Shim interview & show

Seattle rock band SHIM is playing this Saturday with The Ruby Doe and Young Sportsmen at The High Dive. These guys bring the rock and I highly encourage you to check out the two demo songs they have on their myspace page. Really good stuff.

I sent some questions to SHIM and got responses from Ragan Crowe, vocalist of the group.

1. How do you think others would describe Shim, and is that the same or different than you'd like to think of yourselves?

Totally awesome. That's how I think others would describe us. And since I think we're totally awesome too, everything fits together nicely. Actually though, a while back I heard someone call us a "glorified AC/DC cover band," which was supposed to be an insult. Please.

2. Who are your favorite Seattle bands and why?

Iceage Cobra, Slender Means, The Ruby Doe. Those guys are all at the top for me. I like the Cobra because they're just so fuckin' fun to watch. They have the wackiest charisma. And they're just genuine dudes, musically and personally. I like Slender Means because they write great tunes. All the parts are in place in their songs. I love that guy's voice. I love all the guitar work, the keys, the drums. It's all there. I love the Doe ‘cause they're just rock monsters. The chemistry between those dudes on stage is so palpable. They function as one unit, the way a rock band should. Aaron and Jesse are from Wenatchee, where Mike, Jer and I grew up. The band Mike and I had in high school, The Scary Spiders, used to play with their band, The Cat Ion. I've been a fan of those guys for a long time. They're just always so fuckin' tight.

3. What are your feelings about the state of rock music in the Northwest and Seattle in particular?

That's a good question. I've never lived anywhere else, so this scene is all I really know. But I like the NW and I like Seattle. There're some bad-ass bands here (see previous question) and there are places to play. What more do you need?

4. If you could be the opening act for any band, any time period, who would that be and why?

That's a tough one. I'm a total classic-rocker. To the bone. [blogger note: I, too, am a closet classic rocker... my radio is straight up tuned to 95.7] There're a lot of bands I just wish I could have seen at all. One that comes to mind is Boston, when they were touring off their self-titled album. I've always wanted to know if they could pull off all those harmonies live, and I can't seem to find any good bootlegs of them. Plus Tom Scholz is awesome. But I'd probably rather tour with Zeppelin, sometime after "III" came out. They're just so fucking awesome live. It's ridiculous. And I'd kill to hear "Immigrant Song" live back then. Either that or The Doors. On the "Morrison Hotel" tour. Those guys are something else. It's just the spookiest, vibe-y-est most strange and awesome music. And Morrison was the real deal. The stuff most frontmen try to fake, he had it comin' out his ears. I mean, I think. I wasn't alive yet. Or Floyd, on the "Wish You Were Here" tour. I can listen to that record all day. And I'd really like to meet Roger Waters.

5. What's the latest news from you guys and what's on the horizon?

I wish I knew. We're writing some really strong material these days and the groove gets meatier every single night. Hopefully it gets us somewhere.

6. I used to have a friend whose motto was "it's not a rock show until someone falls down." Did anyone in the band fall and bust their ass in the snow last week? If not, when is the last time you fell down?

You know, I haven't fallen down in a long time. I slipped on Jer's (our drummer and my brother’s) icy stairs last winter, but I kind of surfed down them and stayed on my feet. It was pretty skilled.

7. What's something people don't know about Shim?

Who we are and what we sound like.

8. Asking about influences is kind of weak, but I'm curious what informs you guys. I hear different history in the older recordings than the demo tunes on myspace. What's been your evolution of sound?

Well, like I said, I'm a total classic-rocker. Not just riffy rock either. I'm just as likely to put on some Joni Mitchell as I am some Thin Lizzy. I'm just really drawn towards ‘60s and ‘70s music, probably to a fault. It's just so personal and imperfect. The recordings, the performances, it's all just really human. I hate all the computerized performances on modern records. I feel like a lot of modern bands are about 10% music and 90% advertising. And that is not fucking right. It's this weird manipulative, sentimental bullshit that has nothing to do with rock and roll, if you ask me, which you did. Sort of. I'm getting tangent-y aren't I.

As far as SHIM goes, we've just been trying to hone in on what it is that makes a good song and, more specifically for us right now, a good live show. So that's lead to some changes. We've grown a lot in confidence. And confidence lets you write the kind of song you want to write, without worrying about boundaries and stupid things. And for us, it means kind of walking a line. We embrace our love of classic-rock, but we don't want to be a parody or a rip off, and we're not. But it's definitely a challenge. You don't want to be merely a throw-back band, but you wanna play the music that moves you. I guess it all comes down to whether you're genuine or not. If you're genuine, people know it when they see you play, and they like it. If you're faking it, they know that too, and you'll be very forgettable.