Samiam
Samiam (pronounced "sam-I-am") is an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California, active since 1988.
Samiam | |
|---|---|
Samiam performing in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | New Red Archives, Cleopatra, Atlantic, Hopeless, Your Choice, Burning Heart, No Idea, Dead Broke, Pure Noise |
| Members | Jason Beebout Sergie Loobkoff Colin Brooks Sean Kennerly Chad Darby |
| Past members | See below |
| Website | Samiam on Facebook |
History
Samiam was formed in late 1988 after the breakup of the Gilman club mainstay Isocracy. Their first show was in January 1989 with Christ on Parade. They released records through New Red Archives and Hopeless Records in the US and Burning Heart Records in Europe. In the mid-'90s, the band had two releases on major labels, Atlantic Records in 1994 and Ignition/Tommy Boy in 1997. This path achieved modest mainstream success; a video for "Capsized" gained considerable airplay on MTV, they performed on The Jon Stewart Show in 1994 and the single "She Found You" garnered considerable radio play in 1998.
Over the years, Samiam has toured extensively throughout Europe, North America and Japan, and performed with bands like Bad Religion, Green Day, The Offspring, NOFX, No Doubt, Toadies, Sense Field, Blink-182, Deftones, 311, Millencolin, and Fishbone.
In early 2001, the band went on hiatus after supporting the Astray album. Despite what was initially to be a breakup, they continued to tour abroad yearly (Europe and South America) with occasional shows in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. This led to the recording of the band's seventh album Whatever's Got You Down, which was released in 2006. Samiam toured Europe three more times in 2006 and 2007 and played various US dates in 2008.
Samiam toured Australia in September 2009, together with the band A Death in the Family.[1] This was followed by an appearance at The Fest in Gainesville, Florida in November 2009[2] and shows in Santiago, Chile; San Miguel, Argentina; and São Paulo, Brazil in December 2009.[3] October 2010 brought them together again with A Death in the Family for a European and East Coast tour.[4][5]
Samiam released Trips, their first album in five years, on September 6, 2011.[6] Semi annual tours have followed ever since in Europe, Australia and South America. In 2015, while in Chicago for an appearance at Riot Fest, a four-song demo was recorded but never finished.[7]
In December 2019, Samiam announced on their Facebook page that they are working on their first studio album in 8+1⁄2 years.[8]
Musical style
Their musical style has been described as punk rock,[9][10][11] pop-punk,[12][13] and emo.[13]
Members
Current members
- Jason Beebout (vocals)
- Sergie Loobkoff (guitar)
- Colin Brooks (drums)
- Sean Kennerly (guitar/bass)
- Chad Darby (bass)
Past members
- Ryan Sullivan (guitar, 1988–1989)
- Johnny Cruz (drums)
- James Brogan (guitar, 1988–2000)
- Martin Brohm (bass, 1988–1993)
- Aaron Rubin (bass, 1993–1997)
- Jeremy Bergo (bass, 2006)
- Mark Mortinsen (drums, 1988–1990/1993)
- Dave Ayer (drums, 1990–1993)
- Tré Cool (drums, 1999)
- Scott McPherson (drums, 1999)
- Victor Indrizzo (drums, 1993–1995)
- Davey Latter (drums, 1999)
- Michael Petrak (drums, 1995–1999)
- Charlie Walker (drums)
- Billy Bouchard (bass)
Discography
Albums
| Title | Date of release | Record label(s) |
| Samiam | 1990 | New Red Archives |
| Soar | 1991 | New Red Archives |
| Billy | 1992 | New Red Archives |
| Clumsy | August 23, 1994 | Atlantic Records |
| You Are Freaking Me Out | June 12, 1997 | Ignition Records / Burning Heart Records |
| Astray | August 29, 2000 | Hopeless Records / Burning Heart Records |
| Whatever's Got You Down | September 26, 2006 | Hopeless Records / Burning Heart Records |
| Trips | September 6, 2011 | Hopeless Records |
EPs and compilations
| Title | Date of release | Record label(s) |
| Underground (EP) (All songs also on Samiam) | 1989 | New Red Archives |
| I am (EP) | 1990 | Lookout Records |
| Hardcore Breakout USA (v/a compilation) song: "Underground" | 1990 | New Red Archives |
| Beauf demo songs from Billy, Odds n' Ends | 1991 | Beri Beri Records - Europe |
| Very Small World (v/a comp) song: "At the Bottom" | September 1991 | Very Small Records release No. 37 (VSR 14) |
| Split with Jawbreaker song: "Head Trap" | 1992 | No Idea Records 7-inch came with No Idea Fanzine No. 10 |
| LIVE (EP) | 1992 | Your Choice Records |
| Faces the Facts w/ Eight Ball, Rise & ABS (split 7-inch) | 1992 | OX Records |
| Don't Break Me (EP) | 1992 | New Red Archives |
| Stump (EP) acoustic | 1992 | Blackbox |
| Ping Pong Gods split with Garlic Frog Diet | March 22, 1996 | Cargo Germany |
| Hardcore Breakout USA Volume 2 (v/a comp) song: "Go Away" | 1995 | New Red Archives |
| Glow split with Six Pack (part 4 of the Erase Yer Head split series) | 1997 | Pandemonium Records (France) |
| She Found You (EP) | July 16, 1997 | Ignition Records / Burning Heart Records |
| Factory (single) | 1997 | Ignition Records / Burning Heart Records |
| At War With Society (v/a comp) song: "Underground" | 1998 | New Red Archives |
| Your Choice Live Series 037 split with Texas Is the Reason | 1999 | Your Choice Records |
| Short Music for Short People song: "Long Enough to Forget You" | June 1, 1999 | Fat Wreck Chords |
| Search & Destroy | August 23, 1999 | Burning Heart Records |
| Mudhill (single) | 2000 | Hopeless Records |
| The New Red Years (comp) compilation of New Red Archives material | April 11, 2000 | Golf Records |
| Orphan Works (comp) compilation of B-sides, lives and rarities | 2010 | No Idea Records / Unless You Try Records |
| Complete Control Session (comp) compilation of B-sides, lives and rarities | 2012 | SideOneDummy Records |
References
- ^ . samiam.de. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ "Florida, South America and another Sergie L.A. art show – Samiam's MySpace Blog". myspace.com. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ "south america, here we come!". Samiam's MySpace Blog. myspace.com. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ "European and East Coast Tour". samiam.de. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ . poisoncityrecords.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ "Samiam detail 'Trips'". Punknews.org. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ longshot; Paul, Aubin (March 3, 2011). "Samiam to recordlater this year". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ Frankel, Ricky; Gentile, John (December 31, 2019). "Samiam working on new album". Punknews.org. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
- ^ Roos, John (September 26, 1996). "They Do Not Like, That Samiam". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
- ^ Shultz, Brian. "Samiam - Whatever's Got You Down". Punknews.org. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
- ^ "Newsmakers". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 3. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. January 21, 1995. p. 70. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ Huey, Steve. "Samiam Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ a b DePasquale, Ron. "You Are Freaking Me Out - Samiam | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
External links
- Official Facebook page
- Videos on YouTube.com
- Interview with Sergie Loobkoff on Scanner zine, 2010