Sam Llanas (pronounced yanas), formerly of the BoDeans, will release his new album The Whole Night Thru November 18th. Determined and confident, gloves are off on this guitar-driven collection, produced by longtime collaborator Gary Tanin featuring nine new Llanas originals.
With a career spanning decades, Llanas is continuing his solo pilgrimage after 25 years with the band he co-founded. His 12th studio album and third major solo effort, The Whole Night Thru, blends the roots-rock style that was a signature sound of his former band with Llanas’ own genre-bending musical influences.
Work on the new record started in 2013 occurring over a few weeks time. With the majority of the basic tracks recorded, Llanas began completing The Whole Night Thru at Daystorm Music in Milwaukee with producer-musician Tanin, who had also worked on the singer-songwriter’s previous solo efforts, A Good Day To Die, 4 A.M. (The Way Home) and 4/5 Live – Vol. I. Milwaukee musicians Sean Williamson, Matt Turner and Ryan Schiedermayer contributed guitar, bass, drums & percussion respectively, while Tanin supplied the string arrangements, piano and mellotron on the new recording.
Llanas’ new solo opus reveals a new found clarity, “I view The Whole Night Thru as my first ‘official’ solo record. Though I previously released two solo studio records, I had always been very careful to not compete with the BoDeans sound. But now that I’m no longer in that band, the gloves are off and this is a record that has many elements that fans of my former band love. If fans are looking for that BoDeans sound, it comes from my voice and it’s all over this record.” The result is a mix of Johnny Cash’s fiery fervor and Otis Redding’s nostalgic soulfulness, without limitation– stylistically or by genre classification.
“I’ve always been influenced by what I heard. In the ‘60s, when radio was wide open, you would hear the Beatles and the Stones, Motown Soul and Atlanta Soul, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding and Southern Soul. You’d hear Tom Jones, The Carpenters, Glen Campbell and country artists, you’d hear Johnny Cash and folk. Those songs were all really well-written and well performed.”
In asking about his departure from the band he co-founded Llanas clarifies, “I think people have this misconception that I left The BoDeans to pursue a solo career, but that’s just not the truth. I never wanted the break up of the BoDeans. It broke my heart.”
Going solo at this point in his career, however, has allowed Llanas to combine the experience of a seasoned professional with the passion of an emerging artist. It is a need for deep self-exploration and expression that drives him to create his music and continue to perform. As Llanas admits, “I think the best part about being solo has been that I get to express myself completely now. I never got to sing half of these songs, and I always wanted to. I love being able to have that freedom.”
On The Whole Night Thru Sam Llanas embraces his new found freedom revealing a unique musical style that is simultaneously invigorating, passionate, inspiring and a surprising place of calm.
