Desert Dweller,
Creative Chronicler,
Tune Treasurer
Born from the shutdowns of the COVID pandemic in June 2020, Funk Punk Lives emerged as Sam Ray-Johnson’s lifeline to music amid isolation. From interviewing bands to capturing concerts through photography and video, this Reno music blog became her passion project. Nearly four years in, she’s spotlighted almost 40 artists and continues to capture the spirit of the Reno music scene through retelling its stories.
A Reno local since ‘99, Sam’s journalism journey spans podcasting, social media and content creation, digital reporting for an Emmy-award winning newsroom, account and project management and now SEO. Beyond her day job, she posts weekly vinyl record reviews on Tik Tok every Tuesday and shares fashion inspo on Saturdays.
She lives at the intersection of counter culture and basic, bohemian and sci-fi, grunge and disco, Funk and Punk.