SAMIAM
I am I am I am
Interview with Sergie by Craig Chapman
For me Samiam is like comfort food – familiar, always tastes great, and reminds me of some really great moments in life. It’s hard to say something proper and witty to introduce a band that has been around for over 23 years.
This was my 2nd time interviewing Samiam, my first was when I used to publish this ‘zine’ called Outback back in the 90’s. To me Samiam was an edge ahead of all the other hardcore bands I adored, and they started to pave the way for the melodic-indie-rock (I avoided the word ‘Emo’ there) I was falling in love with at the time. Their new album ‘Trips’ (Hopeless Records) screams with that familiar, comforting sound that is ‘Samiam’ but is also current and relevant today because well, Samiam has always been one step ahead… in my eyes.
Back in the early 90's what I loved so much about Samiam was that you were always one step ahead in your music than everyone else. Are you guys sticking to your roots with the new album? Have you found it difficult to keep that edge with the pace that music progresses now?
I'm not sure I agree with you on being 'ahead'... I suppose it depends on your perspective. When we started out we were basically trying to copy The Doughboys, Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr., Lemonheads, Replacements and Descendants...and were listening to a variety of other noisy bands like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine. I remember Jason was super into a hippish indie rock band called Poi Dog Pondering that I hated, ha. But my point is, that although we played punk shows, we were into these indie rock bands and tried to steal their ideas as much as we possibly could. I mean, we weren't good enough at our instruments or songwriting to do much else but emulate. We didn't do the greatest job at 'copying' so we sounded how we sounded. Tah dah: we discovered 'our sound'.
If you ask me, very few bands deviate from the sound that made them known and keep people interested. Yeah there are some notable exceptions, but look what happened to certain recent bands who came out with really interesting records that sounded different than what people expected of them. People have this knee-jerk reaction of feeling alienated and those bands spent years trying to get those fans back.
That is why I have always argued to keep Samiam on the same page through the years. I think Jason (singer) and Sean (guitarist) would be really happy to explore different music with the band…but I'm really against it. I'm like a broken record about it and annoy the shit out of them. The downfall of this attitude is that we don't really play music that is relevant to what's going on in music today…but that is ok, we have never been on the inside track of what people like.
Was there ever a time where you felt in your heart that Samiam was done? What keeps you coming back to it now for 23 years?
After 2001, I felt like we were totally over, but we just kept touring a couple times a year and poof, we're still here. Actually, after Australia and South America about a year and a half ago, I thought I was done with it. We booked some shows in Florida, Costa Rica and panama…then one of the guys pulled out. I was really pissed. In fact I was kind of relieved that I was so comfortable with Samiam being done. But in the last year, that guy has been the one that has pushed us to go on and do another record. It's funny how people's interest levels fluctuate.
As far as the future, I always feel like every tour could be our last. Like, 'this is the last time I play a show in berlin…I've been here like 20 times, I wonder if I'll ever be here again?" It's a weird thought after relying on the band to 'make' me travel.
It's just so difficult to be in a band when you're not huge. Drummers can't 'afford' to stick with you, people need to work or be with their families. It has been 22 years, but I think the first 10 we were are real band that worked hard and sacrificed our personal lives to do it…but the last 10 or so, we just get our toes wet with the band. We don't tour long enough to lose girlfriends or fuckup our jobs. You might say we aren't as dedicated to the band, which is true I guess…but really we just value our real lives more now that we are old farts.
I just read an interview with you where you said 'I was born a young, black child' speaking in reference to the R&B music you grew up on. Do you still feel this way and if so how do you bring this influence in to Samiam songs?
