There were less than 50 people at Marrz Theatre on June 14 when The Samples took the stage, and according to the lead singer, Sean Kelly, a lot of people just aren’t familiar with the band.

The Samples have been together for more than 20 years and this April marked the bands anniversary. They have released 18 albums, and Kelly estimates they have been on about 60 tours.

“We get out there and it’s great,” said Kelly.

Kelly said most of their shows draw in a crowd of younger people ranging from college students to people in their mid-thirties.

The Samples have been described as everything from a jam band to jazz to bluegrass.

“It’s eclectic, it’s a new sound, folk meets reggae,” Kelly said.

He said the different sound is a result of touring with a lot of other bands and that there are other people in the band with different musical ideas. The band members’ influences range from The Beatles to Neil Young and Alice in Chains.

Their current tour aims to promote their album “Rehearsing for Life,” which was released in Nov. 2005. Kelly writes all the lyrics for The Samples and his favorite song off the new album is “Too Long to Die” because of its emotional weight. The “Rehearsing for Life” tour will continue until the middle of August. Kelly said the band is almost always on the road with the exception of holidays.

The Samples music is available in stores and online at http://www.thesamples.com. The Web site also includes previews of several of their songs as well as complete tour dates.