Sam John Farrar (born June 29, 1978) is an American musician. He is best known as a member of the
pop band
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, d ...
, in which he plays several instruments, primarily bass guitar. A frequent collaborator with the band since the 1990s, he joined as a touring member in 2012 and was promoted to an official member in 2017. He has also been the bassist for the rock band
Phantom Planet
Phantom Planet is an American Rock music, rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald (vocals, rhythm guitar), Darren Robinson (lead guitar), Sam Farrar (bass guitar) and Jeff Conrad (drums). The band is bes ...
since their formation in 1994.
Career
1994–2012: Phantom Planet and other side projects
Farrar is the
bass guitar
The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
player for the American
rock band Phantom Planet. He also joined the band
Operation Aloha with members of
Gomez and Maroon 5. He and his wife, Stephanie, have started their own music project, called Bubble and Strife.
2012–present: Maroon 5
In 2012, Farrar became a touring member of Maroon 5, playing various instruments, including guitars, occasional bass guitar, percussion and additional keyboards, singing backing vocals and providing samples and other special effects (using the
MPC).
A longtime collaborator of the band, he co-wrote and co-produced a few of the band's songs on almost all of their studio albums and also remixed one of their songs, which is called "Woman", on ''
Call and Response: The Remix Album'', released in 2008. On August 31, 2012 – during a show in Argentina on the
Overexposed Tour – Farrar filled-in for
Mickey Madden
Michael Allen Madden (born May 13, 1979) is an American musician and former bassist for the pop rock band Maroon 5.
Life and music career
Madden was born in Austin, Texas. He began playing in junior high school at the Brentwood School in Los ...
on the bass guitar for the first time since 2001. He subsequently filled-in for Madden on the next few shows of the tour.
After touring with the band for the next couple of years, Farrar was named an official member in late 2017, with the release of ''
Red Pill Blues
''Red Pill Blues'' is the sixth studio album by American band Maroon 5. It was released on November 3, 2017, through 222 Records, 222 and Interscope Records. This is the band's first album to feature multi-instrumentalist Sam Farrar as an offic ...
''. He replaced Madden as bassist in 2020.
Personal life
Farrar was born in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
to Australian parents. His father,
John Farrar
John Clifford Farrar ( ; born 8 November 1946) is an Australian Record producer, music producer, songwriter, arranger, singer, and guitarist. As a musician, Farrar is a former member of several rock and roll groups including The Mustangs (1963 ...
, was a member of
The Shadows
The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...
and also carved a successful songwriting career, penning many of
Olivia Newton-John
Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...
's big hits as well as producing nearly every one of her albums during her most successful years. His mother,
Pat Carroll, was a successful Australian
pop singer in the 1960s. He attended
The Buckley School.
Farrar is married to Stephanie Eitel, formerly a member of the band
Agent Sparks. Their daughter was born in 2009, and their son in 2014.
Discography
With
Hanson
* ''
Underneath'' (2004)
With
Operation Aloha
* ''
Operation Aloha'' (2009)
With
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles ( ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. Bareilles has earned various accolades, including ...
* ''
Kaleidoscope Heart
''Kaleidoscope Heart'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, which was released on September 7, 2010, through Epic Records. The lead single from the album, " King of Anything", was released digitally on May 10, ...
'' (2010)
* ''
Once Upon Another Time'' (EP) (2012)
With Bubble and Strife
* ''My Lifetime for Blondes'' (EP) (2011)
With
Jasmine Ash
* ''Beneath the Noise'' (2012)
With
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...
and
Olivia Newton-John
Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...
*''
This Christmas'' (2012)
With
Oh Land
*''
Wish Bone'' (2013)
With
Tony Lucca
*''With the Whole World Watching'' (2013)
With
Rozzi Crane
* ''Rozzi Crane'' (EP) (2013)
* ''Space'' (EP) (2015)
* ''Time'' (EP) (2015)
With Shoffy
* ''Lenses'' (2018)
* ''Cool Again'' (2020)
With
Andy Grammer
* ''
Naive'' (2019)
With
Yuna
* ''
Rogue'' (2019)
With
SuperM
* ''
Super One'' (2020)
With
Duncan Laurence
* ''
Small Town Boy'' (2020)
With
Band of Horses
* ''
Things Are Great'' (2022)
With
Mandy Moore
Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her 1999 debut single "Candy (Mandy Moore song), Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot ...
* ''
In Real Life'' (2022)
Maroon 5
;As an outside collaborator
* ''
Songs About Jane'' (2002) – programming ("
She Will Be Loved")
* ''
It Won't Be Soon Before Long'' (2007) – production
* ''
Call and Response: The Remix Album'' (2008) – remix of a song ("Woman")
* ''
Hands All Over'' (2010) – songwriting ("
Misery", "Stutter", "Don't Know Nothing", "Hands All Over" and "How")
* ''
Songs About Jane: 10th Anniversary Edition'' (2012) – producing
;As a touring member
* ''
Overexposed'' (2012) – production and songwriting ("Ladykiller", "Fortune Teller" and "Tickets"), backing vocals, programming
* ''
V'' (2014) – backing vocals ("Unkiss Me" and "
This Summer" – the latter song is from the 2015 re-release of ''V''), programming
;As an official member
* ''
Red Pill Blues
''Red Pill Blues'' is the sixth studio album by American band Maroon 5. It was released on November 3, 2017, through 222 Records, 222 and Interscope Records. This is the band's first album to feature multi-instrumentalist Sam Farrar as an offic ...
'' (2017) – producing, keyboards, bass guitar, synthesizer, samples, lead and rhythm guitar, programming, backing vocals
* ''
Jordi'' (2021) – producing, keyboards, bass guitar, synthesizer, samples, lead and rhythm guitar, programming, backing vocals
Phantom Planet
* ''
Phantom Planet Is Missing'' (1998)
* ''
The Guest'' (2002)
* ''
Phantom Planet
Phantom Planet is an American Rock music, rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald (vocals, rhythm guitar), Darren Robinson (lead guitar), Sam Farrar (bass guitar) and Jeff Conrad (drums). The band is bes ...
'' (2004)
* ''
Raise the Dead'' (2008)
* ''
Devastator'' (2020)
Remixes
2008
* "Woman" – Maroon 5 (Sam Farrar Remix)
2010
* "Unspoken" –
Weezer
Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...
(Sam Farrar Remix)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrar, Sam
Living people
American rock bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
American people of Australian descent
Planetshakers members
1978 births
Phantom Planet members
Maroon 5 members
21st-century American bass guitarists