When Sam Weber steps into the most intimate performance venue in Victoria, the singer/guitarist worries just a little.
“You play, but people are literally sitting two feet from your face. It’s a bit shocking,” he said of Andy Briggs’ home venue.
Weber performed at Victoria House Concert B on Monday night. This Thursday, Dec. 12 Weber, Luca Fogale and local singer songwriter Ryder Havdale will play the intimate Char’s Landing space on Argyle Street in Port Alberni.
Weber has reluctantly adopted an attitude of just simply performing.
“I’m right here and I’m just going to do what I normally do when I’m not two feet from you,” he said. “But you can’t really do anything wrong ... Everyone’s really understanding and forgiving.”
The 21-year-old singer-songwriter and guitarist has made some big leaps in recent years.
Weber earned a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. the summer he was 17. Though they offered him a scholarship, the 2011 Stelly’s Secondary grad opted to return west.
“It wasn’t for me. I liked the program I did there but ultimately I just felt my time and resources were better spent here focusing on self-recording and being creative,” Weber said.
“Since being back, I’ve built my studio business and developed those recording skills that I’ve utilized heavily to record not only myself, but other people.”
Weber’s intuition turned out well; in 2012 he toured with Jets Overhead.
“That on its own was worth it,” he said. “Adam saw me playing ... he asked me to come try out so to speak. We ended up getting along. We played a couple really cool shows with Sam Roberts, Tragically Hip, Current Swell, Stars – a lot of cool Canadian bands.”
Weber debuted his first full-length album Shadows in the Road this summer, a record filled with a “wide scope of tunes.”
“I’ve been working on writing and recording every night until about 5 a.m. for this EP I’m planning to release in 2014. I’m still working out logistics,” he said.
“That’s my main focus right now.”
— With a file from Susan Quinn, Alberni Valley News