So long as freshman girls roam freely along the college campuses of this nation, so too shall the Samples travel to each of its cities, bestowing unto the girls music that inspires them to hug each other and the environment with equal fervor. Not a bad gig for a band that got the boot from its record label mere months after its debut record was released fifteen years ago. Since then, the quintet has toured constantly with its jazzy, folky, jammy and/or reggae-y pop working up a grassroots fanbase. In that way, the Samples' story has a Dave Matthews Band vibe, albeit on a slightly less megasuccessful level. Still, the Samples can count among its friends DMB violinist Boyd Tinsley, who guests on the band's most recent studio record, 2001's Return to Earth.
