Samantha Maloney (born December 11, 1975) is an American musician best known for playing in the bands Hole and Mötley Crüe. She has also performed live with Eagles of Death Metal and Peaches.
Early career
Maloney received her first drum-kit at the age of five. Drumming immediately became a significant part of her life. At the age of fourteen she enrolled at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City, and for the next three years studied percussion extensively.
Music career
Shift (1993–1998) At the age of sixteen, she auditioned for the post-hardcore band Shift as a replacement drummer and the band gave her the position permanently.
While playing in Shift, Maloney excelled on her school's basketball team, and in 1993, had to decide whether or not to pursue a serious basketball career with college scholarship offers or to continue drumming in her band Shift. Samantha chose to stick with Shift who released two independent records on Equal Vision Records in 1994 and 1995. Two years later, Shift signed to Columbia Records and made their major-label debut album titled, Get In. Following the album's release the band toured.
Hole (1998–2000)
In 1998, Maloney was offered an audition in Los Angeles for the role of drummer in Hole, a position vacated by Patty Schemel. With her audition a success she was accepted by the band and so officially joined up with Hole, leaving Shift behind to join the band. At 22, Maloney was on the road with Hole at the height of their popularity, playing sold out arenas and touring extensively in the U.S., Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom whilst also appearing on television and in magazines, as well as Hole's recordings and videos.
Mötley Crüe (2000)
In 2000, Hole went on hiatus and Maloney was offered the drum chair for Mötley Crüe to fill in for then-drummer Randy Castillo, who was out of action due to a duodenal ulcer. She is the drummer on the live DVD of the New Tattoo tour, Motley Crue – Lewd, Crued & Tattooed.
The Chelsea part 1 (2004) In 2004, Maloney, alongside Melissa Auf der Maur (The Smashing Pumpkins/Hole), Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle), and Radio Sloan (The Need) created a new band called The Chelsea. The all-female group only played one show before quickly going their separate ways.
The Chelsea part 2 (2004–2005) Having worked with and for others on their music, the drummer decided to start composing her own album, and in mid-2003 she began to turn down high-profile gigs in order to start her solo project, pausing briefly on July 7, 2004, to fill in as the drummer for a band on Sympathy for the Record Industry called Scarling. in order to perform live at a group art show at the Copro/Nason Gallery (Santa Monica, California).
In 2004, just as she had completed her first batch of songs, Maloney was asked by former Hole frontwoman Courtney Love to fly to France (after drummer Patty Schemel departed for the second time) and add drums to Love's otherwise complete solo debut, America's Sweetheart. Returning to the States, Maloney was asked to assemble a live band for Courtney Love, reconnecting with guitarist Radio Sloan, finding guitarist Lisa Leveridge and bassist Dvin to form the core of the band. After playing with the band for a few weeks Love decided to call her new band "The Chelsea" after Maloney's previous musical endeavour. Love added Violinist Emilie Autumn to the band at a later date. The band was put on hiatus after a small number of gigs, including Love's bizarre appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman", where the singer bared her breasts, lit up a cigarette and rambled about Nicole Kidman, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and her legal problems and after performing at Plaid in New York where Love was arrested Thursday morning (March 18) at 2:30 am, after allegedly throwing a blunt object into the audience, hitting a 24-year-old man in the head.
Eagles of Death Metal (2005)
However, Maloney was soon approached by old friend Josh Homme to drum for his side-project Eagles of Death Metal. Maloney accepted the gig and toured with Eagles of Death Metal opening for Queens of the Stone Age all over the world.
Peaches (2006–2007)
In 2006, Samantha toured with Electroclash punk artist Peaches' live band, The Herms along with JD Samson and Radio Sloan in support of her 2006 release Impeach My Bush.