Lively North Carolina rock & roll quartet the Sammies feature members with the stage names of Frank Backgammon (guitars, vocals), Donnie Yale (drums, vocals, and brother of Backgammon), Gymmy Thunderbird (bass), and Bobby Freedom (guitar, and replacement for Murphy Upshaw). The Sammies signed on with local label MoRisen, which issued their debut self-titled album, produced by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., the Breeders), in June 2006. Later that year, the band's music made it onto the soundtrack for the movie Employee of the Month. The film Happily N'Ever After also used a track from The Sammies, and other songs turned up on the TV series Friday Night Lights and Las Vegas. For the group's second album, Sandwich, released on September 23, 2008, Gymmy Thunderbird was replaced by another pseudonymous bassist, Conrad Vacation. ~ Kenyon Hopkin & William Ruhlmann