Sam Sveen.  A math major? No.  A genius? Perhaps.  Scandinavian? Yes.  A musical revolutionary? Definitely.

Slope: So do you mind if I paraphrase some of what you say?  It’s hard to remember word for word with a pen and a pad.

Sam Sveen: Sure, as long as you make me sound like an a**.  Just kidding, go ahead.

Slope: So you have a sense of humor.  I noticed that in your performance as well.

S.S.: Yeah, I try to incorporate comedy into my music.  You probably noticed me rolling on the ground in between songs.  I think comedy help loosens up the audience a bit…and of course, I’m just a naturally funny person.

Slope: Yes I did notice, and I’m not going to lie your intentions actually worked.  As far as music goes, what is your creative process when writing songs?

S.S.: That’s a good question.  I guess I usually just play around on my keyboard or guitar for a while until I come up with something I like.  Then I’ll take a guitar riff, for example, record it onto my computer and then build off it using electronic instruments.  I do everything DIY.

Slope: So do you have a certain style that you try to keep consistent in all of your songs?

S.S.: Yeah.  Basically, I try to make my music as unique and catchy as possible.  You could probably tell that my lyrics don’t match up to Shakespeare, but they are meant to get stuck in your head, not put you to sleep.  At my last show, a girl came up to me afterwards and asked if I had ADD because my songs are so wild and out there.  Ever since then, I’ve been convinced I do have ADD, but its not scientifically proven yet.

Slope: Interesting.  Let’s talk about your new album.

S.S.: Sure.  So this is really awesome: I am a signed recording artist.  This past summer I signed to Angry Mom Records, a local record label with a studio based out of Autumn Leaves Bookstore.  It’s an awesome deal for me because I didn’t have to pay for any recording or distribution.  There are 300 copies of my album available on vinyl, but you can also download them off my website.  The cover shows me long boarding in South Africa, its pretty sweet.

Slope: It looks awesome Sam!  One final question.  What lies ahead for Elsa and the awesomeAWESOMES?

S.S.: Well, for starters I’m trying to recruit new members for Elsa and the awesomeAWESOMES.  I think it would be less embarrassing for me to be on stage with other people.  As for playing shows, I plan on staying in Ithaca for a year playing weekend performances.  Hopefully, by next year I will have scheduled a northeast tour.  I just want to play a million shows and hope to be discovered.  That’s basically my plan.

To learn more about Elsa and the awesomeAWESOMES, visit his website at http://samuelsveen.com