Word of Mouth: A Surprise Conversation with Samuel Isaac Penn

Zach Taylor

Aug 4, 2026

Samuel is claiming his place in the Alabama music scene.

Word of mouth plays a significant role in how we find trusted professionals. If you ask for recommendations for professional services on social media, you'll get a response. Recently, I did exactly that after discovering damage to my roof. Within minutes, I had dozens of comments and messages. Everyone seems to have a friend in every business, but that does not guarantee quality. However, when someone in that industry recommends another person, I am a little more willing to listen.

One night, I was at Mars Music Hall watching the Alabama Heathens open for Bay Simpson. After the Heathens’ set, I spoke with lead guitarist Jude Roberts, whom I had just watched absolutely destroy the stage. Being the gracious and humble dude he is, Jude introduced me to Samuel Isaac Penn. The gist of the introduction was simple: “Now this guy. This guy is a phenomenal musician.” Considering I had first learned about Jude’s playing directly from his legendary father, Mike Roberts, the endorsement carried some weight.

Alabama musician Samuel Isaac Penn by Bud Gambrell Photography for Mixed Alternative Magazine — Credit: Bud Gambrell

Over the next few weeks, I could not get my schedule to line up with Samuel and his band. I did, however, get the opportunity to see Uncle Jam—Samuel and Jude’s side project—at Lone Goose Saloon after a Moonlight Market event in downtown Huntsville. As much as I have loathed how busy Huntsville has become and how far it has departed from the city where I grew up, nights like that make it worth it. And the show at Lone Goose? Excellent.

Last week, when I sat down to interview another band at Rocket City Honkytonk, Samuel messaged me to say he would be next door at Furniture Factory Bar & Grill, watching his bandmate Jesse Moffitt perform with Dixie Sour. So, I stepped next door for an impromptu interview.

*This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

MaM: You’ve got a Billy Strings shirt on. How many nights are you going when he comes to Huntsville?

Samuel Isaac Penn: Every single one. Every single one. This will be my sixth and seventh time seeing him. Every time he has come to town, except for 2024, I’ve gone every night.

MaM: What is it about him that you love?

Samuel: I’m a big jam-band dude. My biggest influence by far is the Grateful Dead, so I’ve always naturally gravitated toward the jam scene. When Billy really started blowing up everywhere and started coming to Huntsville a lot, I thought, “Shoot, I might as well go.” I’m not as into it as some people are. They follow him around and go to every single show. I can’t do that because I have to play gigs myself, but if I weren’t a musician, I’d probably be with that crowd, following him around all the time—as long as I didn’t have a show that night.

Samuel Isaac Penn by Bud Gambrell for Mixed Alternative Magazine — Credit: Bud Gambrell

MaM: Do you go down to Shakedown Street?

Samuel: I have the last couple of times. It’s weird because I know some Shakedowns in other places have bands playing and all kinds of things going on, but the Huntsville Shakedowns I’ve been to haven’t had that many people out. When I go see Billy, I like to let it be my weekend—my one weekend off for the year. I can let loose and not have to worry about music.

Last year, we were actually offered an after-show at the pavilion outside The Orion, near Jeff & Blues. I said, “Man, I’m already playing gigs all the time. I really want to go and get the full experience without having to worry about anything else.” I had already bought my tickets far in advance.

Samuel Isaac Penn by Bud Gambrell Photography for Mixed Alternative Magazine — Credit: Bud Gambrell

MaM: Are you a Dead & Company fan?

Samuel: I never hopped on the Dead & Company train. I like John Mayer on his own, but I could never really get into the Dead & Company stuff. I love the Dead, and even though I never got to see the original Dead, without Jerry, Dead & Company never really did it for me. I was supposed to go to Atlanta on their farewell tour. My buddy and I had tickets, but his family scheduled a vacation that same week, so we ended up not going. The next day, I saw all the replays and the set list. They played all my favorite songs. I thought, “Man, I should have gone just to see Bob Weir.”

Honestly, Bob Weir influenced me more than Jerry did. I’m primarily a rhythm guitar player, so I studied Bob’s playing style a lot more. Unfortunately, I never got to see Bobby before he recently passed away.

