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Shoelessjoe - Music, Movies, and Adult MagsApr 20 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Shoelessjoe: cool, fun lovin', talented musicians with songs that deserve radio time. Check them out.
They used to be a "power pop" band, but they soon decided to change their style and produce a heavier sound similar to that of the Stone Temple Pilots. Not only are they making music, but they also earned spots in a couple of movies, one being a Larry Flint production. They are Shoelessjoe (yes, that's one word), four guys from Manchester, NH, who are working to make it big and are having fun doing it. The quartet is: Chris Taylor (lead vocals), Jim Smith (guitar), Keith Willey (bass), and Jeff Giampa (drums). The funny thing is that not only does Chris have a voice similar to Scott Weiland's, he also looks like him. Two of the other guys in the band look a little like Aaron Lewis and James Hetfield. But the similarities stop there: they have a classic but distinct sound that shows influence from rock bands like STP and Kiss, but they add their own original twist. They've been playing together since the early '90s, so they are always trying to change things up and keep it interesting. The 11 songs on their latest album Cannibal are all pretty fast and loud, except for the closing track. Here are some of my favorites from an all around excellent album: So Silent opens the album in a heavy way. The sound is difficult to describe - the best way I can think of is to tell you to close your eyes and imagine a black background with a white spiral infinitely coming toward you while guitars and drums blast along. Yeah, weird, but maybe you get the picture. I consider Pray For Me the best on the album. It is catchy and emotional: "If I'm brave and I'm wrong, would you pray for me more?/ If I dare to be strong, would you pray for me more?" This was the one they chose to perform acoustically when they gave an interview for my radio show. I'm still not sure whether I like the plugged or unplugged version better. Jump With Me is one of their crowd favorites. It's loud and fast with very aggressive, almost echoed vocals. Turn Around must be what they meant by "power pop." If so, their early material must not have been that bad. This is fast yet laid back - catchy without being poppy. Say Hello to My Addiction closes the album as the sole slow ballad. It may be slower, but it still packs a lot of punch as a tale of frustration over addiction: "Will someone help me get this monkey off my back?" The long, jamming ending is a cool way to wind down this great album. I haven't checked out their earlier work Solo, but I hear it's very good as well, despite being totally different. As I mentioned earlier, I had the pleasure of meeting these guys a while back to record an interview for my show. I hardly asked them any questions because they just kept going on with hilarious stories of vans breaking down and Penthouse models making advances on them. They participated in filming a movie for Larry Flint that looks at the connection between sex and rock and roll. With stars like Iggy Pop and Buck Cherry also in the film, Shoelessjoe was the only unsigned band there. These Jack Daniels loving musicians also revealed their secret to getting their tunes heard. They let a club book them as a cover band, but in between the covers, they manage to fit in their entire original set. Sneaky, but effective, and a pleasant surprise for the crowd. Their inspiration for their name comes from the movie Field of Dreams. As they said, when you're in a rock band, everyone tells you it's a stupid thing to do just like the guy in the movie who built the baseball field. But who comes out to tell him he's doing the right thing? Shoeless Joe. Any fans of classic and/or modern rock should definitely try to find Cannibal. This is a very enjoyable album by a band that may not yet be huge, but they are at least loving what they are doing. And that's what it's all about. Check out www.shoelessjoe.com to find out more about the band.  |
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