Sam Russell & the Harborrats

With Sam Russell & The Harborrats, you provide your guests with a musical experience to make YOUR event or special day even more memorable than it already will be. The band will work with you to make sure the songs from their repertoire and special requests are included…..as well as earning your trust that they will use their musical instincts to play what the moment and audience NEEDS.

The band not only provides the soundtrack for dancing at your event but also will elevate the proceedings to highest level wanted through Sam’s interactive MC skills and prove to be a crucial part of your event! With three singers and a bottomless setlist, the band can play up to 5 hours (broken up, of course, by breaks and meals), including (if you want) your ceremony, cocktail hour, reception….and even after-party!

Sam is a singer with over a four-and-a-half octave range and is also the guitar player for the band...but NOT a guitar player who will crank the volume and shred your eardrums. He uses effects pedals to shape and diversify his sound in order to have variety amidst the large quantity of songs in their repertoire. He has unique rhythm/lead style that can sound like an orchestra or solo-plucked violin at any given moment.

The band does offers MC services for any portion of the evening the band is booked to play. If the band is booked for cocktail hour and the reception, they will be happy to work with the event planner and caterers to make appropriate announcements. Sam has his WA State officiation license and will be happy to bring the fun and/or seriousness to your exchange of vows! How much music is integrated throughout the ceremony is up to you!

Sam also provides a consultation service that includes recommending and finding other musicians and DJs for the specific event’s needs. Sam has YEARS of experience in the event-planning industry and will be happy to share his professional advice re:

-how to incorporate music into your ceremony to match the emotion and significance of the occasion. Sam will work with a wedding event planner to make sure the music is exactly timed to control the pace of aisle-walks and attention-span of the guests. Or in the case of conventions or straight-up parties, how the band will integrate with the specific itinerary of the event!

The band’s repertoire also includes many low-key songs that can be done with or without vocals for early-eve cocktail hour mellow (and classy!) vibes.

Sam Russell & the Harborrats are a long-time beloved Seattle institution, displaying their one-of-a-kind vintage rock n’ roll presentation at venues + parties throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond! They're comfortable in the most elegant or casual of settings...and everywhere in-between!

With Sam and band, you're not just getting incredibly skilled musicians and entertainers but a band highly respected in the Seattle music scene that's played together for 10 years and displays their infectious comradery & positivity to bring the good vibes you need for your big day!

Sam’s elastic vocals effortless switch from delicate falsetto to gritty soul to low soft-spoken croon at a moment’s notice, reminiscent of David Bowie and Van Morrison. Sam and band have a vast repertoire 50s/60ss-era covers along with throwback-tinged arrangements of modern pop and indie standards. Sam will work with you to come up with the perfect setlist for your event while learning your favorite songs to throw in the mix.

Sam is joined in The Harborrats by Ken Nottingham (vocals, bass, keyboards & harmonica) and Aimee Zoe (vocals, drums, percussion & keyboards), together confidentially showcasing their musical versatility and signature blend of humor + intensity with every performance. Sam's high-energy charisma + MC skills will make sure your guests are having the time of their lives while appreciating the poetry of your event.

We provide a sound system and can provide a mic for your ceremony or reception if all are in one locale. provided those are in the same spot as the reception band.

A 50% initial payment is needed to lock your date down. The rest is due two weeks before!

If the band does not have any events booked the days immediately prior to or after your event, they will discuss travel fees and lodging based on your location with common sense rules applying:  the farther away, the more you’ll play. For any events less than an hour and a half outside of Seattle, the band does require lodging for the night.

The band requires to be fed at some point during the evening when most convenient to the catering staff. They also need to be assured electrical power and a dry flat hard surface to play on.  A stage isn’t necessary.

The band CAN play outside but covering is required via tent or building awning. This is to protect the instruments, the electrical equipment…and us!