SHINEDOWN:
Brent Smith - Vocals
Jasin Todd - Guitar
Brad Stewart - Bass

Barry Kerch - Drums

Visit Shinedown Below
Shinedown

Or on Myspace:
Shinedown on Myspace



DISCOGRAPHY:

Leave A Whisper - 2003


Us And Them - 2005

 

May 22, 2006

Equinox Tour

House of Blues - Anaheim, California

Shinedown has been a favorite of mine since the onslaught of their platinum debut album Leave a Whisper in 2003.  My friend, Sean, kept hounding me about this band from Jacksonville, Florida and would not stop until I took the time to listen.  I am forever grateful as this is one amazing band.  What a nice addition to the Atlantic Records family.  
I swear that the very first time I heard hit song, "45" from vocalist Brent Smith I was hooked.  It took some time for me to take this amazing song out of my car stereo and want to listen to anything else off the album, but once I did the rest was history.  I probably had this CD playing non-stop for at least a month straight as I was just in awe of this band.  Lyrics that are brilliantly written and close to my heart, guitar tracks that show you what rock and roll was meant to represent, bass beats that you can feel in the depths of your soul, and drumming that rocks into the entity that is Shinedown.

For a fresh out of the box band, and literally newcomers to the scene as a whole, Shinedown's debut album did remarkably well. Such hits as "45," "Fly From The Inside," and their remake of Lynard Skynard's "Simple Man" tore up the charts and gained these four musicians a vast and ever-growing loyal fan base.  For a line-up that played together live for the first time after they released their debut album, I would have to say a mighty "Hell Yeah" is in order.  Unique and mysterious by all standards, any musician knows that getting label interest these days is hard enough for an established band or artist and virtually unheard of for a band that has never even played together.  Touring for a total of twenty three months and playing over four hundred shows, this force of fresh rock artists is a welcome necessity into the rock world.  Dedication and determination are evident as with only two weeks off from this jaunt of a tour, the boys then headed right back into the studio to record sophomore album, Us And Them, released in late 2005.  I have attended every southern California show that these boys were touring on and it has been exciting, to say the least, to watch their west coast fan base grow. From the first show at the Whiskey with an extremely low attendance to this last tour through Anaheim, the audience has more then tripled and in support of Shinedown.  It does not surprise me in any way but instead adds to the knowledge that this band is going places and rightfully so.  The lineup in whole is talented and fits together perfectly.  I have to state one large factor and give homage to frontman Brent Smith for his role.  Regardless, any one of these members would be a success with any band but vocalist Smith is above and beyond vocal abilities here and I have to give him respect. I have not heard such chops in some time and with him as a frontman for any band, fame is guaranteed.  Lucky to have found his calling with this group of fine young men, I believe not only did Atlantic make a wise choice in signing them, but we the music fans are equally as blessed to have been witness and given such a rare and talented band.  My curiosity once heightened of how this came to be is now put to slumber as I would rather be in the dark and leave the beginnings of their formation in the closet then to never have experienced this breath of fresh air to rock and roll.

Us And Them, is sure to acclaim the same recognition with hit singles already accrediting air play such as "Save Me," "Hero's," and "I Dare You."   When an artist can make such a powerful connection with his fans and what he is expressing, it can only be real and honest to make this happen.  To tell the world about things from your past that normally make a person crumble or simply shut down shows strength and character.  Bad things happen to many people that can be so horrifying that it devastates the rest of their life.  It can in return make this person one who causes pain to others or distances them from becoming close to people who care about them.  To stay true and be a mentor and overall good person has got to be one of the hardest things in life to achieve.  Smith is one of these rare cases in which his need to help others and show understanding of their pain is overwhelming and heartbreaking at the same time. He is proof that life does go on and that you can become a better person regardless.  I wish on no one but, at the same time, can also rejoice and respect their courage to not only help themselves but to also try and help others going through the same type of situations.  Smith not only masters this element, he is this.  I hope he knows and realizes how much of a difference he is making and lives he is changing for the better.  Whatever demons from his past, Smith has clearly confronted, put in check, and released the best way he knows how.  I encourage this boy to sing, sing, and then sing some more as this is his obvious calling in life.  For Shinedown, this is only the beginning.  I am not alone in my opinions here. When speaking with some of my recent artists that I have had the honor of working with I do not remember any one of them NOT knowing or hearing of Shinedown,  And to quote legendary guitarist of Queensryche, Michael Wilton, "Shinedown is a great band that came out of nowhere.  In home state Washington the air waves are filled with their single "Save Me."    When I further questioned Michael (Whip) about what he thought, he simply stated that he was impressed with this single and anxious to acquire both releases, Leave a Whisper as well as Us And Them, so that he could hear more.  With me going on and on about the rest of the songs on these albums being as well done if not more powerful then this song, I am positive that his appreciation for Shinedown has grown as much as it has for the rest of us.

My many thanks and gratitude go out to Shinedown for the music you share with us and give us strength in, to Andy Gesner with Hip Video Promo for sending my requests and love for Shinedown to the right channels, and to Jason at Atlantic Records for your trust and belief in me.  Without any one of the mentioned above I would have not had the opportunity to work with this amazing band.  

ALL IMAGES AND WORDS ARE COPYRIGHT OF ANGELWING PHOTOGRAPHY AND NASHVILLE ROCK.NET.
ANY AND ALL USE OF THIS ARTICLE WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PUNISHABLE BY LAW.


ANGELWING'S DEN LOGO IS COPYRIGHT OF LORENZO SPERLONGA AND NASHVILLE ROCK.NET.
MANY THANKS TO KYLE FOR HIS TALENT AND TO LORENZO FOR USE OF HIS ANGEL.  TO VIEW MORE OF LORENZO'S AMAZING ART PLEASE VISIT HIS WEBSITE AT:
Lorenzo Sperlonga