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[0:00] Robert Bannon: Are you ready? It's The Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon.

[0:10] Robert Bannon: Welcome to The Roundtable, everybody. My name is Robert Bannon, and you're listening to us on Broadway World, the Broadway Podcast Network, iHeart, Spotify, wherever artists talk about art. I was so excited about our next guest. You may have seen him singing on television. You may have heard him on the radio. You may have seen his incredible music videos. He is a part of a group called the Nicotine Dolls, and he's from Florida, and he came to New York a few years ago and was out in the street. In my head, he was out in the street busking for a dollar, and now is a big old giant superstar with a brand new album that's coming out. You've got to hear the new single called "Gimme Sympathy." You have to hear the whole entire album. It's out on the 23rd. It's out already. It's out. It's out. People are listening to it in the world, Sam.

[0:52] Sam Cieri: In the world, this record. Yeah.

[0:56] Robert Bannon: What is a Nicotine Dolls?

[0:58] Sam Cieri: A Nicotine Dolls, well, the name came up when we were originally called Brea and the Baskets for the first year, and that was a terrible name. Somebody called us Bread Baskets once. So we changed the name to Nicotine Dolls because when I was in high school, I would go to parties, and I couldn't handle being in the party. So I would sit outside and chain smoke. There were a couple of us that did that consistently, and I was like, we're a bunch of Nicotine Dolls just sitting out here. And I don't know why it stuck with me, and it just did. And so that, yeah, that's it. And then we were like, I made the joke, I was like, if we ever play with the Goo Goo Dolls, this will be really funny. And then years later, we opened for the Goo Goo Dolls, and it was, it was a very, I was like, this is ridiculous.

[1:42] Robert Bannon: Did you, you've done a lot of different things, like you're a-

[1:42] Sam Cieri: A lot of different jobs, a lot of different careers.

[1:49] Robert Bannon: And for some of it, like different jobs within showbiz, like you could be on Broadway in one minute, and you could be fronting a band another minute, you could be on America's Got Talent in another minute, like you could do all sorts of different things. What was the theater, this is Broadway World, what is the theater, did you always want to do theater or did that fall into-

[2:08] Sam Cieri: No, my, I mean, yeah, and this is not, this is, I've always loved conversations with Broadway World. Yeah. No, I, you know, I did theater in high school and really enjoyed it, but also knew, I was like, I don't know if this is where I want to put all of my energy. And like, it was something that like, I think I struggled with. There's so much structure, and maybe I'm just too, I was too lazy for it. I was like, there's so much structure and the auditioning side of things I didn't like, because I was like, I hate asking for things. I hate asking for the ability to work. And I dropped out of high school when I was 17, but I had had, I had a scholarship offer for theater for a state school down in Florida, but I dropped out to pursue music.

And then through failure, through like really eating shit in music for a very long time, when I was 22, I like had kind of given up music because I was getting evicted from my apartment. I'd signed a bunch of bad deals. I would put, I've gotten in a position where I was like, I had really been convinced that people, I was like, no one wants to hear me. So I'm going to go sell motorcycles. I went and sold motorcycles for a little bit. And I got into a motorcycle wreck. I got a year into selling bikes, lost my job. And a friend of mine was like, Hey, I know that you're really struggling right now. Have you ever thought about doing theater? And I was like, well, I don't think you do theater to pay your bills.

I feel like it's not, that's not the job that you, and, but I was, you know what? I had a free day and they were like, Hey, just go into the city. There's the show Rock of Ages there. You look like you could do that. And so I rode my, my motorcycle in and I get there and I'm like, looking back, it was probably why I got the gig, but like, I'm like wearing a leather jacket and they probably thought it was like dressed for the part, which I was not. Um, but I remember the first, that was my first ever real audition. And I went in for Drew and I remember the, the movement call. They're like, all right, everybody, we want you to stay around for the movement call, switch into your movement clothes.

I was like, sorry, the fuck am I supposed to, what am I doing? Sorry. Um, and, um, I didn't have any other clothes. And so we do that. We learned the thing for the end of act one. And there's a part where you had to spin and I was wearing motorcycle boots again. So not meant for spinning, meant for sticking to one place. And I spun, but my feet didn't move. And I ate the floor. I just face planted on the floor. But they told me they were like, keep intensing, no matter what happens, keep intensity. So I got up and I was like, Hmm, like intensity. And then got that gig. I did Rock of Ages on a cruise ship for seven months. And that was like my first ever gig. And it was incredible. I mean, I remember I was in that gig and one, one of the people in the cast was best friends with this girl named Sarah, who was writing a musical at the time.

