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Who: The Shills
A little bit of background:
The Shills is Bryan Murphy (vox, guitar), Ryan Jackson (guitar), Dave Sicilian (bass), and James Zaner (drums). And get this…this band’s been around since 2004. Since The Shills put out their debut EP that year, they’ve swapped a guitarist and worked alongside producer Scott Riebling (Fall Out Boy, Cobra Starship) for 2012’s “Keep Your Hands Busy EP.” Not a bad card to have in your pocket as a rock band, don’t you think?
While Murphy takes the forefront with his unwaveringly charming falsetto, the band co-writes their music. The quartet meshes a vibrant palette of influences, dipping into jazz, classic rock, and prog rock. Often layered, The Shills buzz around your brain as you try to dissect it all. As you come down from the bouncing horns of “Janus” and into the crooning of “To Stay”, all you can wonder is what’s next.
Sounds kinda like: Upbeat pop rock (feat: strong hooks)
Why you should care:
I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews of The Shills live. Everyone says they are a striking powerhouse of energy, and a pure collective joy. Since these folks have a number of years to their name, I figured they’ve had some good times live, so I asked. Check out some highlights below:
“There was that time Bryan got jumped in a bathroom after some guy thought he threw one of our CDs at him.”
“The time in Portsmouth NH where this couple bought us some drinks after a show, proceeded to make physical advances toward us and then tried to lure us back to their hotel room; their card ended up getting rejected and while they talked to the manager we snuck out the back and hid behind a dumpster to get away from them.”
“That time Ryan’s girlfriend fainted in the front row during the very first song of Ryan’s very first show with us.”
“That time we got kicked off a ferris wheel after playing a festival in Connecticut because we started spitting on each other; that one was totally our fault.”
Fun fact: See above.
Press play: Check out the band’s EPK for some live footage and to get to know them a bit more, get a taste here:
Like what you hear? You could be a part of their next funny show anecdote if you go TONIGHT.
Speedy Ortiz
w/The Shills, Shark?, Sneeze
Friday, December 12
Great Scott
1222 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA
9:00 P.M. – 21+ – $12