Alabama musician Samuel Isaac Penn by Bud Gambrell for Mixed Alternative Magazine — Credit: Bud Gambrell

Let’s move on. I want to tell you a story about the night I met Samuel, though it actually begins a couple of days earlier. A few days before, I met Bud Gambrell and Mike Roberts, who were talking about Jude. They kept bragging about how he was beyond his years as a guitarist. I didn’t roll my eyes, but I was skeptical. “Okay, we’ve got a kid in his early twenties who is supposedly beyond his years. What does that even mean?” I wondered. Then I saw the Alabama Heathens at Mars Music Hall, and Jude truly blew me away. After the show, while talking with him, he introduced me to Samuel, saying, “Now this guy—this guy is a phenomenal musician.” Once again, I thought, “Okay, I’ll take his word for it.” A couple of Friday nights ago, while doing a book event on the square in downtown Huntsville, I noticed on Facebook that Samuel and Jude’s new side project, Uncle Jam, were playing their first show at Lone Goose Saloon. I thought, “Why not? Let’s go see them.” I came down and watched them play, and Sam impressed me—especially with his rendition of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?”.

MaM: Hearing you play “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” struck me.

Samuel: When I first started playing guitar, like a lot of guitar players, I learned a whole bunch of Nirvana songs because they were easy to play. When I was first getting into music, I really gravitated toward them. Nowadays, I don’t listen to them as much. They were more part of my teenage-angst years.

MaM: You had already played a great set, and I was enjoying it, but when you started that cover, I found myself standing there with my phone in my hand. I grew up in the ’90s, and Nirvana was clearly part of the zeitgeist of the grunge movement. That MTV Unplugged performance, where Kurt Cobain played that song, was huge. Seeing you guys perform it hit a nerve for me. What made you choose that song?

Samuel: Funny enough, it wasn’t even on our set list, and we hadn’t practiced it as a band. Some guy walked up and said, “Hey, do you guys know any Nirvana?” The drummer for Uncle Jam is also the drummer in my band, and we sometimes play that song together. Jude had played it with me before, too. We thought, “It’s easy enough. We can just BS it.” We did it right there on the spot. That song wasn’t part of our set at all. The guy threw ten dollars in our tip jar and asked if we knew any Nirvana, so we went for it.

MaM: That is a huge accomplishment—to be able to do that and pull it off. What do you think about songs that bring back nostalgia?

Samuel: There’s a very cliché saying you see on Hobby Lobby art that says, “Music speaks when words can’t.” There is a lot of truth in that. Music is also a universal language. It doesn’t matter who you are, what ethnic background you come from, or what language you speak. If somebody hears a beat and it sounds good or grooves well, they’re going to start moving around. That’s just how music is.

That was the whole reason we said yes. Since Uncle Jam is a new band, I had been adamant about sticking to the set list and not branching off into requests. I wanted to separate us from the typical bar cover band you can see every week. At the same time, that guy took his own money and put it in the jar. He had taken time out of his day to come watch us and hang out with us. I thought, “Why not?” At least three of us knew the song. The other two might not have known it as well, but I knew we could pull it off because we’re all good musicians. If it made that guy’s night, it was worth doing.

MaM: Let’s talk about original music. Tell me about your band and the direction you think you’re headed.

Samuel: For the last two years, my band has been evolving. When I first started, we were called Big Screen Revival. That lasted about a year or a year and a half. Then we became the Samuel Isaac Band. Now, I’ve done away with the band name and put everything under my own name. I also play a lot of solo gigs, and I’ve had to move people in and out of the band over the last year. I figured it was easier to use my name than to say, “We’re the blah-blah-blah band,” when people might see a different member playing with us every week.

Now, I have a really good, consistent group of guys, and we’re moving headstrong in a good direction. We’re trying to do as much original material as we can. For the last two years, I’ve played a lot of bars around North Alabama and done the whole cover-band thing. Honestly, I’m getting burned out on it. I’m at the point where I want to make and play music that resonates with me—the music coming out of my heart, my soul, and my mind.

We’ve been fortunate enough to play a bunch of local festivals. We played PorchFest, Panoply, Camp to Amp, and Wheeler Lake Palooza almost back-to-back. We have some other cool gigs lined up. We’re playing a campground festival in Tennessee, and we’re going to play Blue Canoe in Tupelo, Mississippi, which is a bucket-list venue for me. Things are looking up. It can be difficult because, especially as a full-time musician, when you step out and try to do more original material, some of the gigs start falling away. That’s especially true at the level I’m at now, as more of a local-regional kind of act. But I’ve never been in it for the money. I’m here because I love music, and I have since I was a little kid. I’ve been singing and tapping a beat with my foot since before I could walk.

Samuel Isaac Band by Bud Gambrell Photography for Mixed Alternative Magazine — Credit: Bud Gambrell

MaM: With performing under your personal name. Does that ever concern you in terms of how the other musicians might view it? Do you worry they could feel like hired musicians supporting “the Samuel Isaac show” rather than equal members of a band?

