What’s In Your Fridge is where the Straight asks interesting Vancouverites about their life-changing concerts, favourite albums, and, most importantly, what’s sitting beside the Heinz Ketchup in their custom-made Big Chill Retropolitan 20.6 cubic-foot refrigerators.

On the grill

Sam Lynch.  

Who are you

My name is Sam, I write songs and sing them. I put out a little collection of songs called 'Light and Lines' at the end of May, and I've since been busy scooting around North America playing my music to humans who will listen. 

First concert

I was in grade 5. My mom took me and my sister to see Avril Lavigne at GM Place (now Roger's Arena). We watched from one of the viewing boxes– there were free chips, candy, and pop, and plenty of room for us to flail around. I wore an extremely large men's tie, and straightened my hair with my mom's clothes iron. My sister dressed normally, and kept household appliances away from her head. 

Life-changing concert:

I saw Lucius at the Imperial 4 years ago, and it really hit me. The show was such a spectacle– theatrical costumes, lights, choreographed moves, the whole thing– yet it still managed to feel intimate. At one point, Holly and Jess (the lead singers) sat on the edge of the stage and just spoke directly to the audience, dropped all of the theatrics, and explained how grateful they were to perform for a living and how they vow to never take any of it for granted. It kind of clicked something into place for me. It made me feel like a career in music was attainable, because they humanized it for me at a moment when it seemed completely unattainable. 

Top three records

Leif Vollebekk Twin Solitude  It's just one of the most beautiful, honest, immediate, and creatively sparse records that I know of. It's the feeling of an exhale. I've played it top-to-bottom too many times to count. 

Andy Shauf The Bearer of Bad News  I'm convinced that Andy Shauf is one of the most talented storytellers in modern music, and this album is exhibit A. With every song, you're placed in the same room, watching, listening, hearing the same things as the characters contained. His musicianship is too good, it makes me want to puke (in a good way). 

Fleetwood Mac Rumours I grew up listening to this record, and I'm not mad about it. My sister and I used to perform very dramatic, choreographed (by me) dances in our living room to "The Chain" and "Go Your Own Way". It's pop-rock ear candy, it's nostalgic, and gosh darn, I like it. 

Favourite video

Feist's La Blogothèque performance video ("Soirée de Poche #23") is a favourite of mine. It was released this past February, but was filmed in 2011. I'm inspired by her dedication to curiosity and creativity within her craft, and her ability to play in non-conventional spaces while still maintaining this ineffable, powerful performance. (Also, Sam Tudor's recently released video for his incredible song 'New Apartment' is insane.)

What’s in your fridge

Soaking Nuts. I like making my own nut milk, nut butter, and savoury nut spread, so I often have nuts soaking overnight. 

Anchovy paste It's one of those things that I bought a long time ago, because I wanted to replicate my gramma's infamous Caesar dressing, and then I had basically a whole tube left, but I hate wasting, so now it sits in the back of my fridge from now until the end of time.

Nin Jiom cough syrup Nin Jiom is a traditional Chinese herbal cough syrup, and I keep at least two bottles in my home at all times. It's a honey-based syrup, so it's super viscous coming out of the fridge, and both satisfies my sweet tooth and wards off any hoarseness I might be experiencing. Yum. 

Sam Lynch opens for Andy Shauf at the Vogue on September 16 as part of Westward Music Festival.