Saturday, September 20th 2003 – Shamus "Raise Your Hand" CD launch, Romeo Liquor Store, Break of Don

review by Lex
interview by Psyko

Review: Shamus show
Interview: Jeremy, drummer

What else to say but an explosive night of raw energy!  Shamus rocked the house at their CD launch performance at Petit Café Campus  on September 20th.  With the combination of punchy guitar and bass riffs, cafeine-packed solid drumming that Stuart Copeland himself would be proud of, and a wall of powerful vocals, Shamus delivers "in your face" rock. 

There was not one square foot of empty space, the place was packed.  The crowd moved pulsatingly as Shamus knocked them with their pure rock showcase.  You can't help but raise your hand and jump around when being fired at with a song like "Simon Says". Aside from the inevitable mini mosh pit going on, the crowd warmly "received" Dave's fabulous stage dive as they toyed with his body, making him surf over their heads like a lost gummy bear that has been warmed up in the sun for a few hour, trying to find it's way back home. What people may also notice from seeing them live and not only listening to their cd, is that besides playing the bass guitar, Ryan has also mastered the ultimate "Controlled Jimmy Leg" attack. Shamus also invited a couple of special guests up on the stage to share the mojo.

Being winners of both the CHOM L'Esprit 2002 and the 2003 Canadian Music Week Xtreme Band Slam, Shamus' overwhelming stage presence is bound to hit anyone who attends their shows. 

Shamus is

Vince Gauthier - guitar, lead vocals
Dave Krajic - keyboard, vocals
Jeremy MacCuish - drums
Ryan Fleury - bass, vocals

- Lex

Interview with Jeremy (Drummer)

Psyko: First and foremost, I know that Shamus means the sun in Arabic, is that why you boys call yourselves Shamus? 
Jeremy: No there are a few rumors about the origin of the name. One is that it was the first video game Vince, who is a video game freak, ever played. Another is that it’s from a line in The Big Lebowski: “’Don’t hit me, I’m a brother Shamus!’, ’What, like an Irish monk?’” Another is that it’s inspired by a late 70’s movie starring Burt Reynolds. What a great movie…

Psyko: What are your future plans and would you say that you’d aim at succeeding at an international level?
Jeremy: We love touring more than anything – our goal is to be successful enough to tour for a living. Whether or not this means signing record contracts, hooking up with a booking agency, making videos, etc – those are means, not ends, we’ll take that stuff as it comes. As far as the immediate future goes, we’ve been playing in Quebec, Ontario and the maritimes, we’re definitely going to be touring new areas.

Psyko: Montreal is jam packed with local bands who are constantly struggling to make it big, how did you become successful so fast? Why do you think you guys won both Montreal's CHOM l'Esprit Competition and Toronto's Extreme Bandslam?
Jeremy: We don’t have the same influences as most other bands – we don’t try to imitate the radio or whatever trend is in. I believe that we’ve achieved some success and won those contests for the same reason: everyone’s looking for a new sound. Music is in a period of transition on every level. From the Strokes to the Stripes to Hot Hot Heat to the Transplants, all these bands have been successful over the last couple of years because they don’t sound like anybody else. Rock ‘n’ roll fans have been more active in seeking out bands that are fresh and distinct. Also, we’ve gained a reputation for a rockin’ live show.

Psyko: Were you expecting all this?
Jeremy: No, I’m jaded about the Canadian music industry, I thought a Nickleback clone would win. I guess I underestimated the judges.

Psyko: Have things changed for you since last year’s contest?
Jeremy: Well, it gave us the opportunity to record the album for free… that’s the biggest plus.

Psyko: What are your views on Montreal’s music scene in general? Does Montreal make it hard on English rock bands, (or even towards bands in general)?
Jeremy: Montreal is home to a bunch of great songwriters, unfortunately many of them are unmotivated, or just don’t know how to go about getting their name out there. I love the Dropouts, Freshly Squeezed, the Snitches, Paul Cargnello, Maximilien Bouchard, One 976, Bloodshot Bill… The biggest problem with English bands in Montreal is that many of them think they’re marketing their music to a big city. In reality, about half the city listens exclusively to French music, cutting the market in half. If you’re an English artist in Montreal, you HAVE to take your music to Toronto if you want to get serious. That’s what we’ve been doing for a over year now.

Psyko: Any advice for new bands?
Jeremy: Don’t sound like the radio. And your job is not to play for your audience – it’s to entertain them.

Psyko: Where do you get your inspiration for your songs?
Jeremy: Lyrically, Vince and Dave write all the songs. They’re pretty representative of our generation: songs about girls, politics and rock ‘n’ roll. Pretty much what you’d expect a bunch of 22 year old guys in the year 2003 to be thinking about. Musically, we all have ideas, the songs are more or less collaborations – Dave usually comes in with a chord progression, Vince is great at writing melodies, Ryan comes up with cool riffs and I arrange the structure. These roles aren’t strict though - they overlap all the time. And every once in a while Vince or Dave will come in with a finished song.

Psyko: What is your favorite band or most major influence on your style (or over your attitude towards music)?
Jeremy: The Clash. When we started listening to them heavily, I think that’s when our sound solidified. Not that we try to sound like them, but they’re a standard when it comes to both recording rockin’ albums and playing kickass live shows.

Psyko: What was the best part about recording this album (Raise Your Hand)? Would you have liked to change anything about it?
Jeremy: I’m really happy with the album, it’s got the raw energy we were looking for. Everything was recorded live, with no click track. It’s got a live band feel. The album’s still pro sounding, just not fake. I’m glad the producer, Don Hachey, understood what we were going for. He didn’t try to make us sound too glossy/overproduced.

Psyko: What do you like most about being part of Shamus?
Jeremy: Rockin’ out on stage. The rest is amazing too, we had a great time in the studio, we love touring, the constant drinking and partying doesn’t hurt either.

Thank you Jeremy, and Shamus! These guys are playing their cards right so watch out for them as they continue to impress their Canadian audiences! We wish you guys the best of luck! Find out more about these guys and make sure you check out their songs at www.shamusonline.com !

~psyko~

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Photos by Valigrrl