Sam Coomes
Encyclopedia
Samuel J. Coomes is an American
musician, and currently one-third of the Portland
-area indie band Quasi
, along with drummer
and ex-wife Janet Weiss
and bassist
Joanna Bolme
. Coomes was also a member of the mid 1980s folk revival band The Donner Party
and replaced Brandt Peterson
as the bassist for the 1990s Portland grunge band, Heatmiser
.
in 1964 and moved to southern California
as a child. He started playing in The Donner Party
in San Francisco in 1983 and released two albums with them before they disbanded in 1989. He formed Motorgoat in Portland
in 1990 with Janet Weiss (formerly of Sleater-Kinney
) and they released two cassettes and one 7" single
before disbanding and becoming Quasi
in 1993. Coomes released a solo album under the name Blues Goblins in 2003 and sometimes performs under that name. He also performs on keyboards and vocals with the Oakland, California
-based band, Pink Mountain.
Coomes currently lives in Portland
.
and bass
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician, and currently one-third of the Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
-area indie band Quasi
Quasi
Quasi is an American indie rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1993 by ex-husband and wife Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss . Since 2007 the group has been a trio, following the addition of bassist Joanna Bolme.-History:In 1990 , Coomes, Weiss, and Brad Pedinov formed the band Motorgoat...
, along with drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and ex-wife Janet Weiss
Janet Weiss
Janet Lee Weiss was the drummer of now defunct Sleater-Kinney and is currently a member of Quasi and Wild Flag. She was the drummer for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, leaving after the album Mirror Traffic.-Early life:...
and bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Joanna Bolme
Joanna Bolme
Joanna Bolme is a multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer who works with several indie rock bands and artists, mainly in the Pacific Northwest...
. Coomes was also a member of the mid 1980s folk revival band The Donner Party
The Donner Party
The Donner Party was a San Francisco-based indie-rock band, performing between 1986-1989. The band consisted of Melanie Clarin on drums and accordion, Sam Coomes on guitar, violin, and banjo, and Reinhold Johnson on bass...
and replaced Brandt Peterson
Brandt Peterson
Brandt Gustav Peterson is an American musician, best known as the original bass player with Heatmiser upon its formation in 1992. He was replaced on the band's final album, 1996's Mic City Sons, by Sam Coomes, after Peterson left the band...
as the bassist for the 1990s Portland grunge band, Heatmiser
Heatmiser
The Music of Heatmiser is a six-song demo cassette, recorded on April 29 and 30, 1992, at Sound Impressions in Milwaukie, Oregon. It was made available only at shows or by mail order....
.
Biography
Coomes was born in Sherman, TexasSherman, Texas
Sherman is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas, United States. The city's estimated population as of 2009 was 38,407. It is also one of two principal cities in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in 1964 and moved to southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
as a child. He started playing in The Donner Party
The Donner Party
The Donner Party was a San Francisco-based indie-rock band, performing between 1986-1989. The band consisted of Melanie Clarin on drums and accordion, Sam Coomes on guitar, violin, and banjo, and Reinhold Johnson on bass...
in San Francisco in 1983 and released two albums with them before they disbanded in 1989. He formed Motorgoat in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
in 1990 with Janet Weiss (formerly of Sleater-Kinney
Sleater-Kinney
Sleater-Kinney was an alternative rock band from Portland, Oregon that formed in 1994. Originally formed in Olympia, Washington, the group's name is derived from Sleater-Kinney Road, Interstate 5 off ramp #108 in Lacey, Washington, the location of one of their early practice spaces. They were a...
) and they released two cassettes and one 7" single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
before disbanding and becoming Quasi
Quasi
Quasi is an American indie rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1993 by ex-husband and wife Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss . Since 2007 the group has been a trio, following the addition of bassist Joanna Bolme.-History:In 1990 , Coomes, Weiss, and Brad Pedinov formed the band Motorgoat...
in 1993. Coomes released a solo album under the name Blues Goblins in 2003 and sometimes performs under that name. He also performs on keyboards and vocals with the Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
-based band, Pink Mountain.
Coomes currently lives in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
Session work since inception of Quasi
Coomes has done much recording work with other bands, mostly on keyboardsKeyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
.
- BugskullBugskullBugskull is an American musical group originally from Portland, Oregon that performed and recorded during the 1990s and early 2000s. According to a local newspaper, the Portland Mercury Review, discussing a one-off comeback concert they performed on September 12, 2009, they "delved deep into the...
- Built to SpillBuilt to SpillBuilt to Spill is an American indie rock band based in Boise, Idaho. The band has released seven full-length albums. Their most recent album, There Is No Enemy, was released on October 6, 2009.-History:...
- Coomes has performed as a guest keyboardist on several tracks. He has appeared on every Built to Spill album after Perfect From Now OnPerfect from Now OnPerfect from Now On is the third full-length album released by Built to Spill, and the band's first major label release. The line-up for the album was singer/guitarist Doug Martsch, bassist Brett Nelson, and drummer Scott Plouf. It was recorded at the Avast! Recording Company in Seattle,...
. - The Go-BetweensThe Go-BetweensThe Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
- Goldcard
- HeatmiserHeatmiserThe Music of Heatmiser is a six-song demo cassette, recorded on April 29 and 30, 1992, at Sound Impressions in Milwaukie, Oregon. It was made available only at shows or by mail order....
- Sleater-KinneySleater-KinneySleater-Kinney was an alternative rock band from Portland, Oregon that formed in 1994. Originally formed in Olympia, Washington, the group's name is derived from Sleater-Kinney Road, Interstate 5 off ramp #108 in Lacey, Washington, the location of one of their early practice spaces. They were a...
- Coomes played the MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
on All Hands on the Bad OneAll Hands on the Bad OneAll Hands on the Bad One is the fifth studio album by the American indie rock band Sleater-Kinney. It was released on May 2, 2000, on Kill Rock Stars.- Track listing :All songs written by Sleater-Kinney....
on the song "Milkshake 'n' Honey." - Elliott SmithElliott SmithSteven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
- Coomes played bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
on the 2000 album Figure 8Figure 8 (album)Figure 8 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Released by DreamWorks Records on April 18, 2000, it became Smith's second release on a major label and the last album he would complete before his death...
on the songs "Stupidity Tries," "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)," and "Pretty Mary K". He also played bass and sang backup vocals on Elliott SmithElliott SmithSteven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
's song "Pretty (Ugly Before)" on Smith's posthumous 2004 album From a Basement on the HillFrom a Basement on the HillFrom a Basement on the Hill is the sixth and final studio album by the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Released posthumously on October 19, 2004 by ANTI- Records in CD, double LP, and digital download, it peaked at #19 in the US and #41 in the UK....
. Quasi also served as Smith's backup band on a couple of tours. - The TakeoversRobert PollardRobert Pollard is an American rock musician and singer-songwriter who is the leader and creative force behind indie rock group Guided by Voices, who disbanded in 2004, only to reform in 2010...
External links
- Official Quasi webpage
- Another Quasi webpage
- Heatmiser Live Recording - 21 November 1992 - Full concert audio recording, as well as video clip of the song "Dead Air"