I probably said that in reference to what I first listened to and as a tip of the hat to Steve Martin and 'the jerk'. But yeah, my Brother and I listened to Stevie Wonder, Chic, Commodores, Earth Wind and Fire, Temptations and that 60s and 70s style soul or R&B music. Then we moved to the trash metal of the late 80s and then punk, oddly. I never liked The Beatles until I became a Beatlemanic in my 20s, so it was maybe an unusual order of appreciation. But to answer you question, no, it doesn't influence my playing or anything because I am, unfortunately, extremely WHITE. My rhythm is still pretty shitty, but when I started with music I had absolutely no aptitude towards rhythm, melody or songwriting. I'm not saying I'm the best songwriter or player now…but everything I have has been attained through practice and fighting my lack of innate ability. Sean and Charlie (drummer) have incredible rhythm that seems to be effortless…I get super jealous of it, ha.
Are you playing shows now to an audience of young people that may have never heard you and gaining new fans? Or are you playing to an older crowd that has known of Samiam from the start?
I think we do get some new fans and hopefully will reach some new people with 'Trips' (our new record)…but for the most part we play to an older crowd that have stuck with us for a long time. I don't expect people to get excited about any new band consisting guys over the age of 30. Especially kids…I think teenagers should be attracted to bands in their teens and 20s… it makes sense. I sometimes feel sad that we've lost relevance to younger audiences…but I'd be a fool to understand it and accept it. Can you imagine how lame it would be to see Samiam playing the warp tour with day-glow colors, swoopy haircuts and screamo vocals? Ha.
When you wrote the new album did you approach it any differently than other Samiam records? If so how?
No, not all, We did it like it always has been: where different members basically write and arrange a song musically at home, then teach it to the band…then it gets changed a little bit, but usually not much…and Jason writes his vocals over it. The one thing that is different is that usually a Samiam record would be a majority of my songs…but this time it's a majority Seans. I don't think this is conscious, it is just the way it went…really Jason writes to what he likes and he obviously didn't like the 9 songs I brought that didn't make the cut…while I think only one of Sean songs got tossed. I suppose I'm sounding a little bitter about it…which is lame, otherwise why bring it up? But I'm settling into the situation where Sean and Jason see things similarly and I've become a bit on the outside. Just the way it goes.
What's your personal favorite song on the new album that fans should look for?
I like the 2 mellowest ones by far "Magellan' and 'happy for you' but I'm not sure those will be crowd favorites or if we'll regularly play live. But why listen to me, I'm the most impartial judge, what do I know.
If you have a car and I got in it now what would be blasting on the stereo?
Maybe the XX record…or the new Peter Bjorn and John….but maybe Slayer or Bad Brains or Bodyjar. I don't know…I still listen to The Beatles, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., etc…on a regular basis like I did in the early 90s. I'm a broken record.
I interviewed you guys in 1998 so I went back to that issue of my zine which was called Outback and I picked one question that I want to re-ask: "Do you feel you have perfected or peaked your musical energies and creations?
I think different people are going to say we peaked at either 'clumsy', 'you are freaking me out' or 'astray' depending on when they got into us. If you were a fan back then, it would be hard to listen to 'trips' and say 'these motherfuckers topped the record that got me into them'. But I think we came up with something in the same ballpark…and haven't 'lost it'. But, again, that isn't for me to judge. I'm sure we will get a few negative reviews that start out, "more of the same from these dinosaurs of 90s emo trash…" ha.
Ok ok one more re-asked question and I'm done - "Do you see your music as uplifting or empowering?
I really don't like to talk about music as 'inspirational' or 'uplifting' or 'empowering'…yeah, I guess it is all of those things, but when you talk about it….uurggg…it gets cheesy and cornball. I've devoted my entire adult life to music and have a questionably unhealthy attachment to it…but yeah, it really is 'just music' not brain surgery or astrophysics or whatever...
It's like putting a graphic of a musical note on your album cover or wearing a keyboard tie or holding onto drumsticks on your band-shot because you're the 'drummer'...or always having your tour laminate prominently visible walking into waffle house... if you do these things or talk about music in certain ways: you're an asshole.
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for more information on Samiam: http://samiamfancy.com/
photos by Reece
