Original members of The Samples regroup for concert

By Quentin Young

Sean Kelly, frontman of The Samples, had just finished rehearsing the song “Nature” with the band last Sunday when he said, “I’ve got schizophrenia. I’ve played 10 different versions of these songs.”

The Boulder band’s eponymous album was released in 1989, and it brought national attention to the band and the Colorado music scene. Kelly has continued to perform with The Samples, but he remains the only original member. Various iterations of the band have played various iterations of the songs.

That will change Friday, Dec. 12, when the band performs a reunion concert with the original lineup, which last weekend rehearsed together for the first time in years. The original lineup will always be the touchstone.

“This is the first interpretation,” Kelly said.

He added that he initially was a little nervous about getting back together with the original members, but after two days of rehearsal, things were coming together and he felt good about the upcoming performance.

“These guys are still family,” Kelly said. “They’re like brothers.”

That family includes Kelly, guitarist Charles Hambleton, bassist Andy Sheldon, keyboardist Al Laughlin and drummer Jeep MacNichol.

They plan to take the stage together at Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium for a one-night show. It will highlight the album, also known as the Blue Album, they released 25 years ago, and they plan to play it in its entirety. Nashville-based artist Erin Sax, who used to live in the Denver area and has toured with The Samples, will open the show.

The Samples formed in Boulder in the late 1980s and, with a DIY spirit, won early fans by handing out cassette tapes of their music. With touches of pop, rock and reggae, their sound drew listeners who were also into Blues Traveler, Phish, Widespread Panic and other H.O.R.D.E.-friendly artists. While some of genre-mates emphasized the jam sections of their sets, The Samples were more concerned with melody, and Kelly’s mellifluous, bell-tone voice set them apart. Sometimes he can sound uncannily like Sting, and indeed The Samples often have been compared to The Police.

The Samples have released 10 studio albums and sold more than a million copies. Their history is told in the 2011 documentary “The Best Band You’ve Never Heard,” which can be found on YouTube. Their song “Could it be Another Change,” from the Blue Album, was featured on the soundtrack of the Emma Watson movie “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”

Three of the members — Kelly, Laughlin and MacNichol — live in the Denver area. Laughlin leads the Boulder band Highway 50. The Los Angeles-based Hambleton works in the film industry and, most notably, appeared in the 2009 Oscar-nominated documentary “The Cove, ” directed by Boulder-based photographer Louie Psihoyos. Sheldon lives in Portland, Ore.

Though the original members of The Samples have planned one concert, they’re not ruling out working together in the future. In fact, Kelly said, “I’d be into making a record and touring the country.”

Quentin Young: 303-684-5319, quentin@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/qyoungtc