Sam Black Church (also known as SBC) is an American,

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band. It was named after the

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

community of Sam Black Church.

History

Sam Black Church, as a band, was known for their monstrous sound, unique vocals, and energetic live performances. They played a frenetic blend of hardcore, metal, and thrash and shared the bill with acts as diverse as

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this ...

Clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

Cro-Mags Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among th ...

, Nothingface,

Stuck Mojo Stuck Mojo is an American rap metal band from Atlanta, formed in 1989 by bassist Dwayne Fowler. The band is considered to be one of the pioneers of rap metal. They have toured alongside bands such as Machine Head (band), Machine Head and Slapsho ...

, and

Helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

. They were one of the most popular hardcore bands in the northeast United States for a period in the mid-1990s. After releasing their first three EPs on

Taang! Records Taang! Records is an independent record label with a roster of hardcore punk, punk rock, Oi!, power pop, ska, indie rock, psychedelic, and ambient artists and bands founded by Curtis Casella in Boston, Massachusetts in 1983. History Taang! ...

, Sam Black Church self-released a CD and then signed with Wonderdrug Records where they remained until the band broke up in 2000. Sam Black Church reunited for a sold out show on September 22, 2007, at The Roxy in Boston.

Unearth Unearth is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1998, the group has released seven studio albums. History Early career (1998–2002) Unearth was formed by Trevor Phipps, Buz McGrath, Ken Susi, Mike Rudberg, a ...

Madball Madball is an American New York hardcore band formed in New York City, that originated in the late 1980s as a side project of Agnostic Front. The band developed after Agnostic Front's front man Roger Miret would let his younger half-brother Fr ...

and

Darkbuster Darkbuster is a punk rock band hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, known largely for their songs about the joys of heavy drinking, which have earned them a strong following in the American Northeast. The band occasionally performs under the na ...

opened the show. Sam Black Church played the

Hometown Throwdown Hometown Throwdown is an annual music festival held in Greater Boston. It is hosted by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The festival features local Boston-area acts, focusing on ska, punk and hardcore bands. The festival is traditionally held in De ...

16, with

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky ...

, at House of Blues in Boston, on December 29, 2013. They reunited again in 2016 for three sold out shows at The Sinclair and Brighton Music Hall in Boston, celebrating the release of Duncan Wilder Johnson’s documentary on the band, ''Leave Behind a Groove in the Earth''. The band reunited once again in early October 2021 at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, MA for back-to-back nights during the "Boston Rocks For Julie Duffy" fundraiser event. Guitarist Ben Crandall auctioned off one of his B.C. Rich guitars immediately after the performance to help raise funds. The instrument ultimately sold for $3,400 to the highest bidder at the club that night.

Documentary

The band is the subject of the documentary film ''Leave Behind a Groove in the Earth: The Story of Sam Black Church''. Notable appearances providing commentary on the band's influence include

’ Dr. Know,

Page Hamilton Page Hamilton (born May 18, 1960) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer, mostly noted for his work with alternative metal band Helmet. Most of his work has been in the hard rock and alternative metal styles, though he ...

Lamb Of God Lamb of God ( el, Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Amnòs toû Theoû; la, Agnus Dei, ) is a title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God wh ...

’s D. Randall Bythe and

Neil Fallon Neil Fallon (born October 25, 1971) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and occasional rhythm guitarist and keyboardist for the rock band Clutch. He is also the lead singer for The Company Band and Dunsmuir, and joined The Bak ...

Discography

*''Unincorporated'' (1989) *''Sam Black Church'' (1993) *''Let in Life'' (1993) *''Superchrist'' (1995) *''That Which Does Not Kill Us.... Makes Us Stronger'' (1997) *''The Black Comedy'' (1998) *''For We Are Many – The Best of Sam Black Church'' (2001)

References

External links

Wonderdrugrecords

Sam Black Church on Myspace

Sam Black Church at House of Blues in Boston, MA on December 29, 2013 – review and photos by Jen Vesp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sam Black Church (Band) Hardcore punk groups from Massachusetts