Sam Means, The Format songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist, says his love for music began with a gift from his father. "My dad got me this easy Beatles guitar book," he says. "That's pretty much how I learned how to play, going through it every single night."
In 2002, Means joined Nate Ruess to form The Format, creating what has become one of the Valley's favorite musical success stories. Five years later, after two successful LPs and a recent, nearly sold-out summer tour of the U.S. and Canada to promote the album "Dog Probems," The Format agreed to headline ASU's Homecoming concert with an acoustic set on Oct. 24.
Means says he was surprised when he realized the concert would be at Gammage Auditorium. "I was thinking back to the first time we played ASU, which was like in the MU," he says. "We were thinking it was going to be like that."
Since the show will have a more intimate, acoustic set-up, Means says he is afraid minor mistakes will be more obvious. "Shows make me nervous anyways, whether it's at Gammage or in Memphis in front of tons of people." He adds, "I get so scared that I do mess up. But everybody's always really cool at our home shows."
Though The Format does not plan to tour for a while, Means says the band has other projects in the works. A filmed version of a June performance at the Los Angeles Mayan Theatre will be released Nov. 13, which fans can pre-order off theformatmerch.com. Fans can attend the film's premiere with the band Nov. 12 at Harkins Camelview. Tickets are available at Stinkweeds, Zia Records and the band's site.
Five days after the DVD comes out, The Format will be releasing a new album of rare, unreleased tracks. The album can be downloaded off iTunes, and a limited number of hard copies are available through the band's Web site.
