Sam Velazquez
Sam Velazquez is always listening to music. Always thinking about it. Always considering its cultural impact, the quality of its production, the craftsmanship of the songwriting. And sometimes, he’s just listening because it sounds good.
A product of central Indiana and Indiana University’s Media School, Sam’s writing retains the pleasantness and conversational tone that have long been associated with the Midwest. He believes in the importance of listening, in absorbing different perspectives in an attempt to better understand the people around him. He is not, however, shy about sharing his own opinions, whether they’re about the most capital-I “Important” albums of the year or about the ramifications of political decisions across the globe. He tends to ramble; he is not good at self-editing. At the very least, it sounds pleasant.
Sam was raised on classic rock, blues, and jazz music, but that hasn’t kept him from expanding his tastes deeper into indie, electronic, and hip-hop music. He believes U2 was the last great “rock band” in the classic archetype. He believes Anderson .Paak had the best 2016 of anyone in music, including Chance the Rapper and Beyoncé. He believes in the importance of diversity in music, even if his tastes don’t always reflect it (he’s working on it). And finally, he does in fact give a fuck about an oxford comma.