Local Live Act
The Shods
Goin' for broke
We're not saying it's impossible
to dislike the Shods, just that you'd have to be sorely lacking in
rock-and-roll spirit to do so. And it makes sense that they've won as Best
Local Live Act for the second year in a row: as far as these guys are
concerned, nothing beats a great night at a packed club where the beer flows,
the crowd gets good and sweaty, and the band act like it's the last show
they'll ever play.
If major-label deals were all that mattered, this band would have packed it in
years ago: their contract (with Fort Apache/MCA) went south before the album
even came out. But the Shods took the occasion to hit the clubs harder, make
the next album (Bamboozled) all by themselves, and build their fan base.
Everything came together on last year's Thanks for Nuthin' (Lunch), a
timeless mix of pop hooks and punk drive. The disc strengthened the Shods'
local influences: ex-Neighborhood David Minehan produced, the Lyres are echoed
in the organ sound, the Real Kids get covered on one tune and name-checked in
another. Instead of coming off like a throwback, it just proved that the Shods
are -- for the time being, anyway -- the last of the great old-school Boston
bands.
The band's already changed since the album's release, with Jay Buckley
joining on keyboards and guitarist Mikah Smaldone replacing long-time member
Dave Aronoff. The new sound is a little fuller on stage with the organ and
harmonies; but the go-for-broke spirit hasn't changed a bit.