Over the course of the band’s 30-plus-year existence, Samiam has done it all. Since starting out on Gilman Street in the late ’80s, the legendary punk band has released eight influential albums and a mess of excellent EPs. They’ve toured extensively, played all over the world, spent time on a major label, and shared the stage with some of the planet’s biggest bands. Though the band has experienced some lineup changes and members have become involved in lots of other bands along the way, Samiam is still going strong.
Earlier this month, when Samiam came to The Back Room @ Colectivo to play its first Milwaukee show in more than 15 years, four members of the band spoke to My First Band host Tyler Maas. While opener Off With Their Heads prepared to play and folks filed into the venue, Sergie Loobkov, Sean Kennerly, Chad Darby, and Jason Beebout allowed Maas to come backstage, where they told him about all the projects that came before (and after) this artistic endeavor, the start of Samiam, the interesting way Darby wound up in the band, touring Asia with Green Day post-Dookie, their disdain for major labels, and what keeps them making music together after all these years.
My First Band is sponsored by Boulevard Brewing and is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you get podcasts. Music used in this show comes courtesy of Devils Teeth (“The Junction Street Eight Tigers”) and Samiam (“Wisconsin”).