Samantha Moss: Denton rocker finds success

		Samantha Moss, administrative assistant in the Computing and Information Technology Center, is a woman of many talents — writer, artist and guitarist for the band jetscreamer, which recently signed a record deal with a British label.

Samantha Moss leads a double life. While some may see her as a mild-mannered administrative assistant in the Computing and Information Technology Center, music fans in the Denton area know her as the guitarist for jetscreamer, a local indie-rock group that has also been making waves on the other side of the Atlantic.

The group recently signed to the British record label Bella Union, when Josh Pearson, member of the Denton band Lift To Experience, brought the band's home recordings to the attention of the label.

"When Bella Union asked us to put out a record, I was in the last year of UNT's drawing and painting program, which is excruciatingly tough," says Moss. "We had to say, 'Sorry, we can't do it right now.' Luckily, they still wanted to release our record after I finished school."

Moss graduated from UNT in May 2003 with her bachelor of fine arts degree in drawing and painting and a bachelor of arts degree in English with a concentration in literature.

Starhead, jetscreamer's current album, was recorded at the Echo Lab in Argyle and mastered at Abbey Road studios in England. The British press has compared the band's sound to Sonic Youth and Jon Spencer, a combination of alt-noise rock and blues guitar music. So far they have toured in the UK and recently returned from the College Music Journal festival in New York.

Though she's a well-versed guitarist now, Moss started with the band not knowing how to play a single chord.

Will Kapinos, guitarist and lead singer of jetscreamer, says, "She looked like she had it in her — good musical taste, but no technical hang-ups."

Upon arriving in Denton in 1997 from her hometown of Bonham, Moss was instantly attracted to the thriving indie-music scene where she met Kapinos.

"I came from a really small town where I was one of like three people who listened to that kind of music," she says. "It was like, whoa, there are more people like me."

According to Jennifer Lafleur, assistant director of the Computing and Information Technology Center, the same creativity that Moss exhibits in jetscreamer makes her an asset on the job.

"She is really dependable and wonderful to work with," says Lafleur. "I love her experimental nature, which shows not only in her art, but also in her band and at work."

Between working and touring, Moss writes for the local music paper The Fold, continues to produce her art, and organizes events around town such as the "Denton Rock Lottery," an annual gathering of local area artists.

BY PETER HOFSTAD inhouse@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Service will honor Steve Miller
• Formula funding is top priority for UNT during 2005 legislative session
• Coretta Scott King to speak at UNT conference
• Library Mall renovation work continues
• New UNT degrees approved by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
• Murphy entrepreneur contest winners named
• University Union's Corner Store gets a face-lift
• Leadership Texas chooses three from UNT
• Hispanic higher education magazine names UNT to its Publisher's Picks List
• UNT gifts made holidays bright for residents in need
• UNT staff survey indicates employees feel like they are part of the UNT community
• Faculty Senate holds final meeting of 2004

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