Samuel: Before I had a band, I had already been playing around here all the time—solo and duo gigs—for two or two and a half years. My name and who I was were already established. The music I had released in the past was also under my name. I thought, “I’ve already built a brand. There’s no point in starting over, revamping something, or trying to establish something new.”

MaM: Is there a direction in your mind—some kind of fusion that you believe represents the future of Samuel Isaac Penn? What does that sound like?

Samuel: The genre I’m going for is something I call “Southern Americana.” A lot of my music has a singer-songwriter, Americana kind of vibe, but it also has an edge—a Southern-rock flair. When people think of Americana, they often think of mellow, stripped-back, laid-back music. Some of my songs are like that, but I also have songs that are rocked up and get right in your face. I came up with “Southern Americana” one day and thought, “That’s the best way I can describe it.” Because I’m a hodgepodge of all my influences, I’ve never been able to put a label on myself. Other people have said, “Oh, you’re a country musician.” I don’t really think so. I think people say that because of the way I look and because I have a Southern accent.

MaM: You have side projects and your own band. You mix and match with different musicians, and tonight you’re here supporting your bandmate Jesse Moffitt while he plays with Dixie Sour. What does that say about North Alabama right now?

Samuel: I wholeheartedly believe North Alabama has the most awesome up-and-coming music scene in the entire country. Not just North Alabama, either. Alabama as a whole. You’ve seen a lot of artists blow up over the last five years—the Red Clay Strays, Ella Langley and, going a little farther back, somebody like Riley Green. Alabama has so much talent, and there is a rich musical history here. I think it is beginning to shine and bloom more than it ever has. I’m excited for the future. I’ve always told everybody that if my dreams don’t come true—if I’m not touring or doing whatever—and I’m still in Huntsville playing locally, I honestly wouldn’t care. In a lot of places, music scenes can be very cliquey. People can be douchey, just to be real. It isn’t like that here.

I know there are people who have been doing this much longer than I have, but even though I’m young, I’ve still been part of the music scene for about five years. I can’t tell you one genuinely bad or ill-meaning person I’ve met around here. I’m sure they exist, but from everything I’ve encountered, everybody has been awesome and uplifting. People are always trying to help one another.

MaM: Panoply has been around for almost my entire life. Wheeler Lake Palooza is brand new. You played both of them. What does that contrast say about North Alabama and local music?

Samuel: With Wheeler Lake Palooza, the sky is the limit. This was only the second year they held it. Mike Roberts and I were the only artists who actually camped there. I stayed the entire weekend. The community aspect of it speaks volumes about North Alabama. It wasn’t only the musicians. It felt like a true festival. I decided to camp on a whim. I showed up with a tent and a sleeping bag, but I didn’t bring a cooler, food, or drinks. I was fed and given drinks the entire weekend, completely free, because everybody was taking care of everybody else. It had that true festival spirit.

MaM: What do you want to be doing a year from now?

Samuel: A year from now, I would like to be playing frequently in places outside North Alabama. That is finally starting to happen for me. In August, I’m playing two solo nights in Alpharetta, Georgia. Then we’re playing the campground event in Tennessee and Blue Canoe in Tupelo later this year. I also played in Gulf Shores about a month ago.

Things are beginning to pick up. I want to get outside the area where I’ve been playing for the last five years. I’ve always told everybody that my goal isn’t to become some mega-famous rock star. I want to play music I am writing and make enough money to eat, clothe myself, and have shelter. If I have a family down the road, I want to be able to take care of them. That’s all that matters to me.

Zach Taylor with Samuel Isaac Penn by Bud Gambrell Photography for Mixed Alternative Magazine — Credit: Bud Gambrell

On Friday, July 31, I traveled to Scottsboro to watch Samuel’s band open for the Alabama Heathens at Two Sisters Square. The venue itself impressed me; the crowd was lively, and the bands delivered excellent performances. As Samuel and I caught up, his shirt once again became the focal point of conversation: bold white letters proclaimed, "ALABAMA HAS THE BEST DAMN MUSIC IN THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD." There was something undeniably fitting about that statement.

Our earlier conversation had begun because Samuel was wearing a Billy Strings shirt—a tribute to an artist he admired. But this time, his shirt was not about following someone else; it was about claiming his place in the music scene he belongs to. That bold statement is a strong declaration from a remarkably humble artist, and it echoed throughout our discussion. North Alabama has the musicians, venues, history, and community to support something special, though what it will ultimately become is still taking shape. Samuel isn’t seeking mega-fame; he wants to bring his music beyond North Alabama, earn enough for a sustainable life, and perhaps one day support a family. The Billy Strings shirt sparked our conversation, and the Alabama shirt brought it full circle.