Todd Samusson

Antiwar songs by Todd Samusson

Todd Samusson & Linda Tomassi first began performing music together back in early 1992. Looking to fill out the vocal sound for his electric outfit, Todd Samusson & the Third Planet Band, Todd recruited Linda to come on board as a vocalist. When the band broke up in Fall '92. Todd and Linda continued on as an acoustic duo and have been singing together ever since.

Todd was born in Virginia, the youngest of three Army brats. After living the first two years of his life in Morocco he spent his childhood moving around the U.S. He ended up in Texas eventually settling in Austin. During his time there he co-founded The Radiation Revue, an anti-nuclear musical theatre group. His first public performance was at an anti-nuke benefit.

Todd began writing his own songs and performing at a number of grassroots political and community events. He was a fixture at conferences, marches and rallies for progressive causes.

In the 1980s he formed The Suspenders, an electric band focusing on a combination of political rock and psychedekic dance music (a lot of Dead covers). During this time Todd also became a regular attendee of the Kerrville Folk Festival. The combination of Kerrville and Austin's thriving songwriter scene had a strong effect on Todd's songwriting. The lyrical emphasis shifted to storytelling. The politics were still there, but delivered with less rhetoric and more imagery.

Since moving to Portland, Oregon in 1988, Todd's songwriting has evolved into a distinctive musical voice. The natural beauty of the Northwest as well as the vibrant community of Portland have proven to be steady inspirations to his writing.

Linda Tomassi was born and raised in Washington's Puget Sound area. She grew up in a large family and developed a powerful voice just to keep from getting lost in the crowd.

Throughout her youth she sang in school and church choirs and choruses. It was there, amidst a sea of voices, that she began to develop her panaromic sense of harmony.

The musical limitations of being in a two-person act offered Linda the chance to expand her approach to harmony. Rather than a standard third-above approach, Linda's harmonies move all around the melody giving Samusson & Tomassi a broad vocal approach.

Samusson & Tomassi have performed together for over a decade treating audiences to engaging stories and rich vocals. Over the years their commitment to performing for progressive causes has remained a constant. Their voices were prominent at events opposing the war on Iraq.


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