Everything about Shellac Band totally explained
Shellac (sometimes referred to as "Shellac of North America") is an American
rock music group composed of
Steve Albini (guitar and vocals),
Bob Weston (bass guitar and vocals) and
Todd Trainer (drums and vocals). Although they've been classified as
noise rock and
math rock, they describe themselves as a "minimalist rock trio".
Biography
Shellac formed in
Chicago,
Illinois, in 1992 as an informal collaboration between guitarist
Steve Albini and drummer
Todd Trainer. Former
Naked Raygun bassist Camilo Gonzalez sat in on early rehearsals and played on one song on Shellac's first single before permament bassist
Bob Weston, formerly of
Boston's
Volcano Suns, joined.
Shellac has a distinctive, minimalist sound based on unusual and urgent
time signatures, repetitive heavy rhythms, an angular guitar sound, and
Albini's surreal, bitingly sarcastic lyrics. Songs typically don't have traditional
verse/chorus/verse structure and the arrangements are sparse, to the point where some describe them as "amelodic". Shellac's signature sound is often associated with their enthusiasm for vintage
Travis Bean guitars, a rare brand of
aluminium-based instruments.
Albini is also known to use copper plectra and unique guitar straps that fit around the waist rather than over the shoulder. The band prefers the intimacy of smaller clubs and live appearances are sporadic.
Both
Weston and
Albini are renowned
recording engineers, and use their preferred methods with Shellac.
Albini prefers a very sparse, analogue recording sound with little or no overdubbing, and is meticulous about microphone placement and choice of equipment. This is reflected in Shellac's 'no-nonsense' approach to their own music, both in the
studio and live.
Shellac are also renowned for their unconventional
modus operandi. Touring is often an excuse for the band to take time away from their day jobs (
Albini and
Weston are both
recording engineers;
Trainer works at a commercial photographer's studio in
Minneapolis), as opposed to a means of promoting a recent record or even for financial gain. Indeed, Shellac don't have a "fixed fee" for performances like most bands, preferring instead to take the door sales minus expenses such as promotion, running costs and venue fees. They have also been known to ask venues to remove ticket charges, as they deem them unnecessary.
An early claim from the band was that all of their songs were about two of
Steve Albini's favourite subjects:
baseball and
Canada. In actuality,
Albini and
Weston's songs often refer to a broad range of topics, from the highly emotional, to examinations of everyday minutiae. However, regardless of the subject, each song is presented in a deadpan, occasionally violent manner. An example can be found in the concluding tracks from the band's
1000 Hurts record. Although both song titles reference a mundane household object, these items are in actuality symbolic of a larger theme.
Weston's "Shoe Song" deals with the realization of love and its subsequent loss, whereas
Albini's "Watch Song" details irrational anger and aggression.
Shellac are known for their mercurial nature, which has produced some interesting records and events. Most notably, they recorded an instrumental album known as
The Futurist for a modern dance troupe. Unwilling to grant what the band considered a sub-par recording a wider audience, they pressed approximately 700
vinyl LP copies of the music and gave them away as gifts to friends. The front cover was a list of the recipients, with the relevant name encircled. Shellac also played a
Halloween show as
The Sex Pistols, featuring former
Jesus Lizard and
Scratch Acid singer
David Yow as
Johnny Rotten.
In 2002, the band was also responsible for curating the
All Tomorrow's Parties festival in
Camber Sands,
England. Among fans of independent rock, these weekends have achieved legendary status, and featured performances from some of the world's finest groups. Knowing that most of the audience had come specifically to see Shellac, the band went on first every morning as an incentive for the festival-goers to be up in time to see the other acts. Other acts included
The Fall,
Will Oldham,
Nina Nastasia,
Rachel's,
Mission of Burma,
Silkworm,
Threnody Ensemble,
Shipping News,
High Dependency Unit,
Arcwelder,
Do Make Say Think,
The Breeders,
David Lovering,
Blonde Redhead,
Wire,
Zeni Geva,
Oxes,
Flour,
Smog,
Cheap Trick,
Danielson Famile,
The Ex, and
Dianogah. A
CD of live tracks from this festival was released on
ATP Records.
In December 2004, Shellac recorded a
BBC Session dedicated to their longtime fan DJ
John Peel. Peel had been an ardent supporter of the band and his death earlier in the year came as a great shock to the independent music community.
In 2005, Shellac were recorded playing "Steady As She Goes" in an abandoned house as part of the second installment of a film project called
Burn to Shine, organised by
Fugazi drummer
Brendan Canty and filmmaker
Christoph Green. This is the only available recorded video footage of the band playing live that has been officially released.
Shellac didn't release any records between
1000 Hurts in 2000 and "
Excellent Italian Greyhound" in 2007, but songs which were to appear on the latter record formed the mainstay of their live-shows in the intervening period - in particular, "The End of Radio", "Paco", "Steady as She Goes", "Be Prepared", "Genuine Lulabelle", "Boycott", and "Elephant" (formerly known as "Repeat The Lie").
Excellent Italian Greyhound is named in tribute to Todd Trainer's
Italian Greyhound, Uffizi; it was released on
Touch and Go Records in June 2007.
Discography
Studio albums
Further Information
Get more info on 'Shellac Band'.
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