As he prepares to enter his second year of college, 19-year-old Sam Trowbridge is becoming a regular on local radio.

For the second time, the Snider graduate is in ALT 102.3’s Hometown Spotlight.

“I was just calling up radio stations trying to get exposure, and ALT 102.3 was the most generous one for sure,” Trowbridge said.

You can hear his latest songs “Pieces” and “What Do I Believe In” during the radio station’s weekly Homegrown Showcase on Fridays at 7 p.m., while he’s also the focus of the Hometown Spotlight at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 11, and Sunday, Aug. 14.

“Sam was featured on ALT Homegrown Spotlight a few years ago, and what really stood out to me back then was the songwriting of the songs I heard and the hooks,” ALT 102.3 DJ Zack Skyler said. “He’s got some serious hooks in his songs. This time around, Sam reached out to me and has some new music, which is really great. I’m always welcoming our Homegrown artists to return when they release new music. I try to treat all of the artists I work with like family.”

Musical outlet

On his latest two songs, Trowbridge got personal.

“‘Pieces’ is pretty much just a sob story about a girl, like the only true relationship that I’ve had, and how she broke my heart,” he said. “‘What Do I Believe In’ is about how I was raised in Catholicism, and how everybody is raised to believe certain things. There’s so many religions, the government is terrible, and there’s so many rules, but we should just all come together, because there’s no sense in arguing about it.”

Those songs will be included with prior releases to form his first album, The Painter, which he says will include 16 songs and be released Sept. 17.

Getting his musical start on the keyboard, Trowbridge says he moved to saxophone in middle school, then picked up the guitar three years ago, which led to songwriting. Since that, he’s been busy writing, playing, and producing his own music. Thanks to pandemic lockdowns, his practice time was accelerated.

“We were all locked in our houses,” he said. “I was just trying to find my purpose.”

More than one-man band

As if going to school and creating his own music wasn’t enough, Trowbridge is also a part of local band Neon Kites with Austin Cottrell, Owen Counterman, Sydney King, and Branden Eifrid.

Describing himself as an alternative solo artist, Trowbridge says Neon Kites allows him to expand into blues and rock.

“Most of my free time goes toward me sitting in my room audio engineering and creating things,” he said. “Then, the other half of my free time goes to practicing with the band.”

Next up in ALT 102.3’s Spotlight will be Static Arm, a Fort Wayne band that describes themselves as grunge, punk, and alternative rock.