I first heard about The Samples when I was a student at Ohio State and a good friend of mine was a big fan of the band. I’m not going to lie and say I’ve kept up with the band since then, but I would say it was a pleasant surprise when I found a new album from the band on Bandcamp. I will grant that this is quite a bit different than the music I ordinarily feature here, but it does fit Feel-Good Friday.

The Samples is not the first band to sing that it’s always darkest before dawn, but again it’s a good message for the day where our goal is to get you in a good mood heading into the weekend. Plus, is there ever a bad time for a song that encourages us to give our children some hope, dreams, and guidance? “Let’s leave our children a world that they can feel safe in.” That is a particularly good message in a time when the nightly news is filled with stories of tragedies. I guess more than anything I want you to listen to this song and ask yourself what you can do to make the lyrics of this song true. Ultimately, I like to think that we’ll all feel good if we know we’re doing something to make the world a better place.