Artist description "Sam Bisbee's solo debut is one of those rough little gems that is likely to get lost for a few months after its release. Then, about a year from now, after so many friends have told their friends about how great it is, those who appreciate smart, literate songwriting will agree that "Vehicle" is a gleaming sapphire of an album." - Issac Guzman, New York Daily news

Music Style alterna-pop

Musical Influences U2, Radiohead, Talking Heads, Coldplay, Flaming Lips

Similar Artists U2, Radiohead, Talking Heads, Coldplay, Flaming Lips

Group Members sam bisbee -- guitar, vocals, keyboards dave wike -- drums dan green -- bass

Press Reviews here's what the press is saying about VEHICLE From The New York Post (12/3/01): "Catch Sam Bisbee... his latest, 'Vehicle,' is full of pleasant suprises." - Mary Huhn From The Boston Globe (10/12/01): "The right vehicle: 'Vehicle,' the new CD by Sam Bisbee, is wry and endearing, full of warm melodies and funny observations." - Hayley Kaufman From New York Daily News (10/30/01): "Sam Bisbee's solo debut is one of those rough little gems that is likely to get lost for a few months after its release. Then, about a year from now, after so many friends have told their friends about how great it is, those who appreciate smart, literate songwriting will agree that "Vehicle" is a gleaming sapphire of an album. Imagining love affairs in office cubicles and nubile groupies who have just turned 18, Bisbee laces his songs with wry humor and deft melodies. While his compositions are simple, they sound timeless, taking cues from the supple romanticism of Crowded House's Neil Finn and the urbane goofiness of Fountains of Wayne. Even with a revolving cast of guest musicians, Bisbee has managed to craft a unified vision for his songs. His duet with Leona Naess on "Miracle Car" is a standout as the two capture the madcap dialogue of an affair about to run off the road." - Issac Guzman From The Boston Globe -- Calendar (10/11/01): "Critic's Tip: So you say you never heard of Sam Bisbee? Well, neither have a lot of other folks. Bisbee is a newcomer in the ron Sexsmith/Rufus Wainwright vein who writes wry pop songs that have a cerebral twist. His new album, 'Vehicle,' includes several duets with the talented Leona Naess. You can hear it in person tomorrow night at Toad" - Steve Morse From TimeOut New York (11/6/01): "Sam Bisbee's CD Vehicle is a charmer... This guy deserves a chance." - Weekly Listings Pick From Amplifier Magazine (1/02): "On 'Vehicle', Sam Bisbee accomplishes the increasingly rare feat of immediately drawing in the listener with his ironic and often achingly funny lyrics. It is likely that spending the '90s in major label development limbo has added a certain acerbic wit to Bisbee's tunes. Juicy couplets like, 'just know the smallest space you leave me / will be enough room to keep me alive' in 'Flower' and , 'out of breath from standing still / wide awake on sleeping pills' in 'Shake Me' are great examples of Bisbee's lyrical prowess. Songs about cars, suburbia and love gone badly never sounded so fresh. Oh, yeah, and the music is pretty good, too. Right from the first crisp drumbeats of 'Miracle Car' you can tell this record is the real deal. Although it is a relentlessly mid-tempo record, 'Vehicle' never feels samey. Bisbee and band have the ability to bring songs to their emotional peak with just a vocal inflection here, a keyboard patch there or a cello woven in and out of an otherwise sparse arrangement. As a pop/rock vocalist, Bisbee is not technically gifted (as, for instance, Neil Finn, whose voice Bisbee's semi-resembles) but there is a real depth and emotion to his delivery. On 'Vehicle' Bisbee's heartfelt performance is often more than believeable." - David Gray From Paper Magazine Online -- Calendar (11/6/01): "We sort of like Sam Bisbee. His new album, Vehicle, is of the alt-country rock variety, which, admittedly, is a genre that's seen better days. However, when it's done well -- as it is here -- it reminds you what you liked about smoking cigarettes in public parks until three a.m., talking about what it all means with two or three of your best friends, staying up past the limits of all sense until your lungs hurt and eyes stung. That's what it reminds us of, at least. Expect the best rock show you're going to see for free tonight. Check him out at Lakeside Lounge, 162 Ave. B, (212) 529-8643. 