Sepand Samzadeh

Sepand Samzadeh
Born 21 September 1975
Tehran, Iran
Genres Rock, ambient
Occupation(s) Musician, composer, producer, audio engineer
Instruments Guitar, bass guitar, tar, dobro, lap steel guitar, synthesizer, programming, vocals
Years active 2003–present
Labels Bright Orange Records, Days Between Stations, LLC
Associated acts Days Between Stations
Website www.daysbetweenstations.com

Sepand Samzadeh (born 21 September 1975) is an American/Canadian/Iranian musician and producer. He is the co-founder, lead guitarist, and songwriter of post-progressive rock and art rock band Days Between Stations. Samzadeh is a composer, producer, audio engineer, guitarist and synthesizer player, playing other instruments as and where required (including Dobro, Lap Steel, and Tar). He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Shideh Ovaysikia and son Tiam Samzadeh

Biography

Background and early years

Born in Tehran, Iran, Samzadeh moved to Marbella, Spain in 1981 at the age of 6. In addition to speaking his native language Farsi, Samzadeh attended a private American Catholic school where he was taught Spanish and English simultaneously. It was in Marbella where he discovered his affinity for music around the age of 8. His best friend, Foroud Tale Yazdi, made Samzadeh a mix cassette tape containing music from The Beatles and the first song he heard was "Eleanor Rigby". The young Samzadeh spent much of his childhood listening to the synthpop and rock music coming out of Europe. His first exposure to rock was when Queen performed in Marbella. Samzadeh said he snuck into the backyard, past his bedtime, and from a distance heard music that stirred his soul.

His father listened to classical Persian traditional music (known as Sonati), and subconsciously Samzadeh was also influenced by this form of music. This influence can be heard on Requiem for the Living, In Extremis, as well as the use of the Tar on Egg Shell Man.

In 1986, Samzadeh and his family moved to Toronto, Canada. It was in middle school that Samzadeh listened to hard rock, which he found both frightening yet exhilarating. He went to the local library and signed out many albums, and spent countless hours a day listening to music on the radio.

After synthpop, classic rock, Sonati music, hard rock and the experience of living in three different cultures (Iran, Spain, Canada), Samzadeh states “...my musical style is the result of the indelible culmination of musical genres and cultures that became engrained me as a child and adolescent. In addition, within the four years I lived in Spain I had changed 3 schools, and the first 7 years of living in Canada I had changed 6 schools. I never kept friends as i moved around quite a bit, so I was very much inward. Music was my only constant companion. It was during this time that I also began drawing and painting. In fact, the cover of our debut album 'Days Between Stations' is one of my paintings.”

In April 1989, Samzadeh’s father bought him his first guitar -a Charvel Spectrum. By high school, the grunge movement had dominated the music scene and Samzadeh felt very connected to the music. “There was so much experimentation, risk, attitude and eccentricity to some of the music; on an emotional level, it dealt with angst, isolation and not caring and this resonated with me. Even more so, I loved how woman, in rock bands, were accepted as equal peers. I was a huge Nirvana, Sonic Youth, The Melvins, The Jesus Lizard fan; yet I still embraced classic rock and Synthpop. My dad still played his Sonati music in the house..... the result was a hodgepodge of ideas in my head”. Samzadeh started a punk rock band in high school. “We only met a few times, apparently I was very bossy and the lead singer somehow drifted out of society”

Next, Samzadeh’s family wanted to move to Los Angeles, California and he was forced to take the SAT’s so he could attend a university in California. “My mom dropped me off to take the exams and once the coast was clear I took off. In my mind I was not moving anymore I had enough”. He got accepted to the University of Toronto’s mechanical engineering program and his family moved to Los Angeles in September 1994. “Instead of doing things college kids would do, I was paranoid about failing and spent most of my time studying, listening to music and attending dive bar shows. It was during this time I began writing music.”

After graduating with a mechanical engineering degree in 1999, Samzadeh worked three years in a steel mill in Hamilton, Ontario, all whist scribbling down ideas for a concept album. In 2001, Samzadeh moved to Los Angeles and began to attain his MBA degree from Pepperdine University. “I promised myself that after I earn this degree, I would start a band. I had put off this dream long enough”

Professional career

Days Between Stations (2003–Present) In fall 2003, Samzadeh placed an ad in a local magazine and Oscar Fuentes responded. The two began composing music and Fuentes suggested a very fitting name for the band, Days Between Stations –the name of a novel Fuentes had read by Steve Erikson.

