Biography
Samiam was formed in late 1988 after the breakup of the band Isocracy, a Gilman club mainstay. 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.
Samiam signed to Atlantic Records in the 1990s when they faced the choice between breaking up and getting a record deal. Their major label debut Clumsy was released in 1994. Their video for single “Capsized” gained considerable airplay on MTV. Samiam performed on The Jon Stewart Show in 1994.
Samiam then recorded their followup to Clumsy, which Atlantic rejected. The album, You Are Freaking Me Out, was eventually released in 1997 by Burning Heart Records. Its 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. This was followed by an appearance at The Fest in Gainesville, Florida in November 2009 and shows in Santiago, Chile; San Miguel, Argentina; and São Paulo, Brazil in December 2009. In 2010, the band released Orphan Works, a compilation of outtakes and live tracks from their time on Atlantic Records. October 2010 brought them together again with A Death in the Family for a European and East Coast tour.
Samiam released Trips, their first album in five years, on September 6, 2011. 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.
In December 2019, Samiam announced on their Facebook page that they are working on their first studio album in eight years. The album, Stowaway, would be released in 2023, and featured guest vocals by Hot Water Music and the Draft singer Chris Wollard on multiple tracks.
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Members
- Jason Beebout
- Sergie Loobkoff
- Colin Brooks
- Sean Kennerly
- Chad Darby
Past Members