BRANCHEZ

Meet Sam Kopelman (aka Branchez), a New York native who has been pursuing his passion for music since middle school. Most of you probably know of Branchez from his remix of What So Not’s “High You Are” which, truth be told, is still a favorite of mine. He has been killing it all over the country recently, and he’s only getting bigger! Just off his Feel This Tour with Giraffage, Branchez is amped up to create more soulful beats and take the scene by storm in a big way.

A couple weeks ago, I caught up with Branchez to ask him the questions everyone wants to know. We had a great conversation - he was super easy to talk to, very chill and gave some funny answers to the questions I asked him (I love it when that happens). Read on for some more fun facts about your new favorite producer:

Hey there! Thanks so much for chatting with me today. First things first, have you always known that you wanted to make your music into a career, or did the goal evolve over time?

Well, I’ve known I wanted to make music for my living since I was in 7^th or 8^th grade. I played the drums back then and went to college for music so it’s definitely always been the goal. I’m very lucky for that and very grateful!

What inspired your name “Branchez?”

I actually came up with it in seventh grade, it was my street basketball name. It carried over into my music when I started creating sounds and beats on Garage Band on the school computers.

What is your spirit animal?

*pauses* A sloth. I sorta look like one I guess and I’m generally slow with every-day tasks… Don’t get me wrong I’m definitely motivated! Also I love Sid the Sloth from Ice Age, so I think that’s why it’s my spirit animal.

Lights on or off?

On.

What is the most bizarre thing you have seen while performing, or just at a show in general?

Wow, that’s a good one… I’d have to say the most bizarre thing I've experienced happened in a crowd. It was after I had performed on The Cold Crush Tour with Paper Diamond in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was in the crowd and happened to look over right as this dude punched a girl in the face. Yeah, that happened. I think he may have been defending his girlfriend but he still rocked a chick. It was pretty aggressive.

Boxer or briefs?

Boxers.

How about the weirdest experience with a fan?

It’s mostly just social media ridiculousness. No dick pics or anything crazy like that, but this one time I accidentally followed a girl on twitter. It wouldn’t have been a big deal but she freaked out and was overly pumped about it – I think she thought we had some deep connection.

Want more Branchez? You can visit his SoundCloud here and make sure to like him on Facebook. Also, for all of my fellow Bostonians – you can join me at Naga on May 7^th for the Branchez show! Buy your tickets here and I hope to see you all there, it's sure to be a good time!