In 2004, Fuentes and Samzadeh sent Bruce Soord, leader of the British band The Pineapple Thief, a CD with nearly an hour's worth of mostly improvised material. Soord used some of this material as the basis for the song "Saturday" on The Pineapple Thief's 12 Stories Down (Cyclops 2004).

To help flesh out their sound in the studio, the band contacted former Young Dubliners drummer Jon Mattox in 2005. Mattox joined in as drummer and co-producer. The band further enlisted guitarist Jeremy Castillo, Argentinian-born bassist Vivi Rama, sax player Jason Hemmens, singer Hollie Shepard, trumpeter Sean Erick and trombonist Kevin Williams. Samzadeh's uncle Jeffrey Samzadeh, who sings traditional Iranian classical music, also sang on the track "Requiem for the Living".

Their eponymous debut CD was released in October 2007 on Bright Orange Records to worldwide acclaim, and was considered as one of the best albums of the year.

In 2008, Fuentes and Samzadeh began working on their second album. In 2012, Fuentes and Samzadeh, looking for a vocalist, got introduced to Billy Sherwood. Although the music was written by Days Between Stations, Sherwood co-produced the album, co-wrote the lyrics and mixed In Extremis. Sherwood also helped arrange the song “The Man Who Died Two Times”. Peter Banks was the first to be brought into the project. Banks had praised the band on their debut album and became and instrumental force on two songs, Eggshell Man and In Extremis. Tony Levin, originally to play on Visionary played bass on the entire CD. Rick Wakeman and Colin Moulding delivered their contributions to Eggshell Man and the Man Who Died Two Times, respectively. Paul Whitehead was also sought out to paint the artwork for the album.

With the album in full swing, and the concept falling into place, Fuentes and Samzadeh now had to write their overture, No Cause For Alarm. This track was left for last as it needed to contain all the major themes and epic melodies of the album. Having written the overture in just five sessions, Days Between Stations hired Chris Tedesco and the Angel City Orchestra to record the score. The orchestra also recorded tracks on In Extremis, Visionary and Waltz in E minor. The latter became a dedication to Peter Banks after he passed away on March 7, 2013.

In Extremis, the Days Between Stations second album, was released May 15, 2013. The album ranked on many of 2013's top 10 Progressive rock albums[1]

Currently, Sepand Samzadeh is working on the third album as well as scoring music for film

Personal life

Sepand Samzadeh resides in Los Angeles California and maintains a studio in San Fernando Valley close to the home in which Captain Beefheart rehearsed Trout Mask Replica. Samzadeh’s wife, Shideh Ovaysikia gave birth to their first child in February 2013 in Los Angeles, California, named Tiam Samzadeh. Mr. Samzadeh is deeply involved in his community by serving on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls of San Fernando Valley, Val*Pac, VICA and at Pepperdine University. Mr. Samzadeh also served as a City commissioner for the City of Los Angeles

Equipment

Guitars

  1. Custom Shop Vintage White Fender Stratocaster with Seymour Duncan Antiquities
  2. Custom Shop 1957 Two Tone Fender Stratocaster Masterbuilt by Jason Smith, Pick-ups Handwound by Abigail Ybarra
  3. Custom Shop 1959 Shell Pink Fender Stratocaster Masterbuilt by John Cruz, JC pick-ups
  4. Custom Shop 1952 NoCaster Blond Fender Telecaster with Fralin Vintage Hot pick-ups
  5. Custom Shop 1959 Fiesta Red Fender Jazzmaster with Lollar p-90's
  6. Custom Shop 1996 '60 Reissue Gibson Les Paul with Fralin Pure PAF's
  7. Custom Shop 1992 '67 Reissue Gibson SG Custom with Fralin Pure PAF's
  8. Custom Shop 2007 '57 Reissue Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty with Fralin Pure PAF's
  9. Custom Shop 2014 '60 Reissue Gibson Les Paul Special Singlecut TV Yellow with Lollar P-90's
  10. 1955 Fender Champion Lap Steel Guitar
  11. Gibson Songwriter Deluxe 12-string Acoustic
  12. Martin D-28 HD-28V
  13. Collings OM21


Amps & Cabinets

  1. Blankeship Fender '68 Bassman Head
  2. 1969 50W Marshall Plexi
  3. HiWatt DR504
  4. Orange Rockverb 50
  5. 1966 Supro Thunderbolt
  6. Bludotone Bludo-drive
  7. Matchless ES412 Cabinet
  8. Matchless ES212 Cabinet
  9. Marshall Pre-Rola Cabinet

Discography

Compact disks

Year Album Artist
2007 Days Between Stations Days Between Stations
2013 In Extremis Days Between Stations

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sepand Samzadeh.