By Erik Philbrook
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Sam Hollander |
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"As an oddball who grew up appreciating both a Debbie Gibson record and a Minutemen record, it was a very lonely existence," says hit songwriter/producer Sam Hollander, whose eclectic sensibilities and humble attitude have found a nurturing home in the successful production team called S*A*M and Sluggo (Dave Katz). The duo, whose studio shares space in a Manhattan office with Ozone Entertainment and Crush Management (an environment akin to The Monkees' living room), has written and produced for some of the hottest young pop-punk bands today, including Metro Station ("Shake It"), Cobra Starship ("Snakes on a Plane"), Boys Like Girls ("The Great Escape"), Gym Class Heroes ("As Cruel As School Children"), We the Kings ("Check Yes Juliet") and many more.
Hollander says he has always been song-centric: "As a kid, I was the first to have the entire K-Tel collection on vinyl. I loved songs. On the back of all those K-Tel Records, I knew all the stats for the songs: their chart position, who wrote them, who produced them, what label they were on. I collected those records like baseball cards. I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted that feeling of hearing my stuff on the radio."
The New York native also had the insight to realize early on what his musical strengths were. "I figured out my job," he says. "I'm sort of like a physical trainer at Crunch. I make sure that the weight doesn't fall down on your chest, but I'mnot doing the heavy lifting. I love to sit with a band as a fan and give them my insight. I say: 'This is what I love about you so much. Let's enhance that.'"
All self-deprecation aside, Hollander is pumped about his good fortune, not to mention the fact that Rolling Stone just named him and Sluggo as "Hot Production Duo" in a recent issue. "I did the band thing like everyone else, but truthfully I got into this so I could work with people I look up to. I'm just glad they don't throw me out of the room. That's a big victory for me."
