Sammi is into Photography, she sells Merch, she can sing, and is still humble, she sees both sides of the spectrum, working the tour and being the band on tour, she also see the good and the bad of dating someone in a band.

Below is a little bit more on Sammi and also her 5 questions with themerchdude.

I am Sammi Doll, keyboardist and back up vocalist for the Los Angeles based indie-electro band, My Satellite. I split my time as a professional photographer, taking promo and portrait shots of musicians for endorsements or creative purposes, and also part time on the road with various artists as a merchandise manager.

1) People may not know but you’re a musician/artist and also work as a Merch lady, So you get to work both sides of touring. What are the pros and con of each side?

I’m definitely able to view it from both perspectives. I’ve always liked working behind the scenes of a production because I’m never really mentally satisfied unless i have 10 things going on at the same time to challenge myself… and i don’t have to get all dolled up to do any of that. I enjoy working in merch management mostly because it’s the experience of living life to the fullest, meeting genuine people that become your family, waking up in a different city doing the same thing .. but it’s always different… and getting the most out of traveling without having the pressures of the performing artist. I meet some intense people out on the road, it definitely puts who i am in check. I’m especially appreciative for the privacy of home when I come back to LA… but I’m home for too long - I’m burning to get back on the road. It’s the same thing with photography - it becomes a second nature routine, but every situation is unique. When I play with my band, i have to be ON all the time from start of the day the to end.. it’s the same formula - I’m in charge of 10 different things that all have to happen at the same time. Although it’s more forgiving to receive funny looks if you mess up a sentence while explaining the size of a product to someone, than it is if you sing the wrong lyrics in a song ha.

2) Worst and best touring experience?

HA! I was touring with an artist who’s demographic was 50+ years of age, usually sit down theaters. We were in Sante Fe, NM and this one lady was in hysterics because she was offended there was an opening act, and she wanted her money back. The venue lost control of the situation and sent her to me, being the closest physical person involved in the tour itself. She yelled at me for a good 10 minutes demanding her money back as i politely stated that she need not get upset, most all artists that tour have an opening act, that’s how this event was being run tonight and that if she waits patiently for another 15 minutes, that the artist she came to see would take stage. She went on to say how i was unprofessional and too young to understand how to respect for the situation and how she was a tough girl from new york (LOL) … yadda yadda yadda … in the end, she kept on and on and i opted to not pay her any attention… so she threw her glass of wine all over me and and the table. Some crew guys on my tour came out immediately from the back and took care of the situation… nobody messes with crew - we are like a family when we are out on the road - we have to be. I’m not sure if that counts as a best story - or the worst time!

Best part .. lets see - would it be shitty if I said the airline miles? haha! I’m kidding!
The best part about touring for me is honestly getting to see a lot of the places i have yet to visit, or probably wouldn’t ever visit otherwise. Granted, I don’t get to see much of the actual cities unless we have an off day, but that is usually every 2-3 days depending on the artist I’m touring with. I’ve been able to check out the beaches in Florida, explore the historic Boston, eat incredible catering at Wolftrap, stayed at an incredible New York penthouse in Gramercy Park… been to Maine! (who goes to Maine besides Stephen King!?!)… Seen a HUGE crocodile swimming from the bus while driving over the bayous in Louisiana… It’s the novelty of it all, I still get giddy when I find I’m venturing into uncharted territory. The people I meet along the way always have your back, they’re usually super experienced road dogs who have been doing this for 30+ years that laugh at the newbie girl with her merch cart at first, haha, until they get word of what merch brings in every night! You gain respect as long as you keep respectable.

3) You are dating a great friend of mine Jinxx from the Black Veil Brides and his fans seem to either love you or hate you, What the hell is wrong with these super fans that feel they have the right to call you names, bully and still feel that they can call themselves fans yet disrespect You which clearly you’re important to the person they are fans of?

