Legendary jamband rockers The Samples have been around the block a few times, and after playing hundreds – perhaps thousands – of shows all over the world, they’re rolling into Portland, Maine, for a gig at the Bayside Bowl on Saturday, June 20. Local folk-pop favorite Sparxsea is set to open.
The Samples emerged in the late ‘80s with a polished sound that merged reggae, bluegrass, and jazz with pop/rock sensibilities, and the band was often compared to The Police by way of The Grateful Dead. And like The Grateful Dead, they toured heavily and encouraged people to tape their shows — a strategy that helped them forge a broad and dedicated base of ardent fans. Indeed, there are 150 or so Samples shows available on the Internet Archive, representing every stage of their long and celebrated catalog.
Back in the day, The Samples were often shoehorned into the jamband box, running with the likes of the Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic, Phish, but with their intimate, introspective lyrics and a broad palette of influences they defied easy categorization.
So when I got a chance the other day to interview lead Sample Sean Kelly, I leaped at the opportunity. What follows is a lightly edited transcript of that conversation.
ThatPortlandSound: The Samples are legendary road warriors. Is this the first time you’ve played Portland?
Sean Kelly: Oh, no, we’ve played there a lot, quite a few times in the last few years, always at the Bayside Bowl.
TPS: Touring can seem glamorous from the outside, but for a musician it can be a long haul. How do you keep it fresh?
SK: Well, it’s not easy. It’s a lot of work. We make a different set list each night. It’s not always different songs, but they’re in a different order.
TPS: So what are you leaning into these days? Are there songs that you find are recurring or tunes that the people really want to hear, or are you featuring new things?
SK: Well, there are always these solid ones that we’ll do that are pretty known, songs that people really love, and then we’ll throw in a few others that aren’t as known, so we’ll try to keep it flowing, you know?
TPS: You guys are on the road a lot these days, playing a ton of shows. When you’re driving those miles, what are you listening to?
SK: Honestly? A lot of self-help tapes.
TPS: Really?
SK: Yeah, I’m dealing with a lot of heavy stuff just from life and getting older, you know? And there’s this thing called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, and it helps with depression and anxiety.
TPS: Wow – that’s a lot to live with. Does playing shows help with any of that?
SK: It can, but it can also be very stressful.
TPS: So what can someone who comes to the Bayside Bowl on Saturday night hope to see and hear?
SK: We’re touring as a trio these days. I’m playing with Andy Sheldon, who’s an original Sample, and Tom Hughes, who’s an old friend and a great drummer, and I have a keyboard on stage with me that I use for string sounds. I’ve got these bolts that I got at Home Depot, these big, heavy bolts, and I lay them on the keys to keep the sound going, kind of like a drone. It’s going to be a great show.
The Samples play the Bayside Bowl on Saturday, June 20, at 8pm. The show is ALL AGES, and you can use the code ZEROG to get 10 percent off advance tickets here. With Special Guest: Sparxsea.