Will They Make It? Zack Slouka on How To Support Prague Musicians

“Wow, look at that!” I exclaim as I enter Zack’s room, and there is the church at náměstí Míru staring at me from behind the window. It looks more prominent than ever. Zack laughs, “One of the reasons I moved to Prague is ‘cause the cost of living is great compared to New York City, where I grew up. I wouldn’t be able to afford anything like this anywhere in New York doing what I’m doing. I would have to be a lawyer or a doctor… And here, I can literally live off of busking if I have to,” he explains while his dog Cashew runs around and I scan the room. “So here’s where the magic happens?” I point out the recording equipment scattered all around. We’re here to talk about Zack’s YouTube Channel, Sangwich Sessions. He records Prague musicians performing their songs and shares the videos with the rest of us.

(cover photo © Maya Slouka)

Being a musician himself, Zack Slouka understands the challenges that the Prague music community faces during the pandemic. Leveraging his filmmaking experience, Zack has created a platform where Prague musicians can play their new or old songs and leave with something to show for themselves. 

• How did this idea hit him? 
• Why is it all worth it? 
• How can you help too while having fun? 

We’ll get to all that, but first things first – who is Zack, and what does he do in Prague?

“I Got a Taste for Work That Isn’t Normal.”

Zack was born in Boston in Massachusetts 31 years ago. His father is Czech, and when Zack was a kid, his family would regularly visit his grandparents in Prague, “My father is a writer. A lot of people try to go away from their families and try something new. Like, if your dad was a doctor, you will be a painter. And from my experience, people would always realize that they are extremely connected to their heritage. So I decided not to fight against it.”

Zack majored in human rights and was then supposed to go to medical school. “But after graduating, I went randomly to Nicaragua, and I started learning Spanish. I fell in love with Latin culture, salsa and food, and heat and smells. And while I was traveling, I got a taste for this,” Zack looks around the room, ”work that isn’t normal. And then I just kind of kept going.”

“So I worked as a bartender, I worked in a hostel, I was a guide for a couple of different companies that organize group travel; I applied for any jobs that I could fit in.” For almost four years, Zack worked in South America, traveling around Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. “I was never in one place for more than a week or so.” 

The Filmmaking Origins and Journey to Prague

In his last job in Peru, Zack shot a documentary with his friend. It was the first time he did anything like that. “I really enjoyed it. Adding music to the video. Putting pieces together…” After moving back to New York, he kept thinking about the documentary. “I worked a construction job; I was removing oil tanks in New York. And I decided to shoot a documentary about it. I bought a cheap camera on Amazon and a cheap microphone, and I did it. And then I got into a one-year film program for foreigners at FAMU in Prague.”

Zack didn’t stay in Prague after the program, though. He took off to LA to work on a TV show. “I was the set PA in the Assistant Director’s department. It was a non-stop job, 80 hours a week, and I smoked way too much weed.” Zack decided to move back to Prague after eight months in LA. 

“I had no idea what I would do for a living in Prague. My visa situation was fucked up. I worked as a cook for a while, I worked at Hard Rock Café, at A Maze in Tchaiovna, at žižkovšiška, I taught guitar, I taught piano, I gave blow jobs,” Zack pauses to check if that one landed right. When I laugh, he continues, “I did a little of everything, and then I started getting AD jobs from my film friends.” Being in an Assistant Director position at various projects is now Zack’s primary source of income.

What Do Prague Musicians Struggle with During the Pandemic?

Besides, Zack plays in a band called Wet Knees. When the pandemic started, the band found they had some resources to record an album. ”I realized quickly there is a lot of shit involved that people usually don’t think about. For example, you have to have an online presence, you have to have an updated bio…” (if you’re a musician and want to have your bio updated professionally – for free – I can help you formulate your story – read more at the end of this post)

Being a professional musician requires a special kind of skillset to combine the creative part of the job with the commercial one. “Most Prague musicians do only live gigs; they don’t have anything they can put online, they don’t know how to stream a show, they don’t have any examples of their work,” Zacks lists. “I know many really good Prague musicians who don’t have either the knowledge or interest in doing it. The Prague musical community is extremely weak when faced with a pandemic. So I thought – ok, what’s the best thing I can do to help the community out? Let’s record people!”

How Do Sangwich Sessions Help Prague Musicians?

„There are a lot of projects that fail because people are too obsessed with everything being perfect. But it never is. When I started Sangwich Sessions, I had only one camera, and it looked really dumb. So I was like – I will see if I can do the next one better,” Zack always strives to learn and improve each new episode and has now a couple of friends helping out, including the sound mastering master, Caolan O’Neill Forde, who contributed to every Session.

“I don’t think I will ever make any money out of it, which is a shame, but it’s also not why I’m doing it. I want it to be something for the Prague music community. And when the preparation for the recordings settles down, I have great musicians coming here, and I’m having a private concert.”

“The best way it works for the community is that friends of the musicians that are on here see the recording, and they get competitive. It inspires them,” Zack elaborates, “and then I see them doing their own shit. I guess there is this invisible force behind a lot of music. Musicians will put off stuff forever. Unless you give them a push.” 

“Another thing is,” Zack observes Cashew jumping on my lap and immediately falling asleep, “that for every video I make, people get connected in new ways. When someone watches my video, they can be like – oh, the camera looks really good. I wonder who did it. I will contact them and involve them in this project I’m doing. Most people in the first season were friends of mine, but now it’s becoming more recommendation-based. So send me tips – if you got some!”

“Anything That Is Going on Right Now Is Just a Placeholder”

“The elephant in the room probably is that the only reason I’m doing this is that the pandemic hit. I get a lot of time on my hands, and the community needs it. As a musician, it’s really hard to keep going sometimes. If you haven’t had an album or song in a while. Or if you had a big hit and then nothing for a long time, it starts fucking with your head. And it’s nice to have a community. And I think the Prague one could still use some work.”

“Anything that is going on right now is just a placeholder for when the curfew is over, and people can go back doing shows, and you can have 100 people dancing at the same time; it’s a beautiful thing. Music requires people to be together physically. The energy from the audience is so important for musicians. It’s impossible to replicate.”

Support Prague Musicians

“The music industry is under pressure. Pandemic keeps people apart. But music connects us. So stay in touch with people. Talk to your musician friends and offer them words of encouragement. Or maybe tell them to get a job in IT,” Zack chuckles, “just to fuck with them. And when it’s safe to do so, go support your local bars and local music joints and clubs and help out as much as you can, because it’s worth it.”

Check out Sangwich Sessions on: 

• YouTube 
• Facebook 
• Instagram

And if you find something you like, make sure you tell your friends. Conversely, if you know some excellent Prague musicians, share your tips with Zack!

Unique Offer for Prague Musicians

Are you a musician with some extra time on your hands? Would you like to brush up on your artist’s bio or write a brand new one? Don’t know how or where to start? I got you!

Send me a message, and I can help you formulate your unique story in 3 different formats:

• 1500 characters (for Spotify, Website)
• 500 characters (for Facebook, press)
• 150 characters (for Instagram)

Additionally, I will share your story and recent music releases on my blog and offer them being published on the expat platform Prague Monitor, the Czech Republic’s longest-standing portal for Czech News in English. Cited by the BBC and Sky News as an authority on local Czech news.

I’m offering to dedicate my time to the first five people, who will contact me completely free of charge, so don’t hesitate. Looking forward to hearing from you!

If you want to know How to Enjoy Music in Prague More, read my previous post. And see you here soon!