Sam will be playing solo this night.

Sam is a singer, acoustic guitarist, and songwriter in several rock and roots rock bands active from the 1980s to the 2000s, including the BoDeans and Absinthe. Sam is known for his distinctive voice, the voice by which many identify the Bodeans.

Llanas was one of the founding members of the roots rock band the BoDeans, which he formed with high school friend Kurt Neumann in Waukesha, Wisconsin. In 1985, after adding Guy Hoffman (drums) in 1984 and Bob Griffin (bass), the quartet signed a contract with Slash/Warner Records and shortened their name to the BoDeans.

Under the guidance of producer T-Bone Burnett, they entered Hollywood’s Sunset Sound Factory in October to record their first album. The critically-acclaimed debut Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams was released in 1986. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band had several singles in the top 40 “mainstream rock” charts. In the mid-1990s, the band had two top 10 songs in the “Adult contemporary” charts.

The BoDeans took some time off in the late 1990s so Neumann and Llanas could record solo albums. Llanas founded Absinthe, with the help of Milwaukee musicians Jim Eannelli (guitars and bass) and Guy Hoffman (formerly of Oil Tasters and Violent Femmes, currently of Radio Romeo). They have released one album, 1998′s A Good Day To Die. In 2011 Sam Llanas released 4 A.M. (The Way Home) and left the BoDeans to pursue his solo career.

In 2012 the music from 1998‘s A Good Day To Die was incorporated into a collaboration with playwright Doug Vincent and producer Gary Tanin in the production “A Day for Grace.”   Reviewer DeLarue of Lucid Culture : “As the show’s segments shift, Sam Llanas, frontman for the popular Wisconsin roots rockers the BoDeans does his part as Greek chorus with his acoustic guitar and warm baritone voice, singing excerpts from songs including the BoDeans’ brooding classic ‘Far, Far Away From My Heart’ as well as several numbers from his 1998 cult classic CD, ‘A Good Day to Die,’ by the short-lived side project Absinthe which clocked in at #629 on the 1000 Best Albums Of All Time List here at LucidCulture.  The pieces from that song cycle used in the show have had their lyrics tweaked to fit the new context, and add considerable depth and gravitas to the overall ambience.”   

2013 the play had evolved to include multi-city tours and multi-week runs in New York City.

On November 18th, 2014 Llanas is set to release The Whole Night Thru an all new studio record produced by longtime collaborator Gary Tanin. It features 9 new Llanas originals. The Whole Night Thru is Llanas’ first studio outing after parting ways with the band he co-fronted for over a quarter century. Shedding new light on a multi-decade career Sam returns to his roots adding a refined rock sound complimented by a full band, all veterans of both studio and live performance. Behind his lone-wolf image and tuffness, Llanas continues to hone his skills. A master craftsman that feels most at home in the city he’s always called home, Llanas has set the stage for fans to embrace his new identity.

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