SAMIAM formed in 1988 out of the ashes of various East Bay punk rock bands. Guitar player Sergie played drums for Gilman Street regulars The Sweet Baby Jesus. Second guitar player, James, had been in the legendary Social Unrest. The group was rounded out by Martin on bass, and Jason on vocals, both of whom had been in Maximum Rock n Roll favorites Isocracy. Mark Mortinsen was the drummer for the first couple years of Samiamcs existence. The group recorded a 7 for local independent label Lookout Records.
     
      Soon after that, Nicky Garret of the UK Subes fame released Samiam s self titled debut album on his New Red Archives label. The band toured Europe and the United States with Ultraman and Snuff, and started to develop a small but enthusiastic following. The next couple of years saw Samiam release the albums Soar and Billy, as well as undergo some lineup changes. Dave Ayer replaced Mark on drums when Mark moved to Hawaii to attend college. The band continued to tour both Europe and the US regularly, and also released a number of EP s and singles on various independent la... (More SAMIAM Biography)