And we got to hear all the demos for what was going to be the musical. And then one day he's like, yeah, my friend Sarah's coming on the boat. And then we all go, like I was doing the show. I go into the wings and Sarah Burrell is standing there. And I was like, so your friend is, you don't just say Sarah. So we got to hear and I'm like now looking back at I'm like, oh, I got to hear all of Waitress before Waitress. Like I got to hear all the demo tapes, which was incredible. And then after that, I had an agent and they were like, what would you want to do? And I didn't know enough. I wasn't literate enough in what was going on in theater to really have any clue. You know, I was like, I didn't even plan to do this.

So I'm just gonna I'm a huge fan of the frames of Glenn Hansard of once like I that was such a pivotal movie for me. And I'm like, I think they made a musical about it. And I already know how to play all those songs. So it feels like that would be an easy thing for me to do because I already know how to do it. And they were like, oh, well, that's no one's they're not looking for that. That's they're not looking to cast that. And then two days later, my agent's like, I don't know what the what you put in the universe, but they're casting it now for the national tour. And I sent a tape in, in a very we were in a storm. So my tape for once was I was in the bowels of a boat of the ship, like not being able to stand.

And then I had to fly miss the last performance of Rock of Ages had to fly to like 2am flight from Bermuda to get to the city early. I remember I did the audition for once I played all the songs, I messed all of them up. Couldn't like I was so tired. I couldn't play anything. And Martin Lowe comes out. And he was like, Listen, we like you sit here, have a cup of coffee, go over the music again, and then come back in and don't fuck up. And so I did and got to do that show for two and a half. I did it all for the national tour. And then I did it out in Dublin for three and a half months, which was incorrect, got to meet Glenn got to become friends with Glenn. And we've had, you know, we the early days of Nicotine Dolls, I got to send Glenn all the music we were doing, and he would write back and tell us whether or not something was good or, you know, he was so sweet.

And like, what an incredible human and a huge loss this year. But that show, because you have access to guitars all the time. I was just I started writing again. And was like, I want to come after the show. I want to start a band. I don't want to do the solo thing anymore. I want to start a band and got back and did that but then was also still doing theater. So I was doing like developmental theater and was really focused at the time in doing like cool, weird stuff. And was lucky enough to be able to do it. And I met some incredible people that have now had wild careers. I mean, I did a show with Hannah Cruz, who now has gone on to be like, killing it. But we did this like

[8:40] Sam Cieri: Or this thing at the, I think it was, what's the thing that doesn't exist anymore? Is it NAMT?

[8:46] Robert Bannon: NAMT, where they do the toy show and the instrument show.

[8:50] Sam Cieri: Was that the older, was that the one? Because there's Nymph and there's NAMT.

[8:54] Robert Bannon: I think now it's NAMT. I think it was NAMT.

[8:56] Sam Cieri: Okay, Nymph. So that's what we did. We did a show called The Demise, which was this very heady, weird show. And she's gone on to have an insane career, which we all knew. I was like, dude, you're going to crush this stuff. And then one of my best friends in the world I met doing, because I did a couple things, contracts of Million Dollar Quartet and played Elvis a couple times, which was so much fun.

[9:24] Sam Cieri: It is the show that I decided I was like, I have to stop. I'm going to stop doing theater because I have to fully commit to this band. But one of my best friends I met, Noel Carey, we met doing that show. And Noel has now gone on to write the thing for Death Becomes Her and become a Tony nominated, you know. And the people I met while I was very active in theater have become very, very important to me. And I've also loved watching their careers just shoot out of a can.

[9:56] Robert Bannon: As has yours. So when you talk about Nicotine Dolls, the album out, everybody, October 23rd, produced by Sam and Marty, who is no slouch, if you've ever heard of Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne, or if you've ever heard songwriting by Desmond Child, who has hundreds, he's been here, hundreds of millions of times sold. He might have collaborated on a little number. And a lot of people compare your band to all these other incredible bands. If you love Springsteen's voice, if you love Aerosmith's energy, if you love big, passionate vocals that are coming, like this guy's going to sing from his gut and Skelton belt his face off, then this is the album for you. 80 million streams have been streamed of their band. They have social media of almost 2 million on TikTok, a million on Instagram. You have blown up here. Tell me about John and Abel and you. What is it like when we go see you or listen to your music?

[10:50] Sam Cieri: Well, I'll start with Abel because I've known, you know, me and Abel were in this thing from the beginning. And there's been different lineup changes over the recent past. But Abel is the hardest working drummer I know. I mean, we will do shows. Every time we get to a new city, he finds a rehearsal space and he goes and rehearses while we're all just like sleeping in. So he's an incredible drummer. And then Newsome joined us and is kind of responsible for the confidence to go in and make this record, because when we brought in a new guitar player with John Newsome, it really showed us like, oh, this because we were a different band, we were in a different place. We were kind of lost for a bit. And I think coming into this record, the reason it's self-titled is because it actually feels like the first real record we've ever done.

