Samantha Fish is supporting her latest album, “Paper Doll,” which was released in April.
The recording marks her first studio effort tracked with her touring band, which consists of Ron Johnson (bass), Jamie Douglass (drums) and Mickey Finn (keys). The musicians recorded the nine tunes on the album during a breakneck 2024 touring schedule.
Speaking from the road the day after her first shared performance with Ingram, Fish spoke about the making of the album and how her tourmate and the hit film “Sinners” are among the forces bringing the blues to a new generation of fans.
The following interview has been edited for length and for clarity.
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The last time we spoke was toward the end of 2024 and I said, “You’re so busy, you can’t possibly be thinking about making another record right now.” You said, “Oh, no. I am.”
[Laughs.]
Tell me about making the album while you were touring.
I think I probably spoke to you right after our first session that we had done. The foundation was being laid for that whole process. It was like a labor of love because, again, we talked about the touring schedule last year. It was crazy; it was strenuous. We had so many dates back-to-back, so the way we tackled the recording process was [like this]: The very first session we did, we had two days off between tour dates in Austin and Oklahoma City, so we went to a studio for two days in Austin and said, “OK, let’s just chip away at this” and basically handled the entire [album] like that.
My producer, Bobby Harlow, bless him, he was so flexible and dedicated to the whole process because I don’t know many producers who would fly around the country like that for a couple days at a time, work the hours that he worked. He was truly dedicated to making the music. It was a lot of that. Everyone had to be on the same page. The band dedicated their time to it. It was a really rewarding way of doing it.
Other times you’ve probably recorded during a break from the road, this seems like an example of being primed and ready to get work done.
Absolutely. The sweat and energy from the stage was easily translated into the studio. You’re literally walking off the stage one night and going into the studio the next day. It’s hard not to take that same energy with us. We didn’t go home and rest for two weeks and then go into the studio. I feel like we were in this headspace. We were primed to make an exciting album.
It feels like these are also songs that are designed to be played live as well.
You want to make a record that sounds sonically beautiful, and I feel like I’ll paint myself into a corner occasionally with [ideas]. You get excited about how many layers [you can put on a song] and then you end up with a song that you can’t hardly figure out how to play live because there’s really only one guitar part you can put down [out there] unless you hire a bunch of other musicians. For me, it’s always about maintaining that balance of, “How do you make something that’s lush and beautiful but can also translate to the stage.” It’s always a challenge. We spent a good amount of time rehearsing these songs for the stage and having to adjust a few things here and there, but I think for the most part a lot of it is tailored to take to the stage. It’s not been terribly challenging.
I wanted to ask about the song “Fortune Teller.” To me that occupies a real special moment on the album, and it has this great atmosphere.
That song was one that we actually wrote in the studio. I’m a big fan of hill country blues. It’s definitely one of my favorite styles of not just blues music but any music in general. I’m a massive fan of the Fat Possum roster, R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. I wanted to create a song that paid homage to those heroes. That was the intention behind writing something in that vein but then of course once you start playing it with your band, it takes on its own life. I feel like that inspiration is still there, but it grew from there. It became something a little bit different.
It’s a rocker. I hear people reacting to it at the shows and that’s kind of exciting because we’ve only gotten to play it a handful of times so far. As our fans and friends get to know the record a little bit more, I feel like that has become kind of a crowd favorite already. So, when we start that little opening riff, I’m hearing the audience reacting. “OK, they like this one!” That’s great. It’s been interesting to watch how people react to that song.
You’re on the road with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram as part of the “Gone Fishin’ Tour.” Had you crossed paths much over the years?
Here and there. The first time I think I met Christone was at the Waterfront Festival in Portland [Oregon]. He actually came up on one of our sets and that video really got some legs. Over the years, people have mentioned us doing stuff together. I think it’s more than just the Fish thing, honestly. [Laughs.] We’re both playing the blues in our own way. I think people couple us together just because of our generation. He is much younger than me. I’m not trying to date myself. I think people kind of see us as younger folks in the blues. I reconnected with him last year on Slash’s S.E.R.P.E.N.T tour. We did that “Guitar World” cover with Slash, him and I, and that was a really cool experience. That might have been when they started talking about us doing this tour. We did our first show [May 14], and I think the response has been really great. I think the people are really excited about seeing us together.
Have you seen the film “Sinners”?
Yeah, it was great. It was so cool to see everybody have songs in it and to see some cool cameos.
There was a real cool thing that happened where a colleague of mine said, “I like ‘Sinners,’ and I think I like the blues. What can you recommend?” Somebody who didn’t have any of that music on their radar before that.
Isn’t that cool? I’m a big film, cinema buff. Everyone once in a while something will happen where it shakes up the mainstream consciousness about something that has always been there and just brings attention back to it. I think that’s so cool. If somebody sees that movie and it turns them on to old Junior Kimbrough records or it turns them on to Buddy Guy, that’s amazing.