It honestly blows my mind, the audacity a lot of these young kids have with some of the things they say. Not all of them - there is still a good portion of them that are genuinely in it for the music. I believe the accessibility of social networking and internet has given kids the sense of entitlement, like they deserve special treatment because they ‘do the band a favor and listen to the album, buy their merch,’ etc. Some kids get caught up in imagining a sort of fantasy of what the members are like, and are extremely disappointed when they find out otherwise…(like how they have private lives and girlfriends).
I have established an eclectic group of followers because of who I’m dating … A lot of them are girls from the fan base who are looking for a sort of positive female to look up to and a lot of them have deemed me that person. I never asked for that, but through just being myself and expressing my opinions on matters, It just sorta happened. It’s a unique situation I’ve been put in - it allows me the power of spreading what’s important in life - integrity, morals, values, self respect, and uplifting self esteem to kids who need that sort of guidance. That sometimes gets me in a heap of trouble - Not everyone is going to like what you have to say, and always somewhere, someone is going to have something negative to throw back in your face. Especially over hormonal teenage girls looking to pick a fight. I’m an easy target, I’m in the way of what they want, or they wish so badly to be in my position… or they just plain out don’t like my face haha. It’s no skin off my back, in the end, I go to bed happy and content with my life, my love, and all I’ve worked for… and nothing i could argue is going to change their already made up minds.

It’s all part of growing up I suppose. you have to experience those catty feelings and get embarrassed when you’re wrong to understand what is right. It’s how we grow from our experiences and they shape us into the people we are meant to be. I often forget most of these kids are 10-15 years younger than me, and they really are kids…. they don’t understand what morals or respect is - these are the years for figuring it out. That still, is no excuse for lashing out profane strings of half typed sentences in my direction out of blind hate or jealousy… even when i was growing up at their age, I was always taught to have respect for my elders.

I speak from deep down when i say that it breaks my heart to see the youth bully each other every day based on superficiality, aesthetics, who has the best love life/interest, or how they are kicking someone out of the fan base because one person doesn’t feel open enough to understanding the other … when the entire message of my dude’s band is anti-bully, being yourself and standing up for what you believe in. It’s fairly hypocritical, and I’ve done my best to keep my tongue held, but there are certain times that I feel I need to speak out just to remind kids to be human to each other … nobody is better than the other, everyone shits in the morning, and everyone needs their privacy. Including us.

4) When and where is your band going on tour? and if you’re performing who is selling your Merch?

We are planning on doing a mini tour to SxSW festival in Austin, TX- we are still working out all the dates and stops in between and back so we can visit as many cities as we can while we are out. As it stands now, I’m in charge of all the merchandise and inventory because I’m OCD about it. When we are at home, I have someone I trust handle the selling and money while I’m on stage - I can imagine that when we are out I will be in charge of sitting at the booth after the show, setting up, selling, and tearing down. At this point it would feel unnatural for me to do otherwise.

5) What is 5 thing people don’t know about you?

I have a ganglion cyst on top of my right hand that is also nicknamed a “bible bump” … legend has it that they used to cure the growth by hitting it directly with a bible. We tried using the Necronomicon on it, but it keeps coming back. Maybe now I am possessed with that grim darkness that flows within my veins.

We have a variety of animals and animal parts, both dead and alive in my residence.
Alive being: 2 snakes - California King Snake, Reticulated Ball Python. 2 Cats. 1 Algerian Hedgehog named wedgie.
Dead animals because we are into artistic taxidermy - rabbit face, fox head, alligator head, animal skulls, skins, and a variety of bodies in jars.

I have dual citizenship in England and America

My idea of a good time is being at home with my animals, dinner, wine, xbox and my dude with our phones OFF.

My first art show is the upcoming Metallica’s “Obey Your Master” Exhibit with 40 participating artists all making art based on one of Metallica’s songs. I am displaying a conceptual photograph which will be available for viewing on my website after Jan. 20 for those who cannot attend the event. Brutal!

Contrary to popular belief, themerchdude just posts pictures of the inside of arenas to throw you off - he’s actually a janitor at the staples center. He gets photos of arenas, buses and empty merch boxes by milling about outside as the takes out the garbage. But don’t doubt his credibility - he really does do merch as a side job - He prefers the company and music of indie-hipster bands… that’s how he knows so much about hipsters and hipster fashion! He wears beanies in the summer and rides a fixie bike. If you’re looking to find out who themerchdude REALLY is, come to a My Satellite show! haha!

There you have it, if you think you don’t have time to do things check how Sammi is doing like 15 things at once. Remember if it was easy everyone would be doing it. here are a few places where you can find out more about her, her band and what’s she up to.

Twitter: @SammiDoll
Tumblr: Sammidoll.tumblr.com
Website: Sammidollphoto.com