9:30 p.m." - Daily Pick From Magnet Magazine (1/2002): "By mid-morning, the alert cranium needs a solid pop fix. Sam Bisbee, Vehicle, aims straight for the jugular with sets of fully realized, grandiose tuneage. (Bisbee) crafts an edgy-yet accessible, radio friendly sound that wouldn't be unwelcomed in the home of Tom Petty, the Posies or Dave Mathews." - Fred Mills, Sr. Editor, Magnet Magazine From allmusicguide.com (9/15/01): "AMG EXPERT REVIEW:Sam Bisbee's aptly titled sophomore effort, Vehicle, portrays an artist in motion. Bisbee creates emotionally honest songs that evoke the fiery roots rock of Bruce Springsteen and John Cougar Mellancamp, yet he renders his compositions with intoxicating arrangements, even going as far as to juggle acoustic instrumentation with contemporary electronica on a few cuts. Bisbee's rhythmic computer programming in "Shake Me," "Molecules," and "Bucket Seat" is downright soulful. That's because the songs are strong and his supporting cast is a perfect compliment to Bisbee's penchant for telling a story with melody. The duet with Leona Naess on "Miracle Car" is among the many stellar moments on this collection, blending a driving beat with atonal guitar textures and sexy wordplay between the two lovers headed down the never-ending road to romantic bliss. Bisbee is a dexterous vocalist and an accomplished songwriter whose earthy and literate compositions merit repeated listening, especially the reprise of "Miracle Car," which would have found its way into the L.A. Woman-era Doors repertoire without fail." - Tom Semioli From nyrock.com (11/1/01): "Sam Bisbee, Vehicle (© 2001 Terrible Records) There's an immediate emotional impact from the dozen tunes here, an intimacy, an affinity, a mix of both new and familiar, and before I start blathering on with metaphors and analogies, let's keep it simple: the disc is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Each song is easily accessible, yet sounds like no other artist in particular. The music gets into your system with all the force of a calm breeze in spring. By, say, the third track, "Cubicle Love Song," you're gushing tears of joy and sadness at the purity of it all. Instruments are layered yet balanced, dynamics are so good it's scary, the lyrics tell stories, plainly and directly, and the feeling from the first spin of the disc is that of a classic in the making. If you want to experience the emotive power of music, Bisbee has appeared as your savior - heed his words and music, and ye shall be saved. Really" - Bill Ribas, Street Beat From New York Press -- Weekly Lisings Pick (11/14/01): "...At the opposite end of the musical spectrum from Biohazard, but with some of the same principles, a singer/songwriter named Sam Bisbee plays this Thursday at the Living Room. Bisbee resembles Mark Greene -- the doctor from ER, not the drunken-looking man who managed to lose the mayoral race -- and his songs sound like what Dr. Mark Greene would write if he had any talent. He hits the themes of corporate disquietude, alienation and closeted pedophilia that permeate both ER and contemporary American life; I'll quote some lyrics from 'Cubicle Love Song' and you decide if you like the guy. 'Cause a cubicle love song would give us all something/We could sing along to/While we try to get through/The work our bosses are told by their bosses to tell us to do.' That's from Sam Bisbee's latest, and his first in five years, Vehicle, which he put out himself after kicking around demos for the latter part of the 90s (he also kicked around demos for the early part of the 90s with his old band, Bisbee). Luckily, in that time, Sam cobbled together an impressive list of musical colleagues (Philip Glass, Leona Naess) to assist in his efforts, and Vehicle is the fine result. It goes without saying that this is for fans of Elliot Smith, Rufus Wainwright and all-purpose wusses everywhere. Sam Bisbee appears at the Living Room (84 Stanton St. at Allen St., 533-7235) Thursday at 10 p.m. There's no cover but there is a one-drink minimum." - Ned Vizzini From Music Connection Magazine (9/24/01): "'You're a slasher film; you terrify/You're a love story; you death-defy' sings Sam Bisbee. Shuffled from label to label for development deals over the past decade, Bisbee's demos piled up. He resolved never to record another. Instead, he called up some friends and made Vehicle. 