I only have the Laughing in the Face of a Dead Man EP and it is good. I am pretty sure the first record is quality, but I don't know much about them.
The singer sounds like Dave Vanian to me, not a bad thing.
What say you?
Re: Band: Death of Samantha
2Only listened to Strung Out on Jargon, which was certainly NC.
Is the name an intentional Yoko Ono reference?
Is the name an intentional Yoko Ono reference?
DIY and die anyway.
Re: Band: Death of Samantha
3For me, this band's crowning achievement is the version of "Coca Cola and Licorice" on the charmingly titled Porn in the USA 7". Totally snotty and great song.
John Petkovic is a hell of a lyricist, as well.
At the time, Death of Samantha seemed somewhat tame compared to, I dunno, Killdozer or whatever. But for me, DoS has aged about a thousand times better, even if some of the songs are a little trad.
The band was heavily indebted to glam and protopunk w/o being at all retro, and those weren't particularly hip influences to have at the time. I also think some of the music wasn't "weird" enough for people to latch onto, although it was definitely way too irreverent and smart for the average college-rock fan. The guitar playing is crunchy and enjoyable, though, and Petkovic had real presence.
For a minute or two at the end of its run, Death of Samantha was slated to become Wayne Newton's backing band, as part of some kinda misguided late-career resuscitation a la Tony Bennett's, Tom Jones's, and Johnny Cash's comebacks. Alas, it was not to be.
Not crap, despite being a little beige sometimes.
In the '90s, most of them--except for the drummer who, incredibly, made his living as an Elvis impersonator--ended up forming the original lineup of Cobra Verde, which also had its moments.
John Petkovic is a hell of a lyricist, as well.
At the time, Death of Samantha seemed somewhat tame compared to, I dunno, Killdozer or whatever. But for me, DoS has aged about a thousand times better, even if some of the songs are a little trad.
The band was heavily indebted to glam and protopunk w/o being at all retro, and those weren't particularly hip influences to have at the time. I also think some of the music wasn't "weird" enough for people to latch onto, although it was definitely way too irreverent and smart for the average college-rock fan. The guitar playing is crunchy and enjoyable, though, and Petkovic had real presence.
For a minute or two at the end of its run, Death of Samantha was slated to become Wayne Newton's backing band, as part of some kinda misguided late-career resuscitation a la Tony Bennett's, Tom Jones's, and Johnny Cash's comebacks. Alas, it was not to be.
Not crap, despite being a little beige sometimes.
In the '90s, most of them--except for the drummer who, incredibly, made his living as an Elvis impersonator--ended up forming the original lineup of Cobra Verde, which also had its moments.
Re: Band: Death of Samantha
4It's gotta be. That's a great song!
Radio show https://www.wmse.org/program/the-tom-wa ... xperience/
My band https://redstuff.bandcamp.com/
Solo project https://tomwanderer.bandcamp.com/
My band https://redstuff.bandcamp.com/
Solo project https://tomwanderer.bandcamp.com/
Re: Band: Death of Samantha
5I'm listening to Death of Samantha now and I'm interested. Spotify only has one album, a comp called If Memory Serves Us Well. I looked up the comp and it says it's all rerecorded versions of previously released tracks. Weird. Just did a little more snooping and Discogs says these were "live in-studio rehearsal" recordings from 2011. Huh. Guess I gotta look a little harder to listen to a proper album.
Radio show https://www.wmse.org/program/the-tom-wa ... xperience/
My band https://redstuff.bandcamp.com/
Solo project https://tomwanderer.bandcamp.com/
My band https://redstuff.bandcamp.com/
Solo project https://tomwanderer.bandcamp.com/
Re: Band: Death of Samantha
6Funny to run across these guys. As a NEO person they were local great white hopes in the 'maybe the majors' sweepstakes. Saw them a number of times. Good, but, as suggested, tame when considering Homestead's other Ultimate Wailers.