Sam Coomes

Known primarily as one-half of the Portland, Oregon-based indie rock unit Quasi -- drummer and ex-wife Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney) completes the duo -- Sam Coomes is a prolific multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who has been musically active since the 1980s. Born in 1964 in Sherman, Texas, Coomes grew up in Southern California. His first band, the ramshackle art-rockers Donner Party, formed in 1983 and saw Coomes taking on guitar, violin, and banjo duties. They issued a pair of LPs before disbanding in 1989. The following year saw Coomes, who had since relocated to Portland, form Motorgoat with then-wife Weiss. The project yielded a pair of cassettes and a 7" before ceasing operations and morphing into Quasi in 1993. Employing a bluesy, easy rock vibe that has led some to describe the duo as the indie Fleetwood Mac -- they had divorced prior to the band's inception -- Quasi began releasing material shortly after forming, and since 2013's Mole City, have issued nine critically acclaimed full-length LPs. In 1994, Coombes was also playing bass in the grunge/alt-rock unit Heatmiser, which was co-led by Elliott Smith. Coombes has recorded and performed with a bevy of regional artists, including Built to Spill, Jandek, Pink Mountain, and Elliott Smith, just to name a few, and has provided scores for multiple films from underground filmmaker Vanessa Renwick. In 2016, Coomes released his first solo album, the wild-eyed, carnival sideshow-esque Bugger Me.
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