What's in a name? Connotations of superheroes, goofy TV characters, even a great album from the 60's? The word itself implies the presence of magic - that special substance beyond definition. You either have it or you don't - and The SHaZaM have IT, with some to spare.
the SHaZaM ! Real Rock 'n' Roll from Tennessee. Hopelessly out of step with the times. Actually, way ahead of the game here at the turn of this crazy century. Timeless. Heavily influenced by the era from '64 to around '79, but by no means slavishly retro - yet at the same time undated by this year's drum loop. They've been called "gloriously upbeat" by MOJO and while it's not all sweetness and light, nobody's slitting their wrists onstage either.
Real songs, loud guitars, a believable singer, a truly awesome drummer, loads of melody, vocal harmonies, a fair share of southern-fried boogie, a doctor's dose of psychedelia, equal amounts of irony and whimsy-clever, yet "delightfully dumb" as Uncut put it. Maybe they're smarter than you think. Maybe not. Maybe it's that special something else - The Shazam!
Raw, wham-bam-no-time-to-pause-for-breath live shows from a band also totally at ease in the studio. Three stellar records in with producer/kindred spirit Brad Jones concocting "faultless cocktails of killer hooks, unforgettable melodies & chord changes that can shatter hearts at 20 paces" (NME said that). From their energetic, gem-filled eponymously-titled debut, through the tour de force of their highly-praised second record Godspeed The Shazam and on to the visionary REV 9 album, The Shazam have emerged from humble beginnings, with a short but worthy history behind them and continue to evolve - the hallmark of a great band.
At the core of The Shazam are Hans Rotenberry (lead vocals and guitar), Scott Ballew (drums), and Mick Wilson (bass and vocals). Hans is the songwriter and leader, but the band brings it all home. Onstage, they are joined by Jeremy Asbrock (guitar, vocals and co-engineer of Godspeed The Shazam). They have visited the UK three times this year, made some beautiful noise and received unanimously high praise from the music press. Melody Maker ecstatically described their most recent London gig as "quite simply the best pop show of 2000 to date."
The highlight so far? It has to be their live performance for BBC1 TV and BBC radio from Abbey Road Studios (The Shazam and Moby were the only two US acts invited to play the 29 May "Perfect Day" event).
As a four-piece powerhouse with three-records-plus of material, The Shazam are playing selected US dates before a new UK tour in September, in their ongoing quest for world domination.
