STATE COLLEGE — A quintessential band from the 90s State College DIY music scene is returning for a relaunch, with three up-and-coming local acts joining the bill as part of an ongoing Gorinto Productions and Forgotten Valley music series collaboration.

After a 27-year hiatus, melodic punk/emo band Samuel has reformed as Samuel S.C., and are back in town on Saturday, Aug. 19.

The added initials reflect a change in personnel and a nod to the group’s original home of State College, Pa., where they formed in the mid-90s.

“Coming back to our original home base of State College all these years later is a truly amazing opportunity to reconnect with a place that made such a lasting impact on our lives,” reflects Samuel S.C. singer Vanessa Downing. “What Gorinto Productions, 3 Dots Downtown and Forgotten Valley are doing to support and maintain a vibrant DIY arts scene in State College is inspiring — and we’re honored to be a part of this series. We can’t wait to see old friends and make some new ones!”

The original members of Samuel, including Downing, met while living in State College, two of the members attending PSU and the others either transplants or natives to the town.

Any traditional academic or career pursuits quickly faded, taking a backseat to the satisfaction and reward that playing cathartic, exhilarating live music among friends delivered.

For almost three years the band rigorously toured the underground show circuit bridging Washington, D.C., State College and Morgantown — a DIY scene that at the time was held together by mostly underage “kids” passionate about music, human rights issues and counterculture, producing shows in a variety of creative spaces such as VFW halls, house basements, theaters and skate parks.

Samuel became known for their beloved mid-90s seven-inch EPs and split with the New York-based Texas is The Reason. The band formed from the ashes of Downing’s previous outfit

Junction, and it was one of the flagship artists of drummer Eric Astor’s legendary label Art Monk

Construction, which put out a number of seven inches by quintessential bands of the post-hardcore and emo underground.

Both the band and label relocated to D.C. in 1995 but split before recording an anticipated full

length album. Between 2019-2021, four of the five geographically scattered longtime friends

revisited and reconstructed older songs, crafted a few new ones and finally released their debut

LP “High Places” In February 2023, along with a compilation of their early material titled “94-95.”

Despite the challenges of distance, a pandemic and busy lives, the band found inspiration through their reconnection and enduring chemistry, along with a renewed drive to accomplish what they couldn’t in the 90s.

With the amicable departure of Josh Deutsch, a new member, Nick Kain, has been added to the mix to ensure the quintet’s signature guitar-driven sound remains intact. The band’s near future is filled with more new music and live shows, including a night in D.C. with other central 90s and contemporary underground artists from the region.

Show organizers Forgotten Valley and Gorinto Productions have featured other major acts and

members from the DC-based 90s emo/punk underground, bringing Sensor Ghost, Light Beams

and Continuals to 3 Dots Downtown and Rhoneymeade Fest over the last year.

“This is the ultimate culmination of this circuit,” says Chris Baronner of Forgotten Valley, noting the ongoing history and artistic exchange within the region.

Both Forgotten Valley and Gorinto Productions have especially continued this effort of establishing and reestablishing creative, collaborative, ongoing friendships between State College and D.C. area undergrounds, while bolstering State College’s own arts and music scene.

“Gorinto Productions is constantly seeking to look deep into the offerings of this area and with

that the lineage of people who have contributed over the years to put State College on the map,” says Corey Elbin, director of Gorinto Productions. “The lineup for this show is a dream, it sews together multiple generations of State College bands involved in the DIY and house show scenes, which still thrive and remain completely vital today. It’s this type of vision and bottling of magic that Gorinto, 3 Dots and Forgotten Valley have worked so hard to bring to life each month for this series.”

Samuel S.C. will perform at 3 Dots Downtown, 137 E. Beaver Ave., State College, alongside local acts, including Cough Syrup (noise rock), Crater and The Catalyst (psychedelic funk) and Adam Bugaj (psychedelic bubblegum).

Doors open at 7 p.m. For more information, visit the Gorinto Productions website at https://gorintoproductions.com, and check out upcoming shows and releases from Samuel S.C. at https://samuelsc.bandcamp.com.