Single
With his debut single, Nashville based singer/songwriter Sam Varaga showcases his vocal talents with the release of "Sex & Whiskey." In our interview, Sam explains the inspiration behind the debut release, pursing a career in Nashville, TN, and his hair.
What's the story behind your debut single "Sex & Whiskey"? It’s semi autobiographical, I’m a big fan of both, but the narrative of song isn’t directly inspired by a particular trip or girl. I was at a popular taco place with my co-writer Kacey Velazquez and she was making fun of me for being hungover, which I was…excruciatingly so. And at some point behind my sunglasses I said something to the extent of “yup, that’s me…just sex and whiskey”…or maybe Kacey said it…we still fight over it.
When did you know you wanted to pursue a musical career in Nashville, TN? I’ve pursued music since I was about 10 years old. The Nashville move happened really fast and pretty spontaneously. My long time band had broken up, I was working in a grocery store at the time, and a publisher in town told me they thought I should move to Nashville. I didn’t really have any other direction at the time so I moved a week later and started writing.
Who are your biggest influences? My earliest influencers were artists like Jackson Browne, George Jones, and John Prine, that was all my parents doing. The music I chose for myself started with AC/DC, the riffs just instantly grabbed me. That eventually lead me into the punk/emo scene in high school. I think you can find all of that in my music. It’s all very lyrical but also emphatically dynamic.
What can fans expect in the upcoming months? I’m gonna be pimping this first single for a little bit, a music vid of sorts is definitely in the works. I’m headed to Los Angeles in July to wrap the EP which I’m hoping to release in the fall.
What's one thing that sets you apart from other musicians? My hair.
ABOUT SAM VARGA: Coming from the fast paced punk scenes of his high school days to the Blues of Austin TX, Sam always felt most at home writing honest songs on an acoustic guitar. Now he’s chasing something sonically along the lines of a “punk Jackson Browne.” His first single Sex & Whiskey is a high energy road-trip anthem and his first dip into solo artist “thing”. The Kentucky native now calls Nashville home after planting some serious roots in a short amount of time and has plans to release more music this year.