A common cause

The Tiverton-based Sampson Recordings gives Providence's indie rock scene a lift

by Bob Gulla

Jetpack

Sssh. Quiet. If you listen closely, really stick your ear to the ground, you can hear the sound of indie rock in the distance. No, it's not as loud as it used to be, before the major labels took a wrecking ball to the infrastructure of wee little indies and, after making whatever money they could selling off the parts, left a pile of barely usable detritus behind. Talk about an eyesore.

Over the last two years, though, well-meaning souls have walked by that eyesore and done a little rebuilding, replaced a few boards, rearranged some timber, so that little indie pile is now beginning to look a little like a real structure again. Now, listen again for that sound . . . It's a little more more discerning, its intentions a little more serious, its support helping to establish a foundation.

The funny thing about that sound is that it comes from some strange places. Historically, indie rock bergs have emerged from very unlikely regions, including Athens, Lawrence, Minneapolis, Portland, Chapel Hill, and, well, you know your geography. Today, great indie labels -- Deep Elm, Drag City, Jade Tree, Southern, not to mention Providence's own Flydaddy imprint -- come from all over the colonies.

Take Tiverton, Rhode Island, for example. It doesn't exactly measure up to, say, Athens, but it's emitting a sound all its own courtesy of Sampson, an indie rock label founded by a couple of well-meaning music fanatics, Keith Souza, Chad Brow, and Tom Gomes. Together, they began Sampson as a vanity label of sorts, a way to put out their own music. Souza plays in the agile, aggressive/progressive instrumental trio Jetpack; Brow, who has since left the ownership ranks, plays in the Fugazi-esque Before I Break. Sampson doesn't plan to put records out they don't like and they aren't expecting a penny in profits.

"It's something that can be a resource for people," says Souza, who along with Gomes helps to fund the label's activity. "We're not concerned with money and profits. We just want to keep it going."

At the center of Sampson's concern is the health of the Providence indie music scene. "We're worried that there aren't enough bands around to comprise a whole scene," says Souza. "What little music out there is pretty good and we need to make sure people take notice of it. In Providence especially, you gotta go out there and look for good music. And if you're in our position, you gotta struggle to make a name for yourself."

And even though money's not an issue, it's still hard to come by. "We've sunk a lot of funds into it," says Souza, adding his discs only cost fans $8. "We're starting to get money back which enables us to keep going. We'll feel self-sufficient over the next few CDs, I think. That'll help us do more marketing."

Sampson has enlisted the strength and cache of the Atomic Action group to help with distribution, which they get in large part from the Lumberjack catalog. But it's still not the kind of profile a young indie label needs to keep good red blood in its veins.

So far, the band has released a bunch of quality releases deserving of more widespread attention. All are produced at least in part by Souza, not to mention handsomely packaged, including a 1995 self-titled, retro issue from one of Boston's underground power three-o's, Dagobah. Here's a rundown of the label's other projects, working backwards from newest.

* The Andrea Gale's self-titled, three-song CD EP. Named after a boat chronicled in the book, The Perfect Storm, the Rhode Island based instrumental quartet -- two guitars, bass, and drums -- is taut, clean-sounding stuff, with good melodic grasp, accomplished, ever-shifting dynamics. Out soon.

* `V' for Vendetta, self-titled CD. Drums, guitar, and a touch of bass from Michelle and Kara, known by most for their work as P Squared, where they book and promote indie rock shows. Also out soon.

* Before I Break, self-titled, six-song CD EP. Crashing punk rock with riveting tension and excellent playing, especially on songs like "Withdrawal" and "Left Behind." Out now.

* Jetpack, self-titled CD. Fourteen passionate rumbles from an energetic, mostly instrumental trio, that like most adventurous trios (remember Full Fathom Five? The Blue Hippos?) take you to destinations not featured on your average map. Out now.

* Robots, self-titled CD. If anybody remembers the fresh-baked sounds of late '80s guitar bands like Slovenly and Pell Mell, they'll probably crack a smile hearing the melodic meanderings of Robots, another Boston rock trio overly fond of vocal-less tuneage. Out now.

* Lynx, self-titled, three-song CD EP. Four-piece instro-rockers with good impact and an affinity for jerky Beefheart manner of expression. Out now.

"Our motivation is really to try to change the scene," says Souza. "But not do it myself. "I'd like to make this a group thing, with the other bands all joining in to help create a fuller scene. It seems like over the last couple years we're starting to work together better toward a common cause. They're starting to be very supportive of the family."

Still there's the problem of P-Town's rather sad-sack musical climate. Some of the venues seem unwelcoming. Strange, considering they need the bands as much as the bands need them. "One guy from a band we know came into a Providence bar after a long drive and asked the barman for a cold drink. He told him, `Look, this isn't Rocktarville. Everyone pays half price and that's a pretty good deal.' I don't want to get too down on places here because I know the city's going through a hard time. Hopefully, as the bands get better reputations, things'll start to change."