My name is Samuel Safford and I play drums in a band called MinaMize. We are an indie/folk trio that plays lyrical, thought-provoking music. I have been in this band for two years and I have learned so much about friendship and communication. We formed in Pelham, New Hampshire while I was in my junior year of high school and my friend Joshua Paul Pritchett was giving my sister guitar lessons. I remember him inviting me to jam with him since we both play music, and after the first or second time jamming Josh asked me to be in a band with him.
Before I was ever in a band with Josh, we were merely acquaintances; my brother went to elementary school with Josh. However, music is so powerful that it connects individuals and brings friends together. My experience so far in MinaMize has really shown this to be true. Being in MinaMize has also taught me many things about hard work and patience.
Josh and I have discovered that making just one album can take a month or two. However, Josh has a collection of songs he's written over the years. When we first formed, he had enough songs for one whole album, possibly two. If there is one word that best describes Josh, it's "expressive." In each song he writes, he paints a profound picture of his beliefs and feelings.
Being in a band has taught me patience in two different ways. One way is the process of recording an album, which usually requires multiple takes of recording instruments and vocals. I remember recording some songs at least two times. I also found that we needed to find the best way of recording the instruments, and we finally decided on recording them all at once.
The second aspect is in regard to booking gigs, which has not been easy. When booking a gig, sometimes you will not always find the best options. It is always harder to find suitable places for MinaMize to play because I use a wheelchair and that means venues need to be wheelchair accessible. We have also found that working with a booking agent makes it extremely difficult to be patient. It's hard to be positive when a person who promises good gig opportunities but doesn't deliver on them. For example, we found a booking agent that promised us local gigs, but the venues had no clue about us. He also promised some gigs in New York City, but those just never came to fruition.
Currently, MinaMize is about to play a folk music festival in Nashua, New Hampshire. We are massively excited about this since we haven't played many gigs with other folk bands. We have also added a new member to out lineup, a bass player! His name is Hagen Kenny and he is a close friend of mine. He has learned out original songs very quickly and it's remarkable what bass adds to our band.
I wouldn't trade my experiences in MinaMize for anything, and that is the truth. Our music can be found on iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon Music under the name MinaMize.
About the Author
My name is Samuel Safford. I am 21 years old and I live in Pelham, NH. I am a public speaker and a musician. I was a member of the Music Honor Society at my high school and delivered a speech to over 500 students at my sister's high school. Lastly, I love to hang out with my friends, go to the movies, and make YouTube videos.
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