Shotgun.
From The Garage Band Wiki
| Shotgun. | |
| |
| Genre(s) | Alternative Rock, Punk Rock, Faux Brit Punk, Punk Ska |
| Years active | 2008 - Present |
| Location | Ottawa, Kansas, United States |
| Influences | |
| Green Day, The Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Offspring, Dead Kennedys, Rancid | |
| Label | |
| Indie (Signed with Indie record label Crap Weasel Records) | |
| Albums | |
| "Never Mind the Sex Pistols; Here's Shotgun." | |
| Other Releases | |
| "Covers" | |
| Lineup | |
| Paul Thomas (Vocals, Guitar)
Logan Swafford (Bass Guitar) | |
| Websites | |
Shotgun. (Officially spelled with a period) is the name of a garage brit punk band from Ottawa Kansas. The band is a side project for Famosiz front-man, Paul Thomas.
Contents |
[edit] Formation
Shotgun was formed as a side project of Famosiz, as a way for lead man Paul Thomas to further express himself in ways unfit for Famosiz. Paul looked to friend Logan Swafford (Former Eight Centimeter Skrewz) as his main person of collaboration. The two put aside their bitter conflict which had begun during the disastrous Eight Centimeter Skrewz era.
Along with naming the band, the two added a drummer (known only has Naughty-Uh) and a “Secret Agent Mann”. Shotgun also saw it’s first vocal practice section with a live audience.
[edit] Mainstream Success
Shotgun, usually hiding in the shadows of Famosiz, had its first major break through on May 19, preforming at the Ottawa High School Forensics/GED Graduation ceremony. Thomas and Swafford preformed their original piece, "Flaxinator" (Also known as Purple (003)), in front of a live audience to a standing ovation.
On May 21st, the band preformed the song for a second time at the Forensics Farwell! Party. This version was less raw, and more polished, heavily featuring a synthesized overdrive guitar, falsetto background vocals, and a talk-box solo. Unlike the first preformance, Thomas no longer provided the vocals; they were preformed by up-and-coming Ottawa female vocalist Allison Williams. The band was once again met with a standing ovation.
Near the beginning of 2009, the band regrouped and shed their former nicknames, Tommy SexXx and Flag Michaels, and returned to a more conventional song writing style. Swafford went on the record stating that the band was maturing.
[edit] Name
Shotgun’s band name has been subject of controversy from the beginning. Some believe it is reference to the twos stint in Driver’s Ed (wherein one would drive, while the other rides shotgun). Some people also believe that it has to do with their use of Shotgun-style microphones.
A more popular assumption is that the two based their name on a type of drinking style popular with punks - Shotgunning (a means of consuming beer, very quickly by a particular technique involving punching a hole in the side of the can.). Another misconception is that Shotgun was formed in a haze of pot smoke, as one took a hit from a joint, and exhaled through the lit herb, the other inhaled the resultant smoke, a form of cannabis consumption known as a “shotgun”.
Band co-founder Logan Swafford put all false ideas to rest, when he released a press statement in May of 2008. The band’s name is reference to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, specifically the death of Cassie Bernall by a shotgun to the head. Swafford and Thomas site the book “She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall” as life-changing. The two commented on how Cassie’s faith shown through the darkness, and gave hope to millions of readers.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
- 2008 - "Flaxinator" Scheduled to be released in the near future.
- 2008 - "All We Wanna Do!" Scheduled to be released in the near future.
- 2008 - "Crunch Bars and Cyanide" Scheduled to be released in the near future.
[edit] Albums
An album entitled "Never Mind the Sex Pistols; Here's Shotgun." is scheduled to be released in the near future.
[edit] Cover Album
An album consisting entirely of covers is set to be released in 2009. The cover of the album features the word “Longsword:” (in a fashion parodying the “Shotgun” logo), and the title “Covers.” on the bottom-left corner. The image is repeated 5 times in a cascade manner.
The title comes from the use of a shotgun as a “Longsword” in the 1996 film adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Both SexXx and Michaels site the movie as one of their favorites.
[edit] Colors
Shotgun’s use of colors is similar to Nine Inch Nail’s use of “Halo Numbers”. Each Shotgun release gets a special color attributed to it. Physical copies of the media are notifiable by the color of the “T” in the band’s logo.
[edit] External Links
Shotgun.'s MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/shotgunizpunk
