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Perfoming

Saturday, August 14

Stage

Wolf Stage

Time

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

“It has been 12 years since this group has played together, and it is going to be a magical experience when the original members reunite.” —Sean Kelly, founding member of The Samples.

Boulder, Colorado in the late ’80s: With its academic university and counter-culture scene, it was the perfect place to spawn The Samples' unique sound of “reggae-influenced folk and rock/pop.” In this town full of starving artists, The Samples paid homage to their own survivalist mentality. Because the local grocer’s food samples provided founding members Sean Kelly (guitar/vocals), Andy Sheldon (bass/vocals), Charles Hambleton (guitar), Jeep MacNichol (drums/vocals), and Al Laughlin (keyboards, vocals) with much needed and cheap sustenance, it became their moniker.

Soon, news of their energetic intensity on the college circuit spread, and they began selling out venues. The band headlined a number of stops on the H.O.R.D.E. festival in 1993 and 1996, sharing the bill with The Allman Brothers Band, Blues Traveler, Widespread Panic, and Phish. On their own headlining tours, artists like Dave Matthews Band, Tragically Hip, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Lisa Loeb, who were up-and-coming at that time, were booked as support acts.

In the studio, they blended soulful pop sensibility with a mix of folk, reggae, jazz, and rock to create their own signature sound. They wrote songs about nature and the environment, giving the band an “eco-friendly” reputation. Collectively, their records topped more than one million in sales, largely due to grassroots efforts and non-stop touring.

The band has kept busy since last playing together. Sean still records—he has approximately half a dozen records to date—and tours nonstop under The Samples name. He is currently working on a solo album, which he plans to release in the next 12 months. He also has a song credited on the “Santorini Blue” movie soundtrack. Charles and his team recently produced and played a major role in the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove.” Jeep has released two successful albums under the name Mr. Anonymous and has made several videos. Al has also released an album under the name Highway 50 and has played in numerous bands as well. Andy received his commercial pilot's license and plays with a death-metal band on occasion. He lives in Portland with his daughter.