Samm's Random Biographical Bits
There is an official Samm Bennett biography here at the web site, but there have been various projects and activities over the course of Bennett's more than 30 year career that have not necessarily been full-fledged bands or long-running projects, and therefore didn't make it into the official bio. Nonetheless, many of these activities are still of some historical interest. Perhaps. So, in no particular chronological order, or order of importance, or any kind of order, below you'll find information on some of Samm's other musical pursuits, over the years.
Brother's Sister's Daughter (trio w/ Mike Watt & Kramer)
All your castles is ours
In 2008, Samm did a tour of Japan with legendary punk bassist Mike Watt (who puts his homemade hot sauce on virtually everything he eats) and legendary producer and musical-chairs-arranger Kramer (who brings along a selection of obscure and exotic teas wherever he goes). Samm was the drummer and occasional singer for this curious little ensemble. Watt laid down the fat bass lines (on what he calls his 'thud staff') and Samm dove into the groove with a passion, and screamed a few lyrics here and there, too. Meanwhile, Kramer made stratospheric washes of bass/reverb ambiance above it all, like a drifting cloud.
Being a tireless documenter of every detail of his touring life, Watt kept a tour diary on his blog, which you can find here. There have been some videos posted to YouTube from that tour, although sound quality on most of the clips is not so great. Some of them are so heavily distorted that it's almost impossible to tell what the music actually sounded like. But hey, that's rock and roll, one imagines. Since that tour, Watt has been back to Japan a few times, and Samm has joined him onstage for a number or two, but Watt's Japan-based Brother's Sister's Daughter project now features a whole new membership. They are a fine band, highly recommended.
Being a tireless documenter of every detail of his touring life, Watt kept a tour diary on his blog, which you can find here. There have been some videos posted to YouTube from that tour, although sound quality on most of the clips is not so great. Some of them are so heavily distorted that it's almost impossible to tell what the music actually sounded like. But hey, that's rock and roll, one imagines. Since that tour, Watt has been back to Japan a few times, and Samm has joined him onstage for a number or two, but Watt's Japan-based Brother's Sister's Daughter project now features a whole new membership. They are a fine band, highly recommended.
The Kropotkins
The original lineup, 1995: Lorette Velvette and the guys
Samm has been a member of the punk/delta blues outfit The Kropotkins at two different stages of the band's existence. He was a member from the 1994 founding of the group (led by Dave Soldier) appearing as percussionist and singer on their first album, Dave Soldier / The Kropotkins. That record contained two of Samm's original songs, as well. His relocation to Tokyo in 1995 ended his regular participation in the group. But Dave Soldier brought him back to the US to take part in the recording of the band's third album, Paradise Square, on which he can be heard on percussion and vocal. This release also features three of Samm's original tunes. Point of interest: when Samm left the band in '95 he was replaced by none other than Moe Tucker of Velvet Underground fame.
R.U.B
R.U.B.
Aside from their work together in the 1980s as Semantics (their trio with guitarist Elliott Sharp) Samm and Ned Rothenberg have had a longstanding musical relationship over the years. One of their projects was a trio with guitarist Uchihashi Kazuhisa called R.U.B. They released one CD, entitled Are You Be, which was recorded in Tokyo in 2002 and which came out on Ned's New York-based Animul label. The band played shows in Europe and Japan. Samm has also been involved in various projects that have featured Ned as bandleader, including Double Band, with whom he toured Europe. Samm appears on the Double Band release Parting.
Live music for silent films: Koko the Clown
a clown and his dog
In the early 1990s, Samm pursued an interesting project in which he provided live accompaniment, in concert settings, for silent film. The films he chose were the wildly innovative and often surreally weird Koko the Clown cartoons from the late 1920s and early 30s. Koko was one of the very first creations of the Fleischer Brothers Studio: the same people who later produced Betty Boop, Popeye cartoons and more.
Using electronic percussion pads (triggering samples) as well as his voice, he created epic, manic soundtracks for these amazing little gems of early animation. All totaled he created live soundtracks for about twelve of the cartoons, which were usually each about five minutes long. The tightly scored work featured split-second musical interludes as well as a barrage of sound effects to accompany the often breakneck pace of the cartoons.
His live performances with the films took place at the American Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, NY, as well as at St. Ann's Church in Brooklyn, NY. He toured Europe with the project rather extensively, and also performed it at the prestigious Jerusalem Festival in Jerusalem, as well as in a movie house in Tel Aviv, Israel, as part of a film festival there. Samm is currently looking at some old footage shot at one or two of the shows from the 90s, and may be posting videos to the internet over the coming months,
Using electronic percussion pads (triggering samples) as well as his voice, he created epic, manic soundtracks for these amazing little gems of early animation. All totaled he created live soundtracks for about twelve of the cartoons, which were usually each about five minutes long. The tightly scored work featured split-second musical interludes as well as a barrage of sound effects to accompany the often breakneck pace of the cartoons.
His live performances with the films took place at the American Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, NY, as well as at St. Ann's Church in Brooklyn, NY. He toured Europe with the project rather extensively, and also performed it at the prestigious Jerusalem Festival in Jerusalem, as well as in a movie house in Tel Aviv, Israel, as part of a film festival there. Samm is currently looking at some old footage shot at one or two of the shows from the 90s, and may be posting videos to the internet over the coming months,
Bone and Gudang
in beatbox mode, at Shinjuku Pit Inn
Samm has always enjoyed working with other drummers and percussionists. One pairing of note was his duo with Tokyo-based drummer Yoshigaki Yasuhiro. Bone and Gudang was active as a group for about three years in the mid-90s. Their concerts were deep explorations of rhythm of all kinds, and each member was constantly bringing in new instruments, keeping things sonically fresh and unpredictable. For some shows they moved into more of an electronica direction, using various rhythm machines and gizmos. Whether acoustic or electronic, though, they were a rhythm unit through and through.