Jun. 26, 2007 - Issue #610: Beyond Carbon
Will the real Sam Hell step forward?
So, who exactly is Sam Hell? Well, it’s a band, but look a little deeper and it quickly becomes nearly impossible to find any information about the group’s members. The lack of information is intentional, though—the group has made a conscious decision to forgo individual identities in favour of a collective one.
“You won’t find us,” begins the band’s vocalist/guitarist, after reluctantly admitting that his real name is Jordan Holman. “On purpose, you don’t know who we are unless you really look into us. Reason being, all mystery is gone these days. Back in the day, you didn’t know what the band had for breakfast, and what they’re favourite pants were. Where’s the fun in life if you know everything? So we end up doing interviews as Sam Hell. A lot of people literally think it’s a guy.
“We wanted to have a character that is everybody,” he continues. “That’s you, that’s me, that’s no one and everyone. We don’t like the idea of being tied down to the same train of thought. We want to be able to say and do whatever we want. When you have a character like Sam Hell, you can change from song to song, album to album. When Sam Hell says something, it’s not like the guys saying it. Whenever we screw up really bad, we just blame it on Sam!”
Sam Hell the band has big balls—or at least enough nerve to pick up
and leave everything behind for the chance of becoming someone. The musicians
pulled the classic move from Edmonton to Toronto over a year ago, and
it’s really paid off for the band—since relocating, Sam Hell has
released its first self-titled record and is about to head out on its first
cross-Canada tour.
“Everyone thought we were pretty nuts because we had no money, no plan,
no jobs, no nothing,” Holman remembers. “When we got here, the
place we were supposed to live in was half the size the landlord said it
would be. We were supposed to rehearse here and tried, but got a letter from
the police saying if we did one more time we’d get kicked out. In
addition to that, none of our furniture fit in it. We’ve been sleeping
on the floor for over a year.” V
Wed, Jul 4 (8 pm)
Sam Hell
With Long Way Down, Dirty Habit,
Echoes in Scarlett
Starlite Room, $10
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