'No A&R personnel within a five block radius,' chortles the singer. 'Just music. Pure and simple. For music's sake.' Vehicle is a scenic ride and an even better listen. Check out Bisbee on the questionably named Terrible Records." - Dan Kimpel, SONGWORKS From Next Magazine (9/15/01): "I'm going to try to predict the next big musical trend. It will either be insurgent country (on the strength of Ryan Adams and Kelly Hogan's Because It Feels Good) gorgeous pop (think Bulah or Mercury Rev), or male singer songwriters (such as Nathan Larsen, Ike Reilly, John Mayer, Tom McRae). If it is the latter, Sam Bisbee deserves a place among them. His long awaited second disc features a cool line-up of guest artists (including backing vocals by Diana Ross' ex-step daughter Leona Naess on "Miracle Car" and "I Will Wait") and terrific pop songwriting (imagine E of the Eels on mood elevators). There is the sexy "Cubicle Love Song," "Shake Me," the presence of an exotic marimba played by Peter Adams on "Flower," the catchy "Ride' Em Mover," and the wonderful combination of piano and loopy synth beats of "Bucket Seat," which make this album a vehicle for being discovered." - Gregg Shapiro From Seven Days VT. -- (2/02): "SAM BISBEE, VEHICLE -- Sam Bisbee wants to take you on a trip. 'Vehicle', the New York singer-songwriter's solo debut realease, offers a tour of the irreverent and serious, inane and literate, disparate and unified. The 14 pop songs on this album are full of familiar and foreign moments, and all are well worth the ride. 'Vehicle' is carried by the wonderfully wry humor in Bisbee's lyrics. In 'Cubicle Love Song,' he sings, 'I want to take you on a date to the copy room/We'll kiss by the fax machine/After-dinner drinks at the water cooler.' What impressed me is how Bisbee manages to balance quirkiness with heart, finishing the song with the hopeless yearning of the cubicle worker: 'While we try to get through the work our bosses are told by their bosses to tell us to do/To avoid losses, layoffs/We're all holding out for stock option payoffs/Or at least box seats to the playoffs/Retirement is such a long way off.' Bisbee shows us restless suburbia, 18-year-old groupies, and the loneliness of communicating through a modem. Behind the cerebral word play, he nostalgically searches for soul in an absurd world. At the end of Vehicle, Bisbee finds simplicity to insulate himelf from coldness and irrationality. In 'Simplest of Pleasures,' he sings, 'Guess I'll have to settle for the simplest of pleasures/Merely living for you/Waking up each day next to you/Playing with your hair till you're awake, too.' The hookless compositions on Vehicle are simple, giving them a timeless and uncharacterizable quality. The performances by the revolving cast are sharp, including musicians who play for some of the biggest names in the business -- Neil Young, Keith Richards and Tom Petty. However, the music is really a means to complement the infectious cadences of Bisbee's earnest singing. Good pop singers can grab you with their delivery alone. Bisbee does so with his smooth rhythyms and sincere voice, and it doesn't take long before he's carrying you away. Bisbee is refreshing in that he doesn't pander to the expectations of commercial pop radio. His love songs don't tug mercilessly at your heartstrings, and his social commentary isn't full of pedantic moralizing. Where this will take him is anyone's guess, but you can be sure to find out next week at Club Metronome." - Jason King

Location New York, New York - USA

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