Sam Jayne
Love As Laughter principal BORN 1974
A cult figure in the US underground, Sam Jayne’s idiosyncratic overhaul of classic rock, garage and post-punk showcased a sly wit and affecting, poetic vulnerability. Jayne first surfaced as frontman of Olympia post-hardcore band Lync, subsequently serving in a fledgling Modest Mouse and lending vocals to Beck’s 1994 folk set One Foot In The Grave. But he was best known as singer/guitarist with Love As Laughter, recording albums of romantic, chaotic and often inspired indie-rock for Sub Pop and K Records, the haunted Crazy Horse moves of 2005’s Laughter’s Fifth being perhaps their finest. Described by friends as “a wild agent of love and peace”, Jayne had just finished a solo LP, and was planning to record a new Love As Laughter album, when he passed away suddenly in December of an undiagnosed health condition while road-tripping across the US.