Sam Hughes of The Sammus Theory

The Sammus Theory, a hard rock band from Arizona, whose music is often compared with the sound of Breaking Benjamin and Tool, have been making their impact on the music scene since 2008 and there are no signs of slowing down.  They’ve toured with some big names and have big plans of their own. Part of their bio states “Too many bands today have lost the ability to inspire or leave a lasting impression. Enter The Sammus Theory”. With multiple well received Ep’s and a real connection with their ever-growing fan base it’s likely that things are only going to move forward. Sam Hughes (lead vocalist) took time out of a busy schedule to answer my questions.

Who is The Sammus Theory?  The Sammus Theory is me (Sam Hughes) on Vocals, Kyle Welnel on Rhythm Guitar, Jeremy Tabor on Lead Guitar, Brent Gilliland on Bass, and Marshall Harrod on Drums.

Is home base still Phoenix, Arizona and would you consider relocating to further your musical career? The band is still based out of Phoenix.  Only 2 of us officially live there now, but it’s where we run our business.  Rehearsals, recording, writing, etc.  I think we’re pretty satisfied being out of Phoenix.  With the internet being as viral as it is these days, I don’t think it’s necessary to relocate to another city anymore.

What’s the story behind the name? The Sammus Theory is the alter ego that music brings out of someone.  We get a chance to see everyday shy people come out of their shell and be someone else for the night during every show we do.  It’s pretty incredible.

If you had to name your top three musical influences who would you choose? Marilyn Manson, Tool, and Nine Inch Nails are my personal.  As for the entire band, we run the whole spectrum – classic rock, new rock, techno, country…everything.

Are you in the middle of a tour right now and out of the last 365 days how many of those would you estimate were spent performing? We are!  It’s the Summer leg of the 2012 Apocalyptic Takeover Tour.  In the last year, I’d say we only did about 100 shows.  We’re going to be picking it up big time for the Fall run and of course, next year.

When you’re on the road and you’ve got a little free time what do you do for fun? We watch movies as a band or just hang out together.  We’ve done a few outdoors days where we’ve gone to check out cool places.  We always find something to do…even if it’s just lying around the hotel room laughing at stupid things.

What music are you personally currently listening to most often and who is your “guilty pleasure” music? I’ve been listening to Avenged Sevenfold a LOT.  We’ve played with them twice and both times they blew me away.  And as for guilty pleasure music…any 80’s movie music – “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds is an example of that…Then there’s the Paula Abdul, Salt’n’Peppa, Ace of Base, and Steve Winwood moments…and we can’t forget about Rick Astley.

You’ve shared the stage with some pretty well know groups, like Avenged Sevenfold, Three Days Grace, and Escape the Fate. What was that experience like? What was your favorite “stage moment” so far in your career?  It’s surreal to get a chance to play with bands who inspire you.  It’s definitely a moment where you feel accomplished as a band.  My favorite moment was when we played Uproar in Denver, CO in 2010.  We were ramping up to the song “Pure” and had over 3500 people screaming “HEY BITCH!”.  It was intense.

You had a debut album, See(it) Through, in 2009 and a second, Trusting the Liar, in 2011. When do you expect to have another release and are you already working on material for it?  We can’t narrow it down to anything more than sometime in 2013.  We’ve started working on it during our times at home, but we really want to make this one hit hard so we’ll be taking a little more time on it than the two previous albums.

Who writes most of the music and lyrics?  I write all of the lyrics and the core of the songs, but the whole band shapes the music into the final product.  It’s a really cool experience to write a song, hand it off to Kyle, Marshall, Jeremy, and Brent and hear what their personal style adds to it.  It doesn’t change note-wise for the most part, but the feel and attitude intensifies when everyone plays their part…you hear a bit of everyone in each song and that’s what I love about how we work together.

What are your thoughts on the music industry in general? What is the number 1 thing you would change about it and what advice would you give to someone just starting out in pursuit of their own music journey? The music industry is definitely in the process of huge changes – and in my opinion it’s for the best.  Labels and money have run the industry and have chosen the bands that are put out there for so long that it’s refreshing to know the fans are in complete control now.  A band with no funding whatsoever can be discovered and passed around to music listeners across the world.  The 1 major thing I would change if it were possible would be to make it illegal for people to call themselves a booking agent or promoter if they had a history of screwing bands.  It happens far too often with little to no consequence.  My advice to new bands would be to not rely on anyone else to get your band ahead.  You will meet people who will genuinely love your band and want to help, but just be careful.  Rule of thumb – nobody cares about your future more than you do so run your business that way.

You’re involved a lot with supporting the Military. Have you taken abuse for your stand or felt more positive consequences resulting from it?  We’ve caught some shit from a few of the extreme anti-war people, but everyone’s entitled to their opinion, which ironically, the military protects.  It’s mostly positive though and we love being able to give back, even if it’s just a little to show our support.

If you could choose one super power what would it be and why?Invincibility – That would just kick ass!

Name an artist, dead or alive, that you would love to do a collaboration with and if someone remade one of your songs who would you choose to do it?  I’d LOVE to do work with Marilyn Manson or Twiggy Ramirez.  And I think we’d definitely like to hear a Led Zeppelin version of a Sammus Theory song.

Do you have anything to say about current social issues such as teen bullying/suicide?  Unfortunately, bullying is something that happens all the time and all over the world…and kids sometimes have a hard time getting through it.  It’s hard when someone is belittling you and breaking you down more and more day by day.  All I can say is that I wish every kid out there knew that it gets better.  Once you finish school, the real world opens up and you can choose who you want to surround yourself with and what friends you have.  The pain of bullying is only temporary and a life is far too special and unique to take because of it.  Stay strong – if you can make it through childhood, you can make it through anything.

What’s the craziest thing that has ever happened on tour?  Oakland, California happened.  Haha – we had a show in Oakland.  There was a homeless guy who had been shot in the leg a week prior who kept showing us his bullet hole in his leg and talking about selling us pain meds.  We tried to ignore him until he tried to sneak into our trailer and go with us…needless to say, we haven’t been back there yet.

What is the biggest sacrifice independent artists make and what is the most rewarding thing about living your dream? Family, health, and comfort.  Eating healthy can be expensive or difficult on the road, so it’s a lot of fast food and gas station snacks.  Not being able to see your family unless it’s once a year is tough and sleeping on floors or in the van never gets any easier.  But the fact that we get to travel and we get to spend time with everyone who supports us is beyond worth it.

Fast forward to 2013. What’s next for The Sammus Theory and where do you see yourselves in 5 years?  We’re going to continue to climb and make new fans.  2013 is a new album and even more touring than we’ve ever done before.  We’re really wanting to connect more with our fans and spread our music as much as possible.  In five years, we’d like to be doing major touring on big tour packages nationally and internationally.

Do you have a message for your fans?  We want to say thank you – I wish there were a way we could express it other than those two words…without our fans, we wouldn’t be here.  We’re trying to set an example in the industry that there doesn’t have to be a barrier between band and fans.  We are all here for the same reason – because we love music and can connect through it.  We go as far as our fans will take this.  Let’s spread the word and blow it up!

Watch their latest video at this link http://youtu.be/7VndltVHG4k

and stay connected with The Sammus Theory at the following sites:

http://www.facebook.com/thesammustheory

http://www.thesammustheory.net/home.html

http://www.youtube.com/thesammustheory