NoVA- and D.C.-based indie band Sam Hesh’s sound is as eclectic as the four band members themselves. Collectively, singer-synth player Eliza Berkon, singer-guitarist Mike Cleary, drummer Faheem Haque and singer-bassist Scott Lutsky have backgrounds that span from pharmacy to engineering. The diversity within the group translates into their music, which can be heard on their forthcoming debut EP.
“The EP has six songs, but they all sound different,” Haque says. “We don’t want one type of sound, so all of the songs are unique.”
“We will start jamming a guitar riff then start creating over top of one another, and then we have something. That’s how most of the songs on the EP were created.”
As a result, the band has landed on a sound they describe as a far-reaching fusion of indie-rock, funk, alt-country, electronica and dream-pop. The latter is particularly evident on the lilting, melancholic “Tightrope.”
“It’s weird, but it’s us,” Cleary says.
While each of the four bandmates may have disparate day jobs, they have all been fixtures in the local music scene, playing with previous bands. Berkon, who received her master’s in music education from Howard University, even appeared on the NBC a cappella competition series The Sing-Off in 2011 with Howard’s vocal group Afro Blue.
It wasn’t until 2013 the quartet teamed up as Sam Hesh after Lutsky posted an ad on Craigslist looking for bandmates. Cleary and Haque responded immediately, and Berkon rounded out the group a few months afterward. Later, an accidental autocorrect during a group chat gave the band its name.
Sam Hesh’s eponymous EP is due out Aug. 5, and its release will be followed by two D.C. shows: a house show in Mount Pleasant on Aug. 25 and a gig at the Velvet Lounge on Sept. 10. Berkon says playing live has been a defining moment for the band.
“Getting up there and having an audience and thinking they liked us made it real,” she says.
“Being able to play new music is motivation to keep doing it,” Cleary adds. “When I pick up and play a guitar, I can finally say exactly what I am thinking through the music.”
