Green Eggs and Sam

By Korin Miller

Special to washingtonpost.com/MP3

Monday, November 15, 2004

What do you get when you combine three friends, musical instruments, and a hearty splash of comedy? Local witty rockers, Green Eggs and Sam!

The band possesses a sound that is equal parts funk, rock, blues, and country peppered with eccentric lyrics. Odds are one doesn't hear music like theirs' every day.

Vocalist and guitarist Sam Ryan says the group is simply the result of a bunch of friends banging around and having a good time. Together with band mates Scott Kubic and Mike McElhaney, Green Eggs and Sam has been entertaining local crowds with their humorous lyrics and upbeat melodies for two years.

A journalist by day, Ryan points out that songwriting comes naturally to him. "I've always been first and foremost a writer which is one of the reasons why I think lyrics are a lot of fun," he says.

Like his music, Ryan's songwriting style is anything but ordinary. He laughs, "A lot of times I'll be walking my dog and a song will pop into my head. I get songs when I don't have my instrument around which is weird for a musician."

Green Eggs and Sam's debut album Supersize appeared on the scene this August. At first listen, fans might notice a common theme with songs like, "Spinach," "Supersize," and "Funky for my Monkey."

Ryan says listeners often catch on to his frequent food references. "I guess I love food," he says. "It always struck me as a fun subject."

As for the title track of his band's album Ryan says, "'Supersize' is just a funny word. It makes for a good funk tune."

Their music is diverse, so why shouldn't their fans be as well? One would be hard-pressed to stereotype a Green Eggs and Sam listener. At a recent gig, the band even found a new fan base with leather-wearing motorcyclists, the Rolling Thunder.

"They were totally grooving to our music," he recalls. "It was so cool."

Whether or not a record label ever bangs down their doors, Ryan notes the band is about just having fun. He says, "Obviously it would be cool to get a big record contract and tour Japan, but we're just happy to play and make noise."

After a pause he finishes, "At the end of the day, it's just about three buddies having a good time." - The Washington Post

By MARIA VILLAFANA

JULY 23, 2003 -- A guitar, bass and drum unit whose name evokes childhood memories of a certain cat in a striped top hat, Green Eggs and Sam is but a few months old on the Washington music scene.

Since April, its four-song demo has gotten the group bookings at 20-something hangouts such as Lewie's in Bethesda and the Grog in Georgetown, as well as its first show at Iota on July 27. Guitarist Sam Ryan thinks up the storylines, which are clever, some even politically incorrect (a breath of fresh air in this town), while Scott Kubic (drums) and Mike McElhaney (bass) flesh out the tunes.

Two of the demo tracks can be heard on the band's MP3 page. "Supersize" is a funny pro-fast-food tune that, quips Ryan, "pays homage to the fast food industry and the silent corpulent majority." "Acapulco Red" has its musical backbone give a nod to Bob Marley's "Stir It Up" while its lyrics work as a metaphor for that Mexican resort's sunsets, as well as for something one famous politician swears he didn't inhale. Both songs will be included in the band's upcoming full-length CD, currently in pre-production.

The Green Eggs and Sam upbeat "chicken-fried sound somewhere between rock, blues, funk and country" descends on the Grog in Georgetown Aug. 1 from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
- The Washington Post