Like good luck and high tide, Baltimore-based band Red Sammy return to AUK for an exclusive mini-gig featuring their brand of slow-burning Americana folk-rock. The set was recorded was recorded at Stages Studios in Baltimore, Maryland.
Red Sammy was formed back in 2007. Various musicians have been part of the band. The current lineup includes Greg Humphreys (bass, backing vocals), Bruce Elliott (electric guitar), Kenneth Noble (drums), and Adam Trice (acoustic guitar and lead vocals). The band’s name is not a nod to Red Sammy Hagar, but instead after a cynical character who runs a barbecue restaurant in Flannery O’Connor’s novel, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.”
A crucial piece of Red Sammy’s identity is main songwriter and vocalist Trice, who has a frontman style that exists somewhere between Jay Farrar and early Lou Reed. He has a somewhat gravelly voice and seems to gnaw into his lyrics like a mouse into a rand of pungent cheese. In other words, he is on the attack in a good way.
Looking ahead to 2026, songwriter Trice will be working with the band on refining and writing songs for a new album. As featured in this live music set for Americana UK, two new songs are performed including ‘Everything’s On Fire’ and ‘I Miss You.’ The band has plans to record a new album in Winter 2026 and, in the meantime, will release an upcoming new single in the coming months. Their latest record is “Holy Fluorescent Light” and you can read about this and much more in an earlier AUK interview. Their previous album, the independently released “Vultures” was reviewed in 2021.
Trice’s song selections as always are a sample of the best of indie music, brash, quirky and lyrically engaging without dipping into noisy clutter. There are four songs in this mini-gig, and Trice supplies commentary below. The official band website is where you can find most of what you need to know about Red Sammy without seeing them for yourself should you find yourself in the mid-Atlantic region of America.
1-Punks, Geeks, Freaks – A song inspired about my high school years. This comes from an album titled, “That Raging Heart.”
2-Everything’s On Fire – A brand new song that we hope to release as part of new album in 2026.
3-I Miss You – Another brand new song we hope to release as part of a new album in 2026. This is a song dedicated to my father who passed away last Summer 2024.
4-I Should Have Quit You Sooner – A song about heartbreak and torn relationships. This also comes from “That Raging Heart.”
Hmmm … this rather tickled my fancy. Excellent showcase. Thanks for bringing it to our attention Dean.