Monday, February 10, 1997
SAMPLES:
Group actively involves audience, sends message through musicBy
Vanessa VanderZanden
Daily Bruin Contributor
His band has recorded six albums and he personally has played
for the president. Big-name groups like Dave Matthews Band and Toad
the Wet Sprocket have used him as a stepping stone for stardom. And
now, it would appear that Sean Kelly of the grassroots band
Samples, who play at the Troubadour on Wednesday and Thursday, has
become too big to arrive at an interview on time. But he has a good
excuse.
"I was in there, and it was straight out of a movie," says a
breathless Kelly. "I’m in there and you hear this bizarre ‘Saturday
Night Fever’ music playing and then the Zamboni shuts down and the
lights go off, and I’m trapped in the Whitman College Campus Skate
Rink in Walla Walla, Wash."
After touring for eight years, Kelly has managed to wriggle out
of many such sticky situations. Recently, his band crawled out from
under the wings of a small, independent label to that of recording
giant MCA. Here, the Samples have released their newest work,
"Outpost."
Referred to at times as "world beat inspired," the Samples’
distinctive sound permeates the entirety of "Outpost." Including
such old-time Samples’ crowd pleasers as "Did You Ever Look So
Nice" and "Birth of Words," the collection draws on a vast array of
musical resources. Kelly’s vocals, guitar and harmonica work infuse
the offering with a down-home richness, while the other three
members’ drum, bass and keyboard additions add a well-polished
flare.
"No one knows how to tag (the album), which is a good sign,"
Kelly says. "I would call it kind of eclectic. It’s whatever comes
to mind because it’s a little bit of everything  folk, reggae
and harder stuff."
No matter the label, the Samples’ style of soft songs and
reflective tunes have struck a chord with audiences across the
country. Their conscientious support of Samples albums and
nationwide tours have allowed the band to maintain a degree of
underground success unparalleled in the harsh world of music
megastars. However, the band’s appreciation of its strong fan base
allows for an egalitarian relationship, not without its perks for
Kelly.
"We’ve gotten lots of underwear, mostly guy’s underwear," he
jokes of the delights discovered in fan letters. "We have gotten
proposals, diamond rings, cars. Someone bought me a house once. I
couldn’t accept it, but we always respond to them. People assume
that we don’t get our mail, but we always get it."
Answering every letter he receives, Kelly makes a point of
rewarding those individuals who bother to contact him. Kelly sifts
through many "very filthy" questions put to his attention, often
from people new to the lure of the Samples’ sound. Yet, the
tongue-in-cheek performer and his three half-crazed companions go
well beyond the normal realms of politeness when grappling with fan
requests.
"One time we all parachuted into someone’s wedding, playing a
song they wanted to hear us play. It was the scariest thing I’d
ever done in my life because I’d never skydived before that. We
jumped out of the plane and it was like ‘Honeymoon in Vegas.’ We
were dressed up in our normal clothes but we were coming down with
our instruments, and they were all radio frequencied so they’d be
picked up when we got below. It was hard enough just figuring out
how to maneuver the parachute. It was really cool."
The idea came from a letter the engaged couple sent to the
Samples. In it, they detailed the extent of their attachment to the
group’s music and pleaded for them to show up at their wedding.
However, they never expected the band to actually arrive.
"We put a week and a half of work into it, so when we landed,
they were really excited," Kelly explains. "It was the greatest
thing."
Kelly’s efforts to help sell his own material resulted in a
once-in-a-lifetime experience. He hit the road with the Clinton
rally crew. Playing promotional events for the presidential
campaign, he saw a sweeter side of Washington’s cutthroat
competition.
"(Clinton is) actually really nice. I mean, he wrote me back,
listened to the two CDs I sent him, and took a Samples shirt for
Chelsea," Kelly says. "He wasn’t bullshitty. It was an authentic
signature. I think that was really neat, though I don’t endorse
either political side. They’re just people trying to manage a
dysfunctional country."
Citing the educational system as one of America’s open wounds,
Kelly feels the Samples’ work strives in part to remedy social
ills. In many ways, music has always provided the seeds for social
change and the Samples’ work merely continues in this
tradition.
"It definitely comes through. We have a little message here and
there," claims Kelly. "If you play our album backwards there’s all
kinds of good stuff. But we’re dyslexic, so it says, ‘Satan Loves
Me.’"
On a more serious note, the Samples’ message seems more wedded
to the idea of audience participation. In the middle of songs, the
band has been known to let fans come on stage to jam, and have even
let complete strangers enter their tour bus  all in the name
of good will and listener lovin’. But do the Samples adore all of
their fan base?
"Most of them, except the ones that carry guns. They start
taking shots from the balcony and it gets a little rough. We’re not
friendly to those ones," Kelly jokes. "But we’re very appreciative
of our audience. At this point in life, I’ve come to the conclusion
that music (fans) can be broken into two categories: proactive and
reactive people. We cater and send our vibe to a proactive
audience. We don’t have to rely on a big hit or MTV or all that
stuff."
Yet, Kelly would enjoy creating a music video one day if the
band were able to produce a truly artistic piece. The medium so
intrigues Kelly that when touring, he incorporates images of the
present area into a film which runs projector-style behind the
band. Usually taking shots of the town the day the tour bus arrives
and splicing in a few scenes of the audience before the show that
night, Kelly masterminds an exceptional musical evening.
"It personalizes the whole show," says Kelly. "It’s artistic
with different effects you can put on the camera to make it
interesting. It’s always stuff that’s going on that day. People can
see it and know that the show’s real immediate."
The Samples play at the Troubadour on Wednesday and Thursday.
For more information, call 276-6168.
MCA Records
The Samples will perform at the Troubadour on Wednesday and
Thursday.