THE SHOOS’ RESCUE ROOM (by Stuart Clarke Hot Press Magazine April 2011)
The debut mini-album out on Friday April 8th on Universal Music Ireland.
Some bands are carefully conceived while others like Dublin four-piece The Shoos are the result of a happy accident.
“I had a solo thing going on but my guitar-playing was terrible so I asked Barry to come and do a gig with me,” explains Texas, The Shoos’ lead singer who’s blessed with a full-bodied blues growl redolent of both Joe Cocker and John Fogarty in his Creedence Clearwater Revival prime. “Then another friend of ours, Steve, joined in on bass, which made his brother Scott feel left out so in order to be in the band he learned the drums! People assume there was a masterplan, but it was just pure luck that we got together and realised, ‘hey, something special’s going on here!’”
Collective identity settled on – “Scott has a bit of a stiletto fetish and we also liked the fact that ‘shoo’ is another way of saying ‘clear off’”, adds Texas whose own name derives from him being the spit of Chuck Norris in Walker, Texas Ranger – the band started jamming out the songs that make up their debut mini-album, Rescue Room.
Chances are you’re already familiar with ‘Yeah’, September 2009’s insanely catchy calling card, which was written in the aftermath of a drunken day out watching the Stones at Slane and included Today FM, FM 104, 98FM, Spin 103.8, Newstalk 106FM and RTÉ radios One and 2fm among its champions.
Not content with building a devoted following at home, The Shoos hotfooted it over to New York in February 2010 at the behest of another powerful ally, Interscope A&R man James Mormile.
“It was the result of one of those wonderfully bizarre coincidences,” guitarist Barry Plunkett smiles. “James’ ex-girlfriend had flown over to Dublin for a few days and was picked up at the airport by a taxi driver who happened to be playing the solo album Scott did. She really liked it and persuaded the cabbie to give her the CD, which she took back to the States with her. Scott then got a call out of the blue from James saying, ‘Love your stuff, send me more!’”
The relationship was formalised when after seeing them take such legendary NYC rock haunts as Arlene’s Grocery and Fat Baby by storm, Mormile signed Texas, Barry, Steve and Scott to his Famework Management stable and arranged for them to open for American A-Listers OneRepublic on their Irish tour.
“It was a huge confidence booster going out with a million-selling band like OneRepublic and their crowd immediately warming to us,” Texas enthuses. “It helped that they were a great bunch of guys who immediately said ‘yes!’ when we invited them to Lillie’s Bordello to sample some Dublin culture.”
Since then, The Shoos have wooed Irish radio again with another of Rescue Room’s muscular yet melodic standouts, ‘Distance’; shared stages – one of them teeny tiny – with Maroon 5 and Plan B; supplied the half-time entertainment at the Leinster vs. London Irish Heineken Cup match in the RDS – a dream come true for Texas who played underage with Leinster and but for injuries would have turned pro; called time on their DIY-dom by inking a deal with Universal Music Ireland; and journeyed to Los Angeles where following a showcase in The Viper Room they got pally with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden and Marilyn Manson producer Michael Beinhorn.
“While we were over we talked to Michael, Warren Huart who’s worked with The Fray and Dave Hodges who had a huge hit with Evanesence about producing our first full-length album,” Texas reveals. “They were all really keen, so we’ll see what happens later on in the year.”
Until then The Shoos’ attentions are firmly focused on Rescue Room, a soulful, hook-laden rock ‘n’ roll monster of a record that’s set to soundtrack the summer of 2011.
“We write as a foursome so you’ve got all these different likes and influences merging to produce something that nobody, least of all us, can categorise,” Barry concludes. “If Rescue Room has a ‘sound’ it’s of four mates having the time of their lives making music together!”
If there’s a better reason for being in a band, I’ve yet to hear it!
Stuart Clark (Hot Press Magazine April 2011)
