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Just voted readers pick for "Best Band" In Charlotte's Creative Loafing for 2005!
Having grown up on farms and four wheelers, The Sammies started playing first as a duo when the two brothers, William and Joseph harassed their parents playing together at home. This quickly spilled over when the elder of the group William, attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the rest of the guys soon followed. Honing their sound, a hybrid of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pavement and MC5, the band had interest from some labels that were bigger than MoRisen and some that were smaller but ultimately decided to remain loyal to themselves and a town that has nurtured them. The band also believed in making Charlotte a music hub, which resonated with MoRisen whose mission it is to shine the spotlight on the incredible music coming out of North Carolina.
“I’m excited about adding The Sammies to the MoRisen Roster. These kids have worked hard and built a strong following in the region. Clearly, their talent speaks for itself and I think it says a lot when bands on my roster want to have the Sammies on their bill. I’ve followed them and am impressed with their songwriting, live performance, connection to the fans, and seemingly endless energy,” said MoRisen Records founder Chuck Morrison. “Bringing them on board at this juncture in their careers means they have a place to develop and I think we’re pretty good at that. Their fan base is extensive and organized, and we plan on replicating that in other markets. I’m pretty selective about my artists and couldn’t be more excited about getting with The Sammies. They’re going to sneak up on some people…a lot of people.”
The Sammies are all self-taught musicians. When they were in junior high school, Joseph got a black Fender Stratocaster like Eric Clapton’s, their father’s music idol. The brothers Huntley played it out of tune for six months not knowing any better and eventually bought some guitar magazines and taught themselves. Joseph later moved to the drums. Tyler and Josh had a little more hands-on education with their respective instruments but for the most part are self-taught as well.
The band members were raised on classic rock and site bands such as the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Echo and the Bunnymen, Wilco, Spirit, Allman Brothers, Chuck Berry, Neil Young, Devo, Beach Boys, Beatles, a host of 80s bands, early alternative rock, and a lot of new indie bands too numerous to list as their musical influences. Needless to say they have done quite a bit of musical research with the band collectively owning more than 5,000 CDs and hundreds of albums. But their research also took them to their own back yard with such influences as Blind Boy Fuller (also from Anson County, born in 1907) and old country crooner Charlie Poole from Wilkes County. With such an eclectic taste for music that covers all genres of music, The Sammies are satisfied being described as southern rockers who are upbeat, twangy, witty, a little punk and definitely spirited.
“Our live show is probably how we got where we are today. We could power small cities with all the energy that is gathered at our live shows. It’s loud, spastic, and at times semi-possessed. It’s like we met the devil at the crossroads, beat his ass, and took his guitar. No frills, just straight up rock and roll that’s loud and in your face,” said William Huntley.
The Sammies will head into the studio in July to record their first MoRisen record with an anticipated release in early 2006. Prior to and following the release, the band will be touring and expanding their fan base that’s continuing to grow out of the southeast.
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