Shell Shock is a great punk band from New York. They have a bunch of great songs out on their CD and they have a great stage show. The band has been through trials over the years, but they have almost made to ten years. Scoot is a really great guy and he was willing to tell their story...
Introduce yourself…
My name is Scoot and I am the guitarist in Shell Shock.
How did the band start?
Shell Shock started in 2002. Andy (vocals) was trying to start a band and I joined on guitar. After a few months of looking for other members we got Jonah on drums and Jeff on bass. We played our first show in the spring of 2002 in Yonkers, NY. We had a bunch of member changes over the years but I was in every line up of Shell Shock.
How did you come up with the name?
I believe we were just bouncing names off of each other and Shell Shock was one of the names we came up with and it stuck. We have been asked if we got it from teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but we didn't get it from that show.
Who would you say are your influences?
I would have to say our influences are early punk and hardcore bands. before metal started to come into the scene. Bands like the Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Agnostic Front, 7 Seconds, Gorilla Biscuits to name a few. I don't know if you can hear all those influences in the music but this is where we come from.
What was the New York punk scene in 2002?
The NY scene in 2002 we still pretty good. CBGB's was still around and kids were coming out to shows. There were some pretty good bands around NYC too.
How do you feel it has changed?
There really aren't many shows in Manhattan anymore. Cbgb's closed down and some of the other places either stopped doing shows or closed. You still have ABC No Rio in manhattan doing shows but alot of shows are in brooklyn or Queens now. The scene is smaller now than it used to be. Not as many kids come out as there used to be unless you are a big band but there are still some great shows around NYC.
Describe the song writing process…
Andy and I write the music. We sometimes come in with our own songs or we might help each other out with a riff or 2. Andy writes all the words. He is the vocalist and so he writes the words.
Your first release was a split with Bullet Treatment, tell us about the split…
We were approached by Puke and Vomit records from CA to do a split 7" with Bullet Treatment. Basically he asked us to do it and we were glad to do it. We recorded 2 songs. We never met Bullet Treatment but we think they are a good band.
You guys then released a CD ‘Born to Kill’, tell us about the CD…
We decided to record a full length cd and again Puke n Vomit wanted to release it. We went to Creep House in PA and recorded 15 songs in 2 days. Its 15 songs in under 30 minutes. Good, fast old school hardcore.
Your current release is a tribute 7” ‘Comics, Transformers + Punks’, tell us about the 7”…
There is a little back story to this release. In 2005 Andy left Shell Shock and he joined the army. We decided to keep the band going and we got Jeff DiLorenzo to sing for us. We played together with Jeff for about a year and then we broke up and played our last show in Dec of 2007 with both Andy and Jeff on vocals. Then in May of 2008 Jeff suddenly died. We had recorded 5 songs with Jeff when he was in the band and we decided to release a 7" of those songs as a tribute to our friend. It was called "Comics, Transformers, and Punk" because these were 3 things that Jeff loved. We then organized a benefit show in Jeff's memory where all the money went to a non kill animal shelter and Shell Shock played with our original singer Andy. The 7" was given out free at the show to everyone that paid to get in. The few we had left we sold and it is now out of print. There may be a few out there somewhere.
What else have you released?
We had 2 demos that were released in 2002 and 2003. We have been on a few comps.
Tell us about the current lineup…
Shell Shock is actually in the process of reforming right now. As of now the only people officially in the band are me, Scoot on guitar and Andy on vocals. Andy is out of the army now and we decided to play shows again. We are hoping to start playing shows again in the spring/summer of 2011.
Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We have played with a ton of good bands all around the country. I know I'm going to forget some great bands but heres a few. Eyes of Hate, the Vibrators, the Undead, Ignite, the Krays, Abrasive Wheels, Cranked Up!, No redeeming Social Value, Kill Your Idols, the Voids....
Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
I think smaller shows are more intimate. There is less separation between the crowd and the band. It's a good show if the kids are into it and theres dancing. If you get knocked over when you're trying to play it's usually a good show and the kids are getting into it. Thats more important to me than the size of the place.
Where have you toured?
We have played all over the U.S. In 2005 we did a 10 day US West Coast Tour with CA band Neon Maniacs which was alot of fun. We played CA, AZ, NV, Idaho at a bunch of places on that tour. We would also do weekend trips that would take us to Indianapolis, Chicago, Akron, Phili, DC. to name a few places.
Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Years ago we used to play alot with a NY band called Eyes of Hate. Al the singer was a great guy and used to book shows all over NYC and we would play alot of them. Unfortunately Al died in 2005 and we miss him to this day. We also used to like playing with the Lowbudgets from Phili, the Neon Maniacs from CA, VPR from DC.
Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Not really. used to love playing CBGB's. Anyplace that is kid friendly.
What do you see is the future of Shell Shock?
Playing shows in and around NYC. We would love to do more recording. really just want to get a bunch of good guys that want to play music and have fun. Without fun it's not worth doing it.
How can people contact the band?
You can checkout songs at myspace.com/shellshock but the best way to contact Shell Shock is emailing me, Scoot, at usscoot@yahoo.com
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