[11:43] Sam Cieri: And we fell in love playing together and playing, we started covering Aerosmith stuff and Led Zeppelin stuff and Jet stuff. And when you rediscover why you started a band in the first place, it's one of the most exciting feelings, you know, and these guys are so supportive, you know, and we have Alex St. Kitts on bass and he's been playing with us since we since the spring. And when you have guys behind you that are so confident and so incredible and so passionate, it makes doing this. I know I went through a period of not really enjoying touring. I think we were just not in a place as a band. There was stuff personally, there was stuff professionally that was just rubbing and it wasn't enjoyable. And now every time we play together, it's so much fun because you're just a fan of the band that's behind you. They're incredible.

[12:43] Robert Bannon: And I have some beef for Sam. Now, here's my beef. Here's the negative part, Sam. Are you ready? Mm hmm. There's all these dates of you all over the UK and Europe. Like, oh, I'm in London. I'm in Dublin. I'm in Paris. I'm in Amsterdam. I'm in Berlin. I'm in Munich. I'm living this great European life. I'm living my rock star life. Where's the U.S. date, Sam? Come on.

[13:02] Sam Cieri: I know. I know. We don't. We don't. Because we were we've been heavily touring twice a year for the past, like, years. And honey, I don't worry. Don't let me think of my poor dog. Don't worry. This is Indiana. He's the greatest dog in the world. He's huge. He's a big boy.

[13:25] Robert Bannon: Oh, yeah. There you go. Sorry, I could just talk about him all day.

[13:34] Sam Cieri: Honey, in a bit. We'll go in a bit. I promise. We don't have anything set. We're kind of putting together the UK tour we did was also a bit of a farewell to a lot of older songs. So now we're reconfiguring the show and trying to figure out what the show looks like for us and also looking to. I really like being an opening act. I think you're able to learn a lot. I think you're able to take like opportunities to grow and be put in situations that you can see how someone that's a little ahead of you in line, how they're operating. And so that's what we're looking to do right now. So there's a bunch of different opportunities. And of course, the second we have dates, everybody will know the dates and we'll make everyone aware because we're great. I mean, we excel live. That's what this band has always been. It's a live band. And now more than ever, especially this record, which was built to be played live, is we're really, really excited to get into it.

[14:41] Robert Bannon: Well, listen, here's our homework. Sam's busy. OK, he's a superstar. He's a rock star. Everybody. The homework is we're going to follow him. We're going to follow the band. We're all going to listen to the band. We're going to go to their website. OK, Nicotine Dolls, you're going to listen to my favorite. Give me give me sympathy is that is it. OK, you've got even in relationships, ones that have been bad. This is your new song. You want to if you want to hear to California also saving some bad relationships.

[15:12] Robert Bannon: I mean, here in California, come on, put the top down. Go drive in. And I mean, blame for other people's bad relationships and choices. You get a theme here, right? We're in bad relationships. This is the album for you. If you want good relationships, there's songs for you in this album too.

[15:28] Sam Cieri: And there are there's a couple. Yes, Sam. And I don't want to judging people's relationships and how they feel. It's art. It's all everybody. And listen, Sam has had six jobs. He was working in the subway, singing music in down there with a guitar, seeing rats the size of a cat, living his life to make his living. And now he's out here on the road. He's got a brand new tour. And there's something really moving and inspiring about that.

[15:48] Robert Bannon: So before I let you run and go be a rock star, what is the what kept you going? What's the advice for people out here who are struggling? You put in the hard work. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

[16:03] Sam Cieri: Absolutely. You'll I forget who said this, but it's one of the best pieces of advice. If you quit, you're never going to do it. If you don't quit, there's a chance that you will. And it's better to live on a chance than to spend your whole life being like, man, I wonder what ifs are cancer. So, you know, if you don't stop, there's a chance and it's worth. Life is worth it if there's a chance, you know, take a chance and then you could have, you know, 80 million songs streamed.

[16:32] Robert Bannon: And yes, exactly. That's what's there's a chance. There's a chance. I'm always I'm always looking for that chance. Take a chance and the rest will follow. Everybody go follow it. Listen to the album. The album is out right this very second. You have to check it out. It's called Nicotine Dolls. This is Sam Cieri, everybody. You're going to remember this name and we'll see you when you're like headlining Madison Square Garden.

[16:56] Sam Cieri: And I'll be there singing along front row center.

[16:56] Robert Bannon: Let's dreams, dreams. Let's do it.

[17:00] Sam Cieri: It's happening. So just get ready. Buy an outfit.

[17:00] Robert Bannon: I'm ready to buy the right pants. Want my credit card now? I'll buy it.

[17:05] Sam Cieri: Yeah, we'll take it. We'll take your card information. Perfect. Off the air. Congratulations. Much love to you.

[17:09] Sam Cieri: Thank you, Robert. This is incredible. And I'm ready. The best is yet to come.

[17:14] Robert Bannon: Thanks for being here.

[17:18] Sam Cieri: Thank you. Thank you.