shattered-music-band-biographies

Band Bios

Current and former Shattered Music titles along with brief info about the bands and artists who performed on the recordings. It will eventually reflect every album that we put out, and is (hopefully) alphabetical by artist.

Dead Amanda

A good, solid hard rock album, "Why" features gems like "Turns To Gold," an excellent guitar-heavy track that is also featured on the Mick Taylor "Coastin Home" CD. Taylor is not the only guest musician on the album, "wild" Joe Houston joins in the fun as well.

This album is recommended for any fans of the Rolling Stones, not only because of the Taylor connection but the vocals at times have qualities reminiscent of the legendary group.

Dead Amanda's "Why" also benefits from the classic keyboard skills of Dizzy Reed, who guest appears on the album. Reed is formerly of Guns'N'Roses.

Clints, The

The 1995 "Mysterious Clints Tour" CD on Shattered Music had 13 tracks, and is a rock/pop hybrid. Three of the members are called Clint, hence the name of the group.

"Mysterious Clints Tour" is widely available from many online music retailers for very, very reasonable prices. It is a great album that was unfortunately overlooked and under-appreciated, in part because it did not get the exposure that we had hoped for when it was first released. We encourage you to give it a listen.

Blue By Nature

Shattered Music released the well-received "Blue To The Bone" album from Blue By Nature. Fronted by Karen Lawrence, the group Blue By Nature was known for playing the House of Blues and B.B. King's club in 1996, when they exploded in the critical press. The Archives page of this site (in progress) contains press excerpts. "Blue To The Bone" is out of print, but if you can get your hands on a copy, it makes for a great listen. One further treat, the album is produced by Jack Douglas, a renowned producer known for working with hugely successful groups, notably Aerosmith.

Gerry Groom

Gerry Groom was capable of amazing things on the guitar; a technical genius. He was self-taught, and in high school brought his guitar and sneaked backstage after a Duane Allman show near Groom's hometown in Florida. Allman not only received the unexpected visit warmly but even jammed a bit with Gerry. The two were friends until Duane's passing, with Groom occasionally joining Allman onstage.

Gerry Groom was just gaining major recognition for his Chicago-style when he died in a freak accident, but his talents live on in "Twice Blue" and "Once In A Blue Moon," his 2 Shattered Music releases.

Pearl Harbour

Post-punker Pearl Harbour teamed up with an all-star band for this 1995 CD. Perhaps most notable are East Bay Ray of the Dead Kennedys, whose lead guitar stands out on the album, Stinky LePew, and the late Buck Naked, who wrote several of the songs on the album.

"Here Comes Trouble" has been called a "fun and entertaining" power-pop CD. Her voice ranges in style across the album, from British Invasion, surf, and 60s to punk and doo-wop. Harbour is an entertaining and attention-grabbing vocalist. A bit of trivia; Pearl Harbour attended high school in Germany with Shattered Music founder Robbie Pettersen.

The Honeydippers

Energetic rockabilly duo The Honeydippers keep a lively pace on both of their Shattered Music releases. First, "Big E Boogie" toes the line between fun and serious in a way manages to be upbeat and relate-able regardless of subject matter.

Second, "12 Days of Christmas" is a holiday gem; covering 12 classic Christmas songs with a rocking yet very seasonally appropriate sound. Great for fun holiday party, "12 Days of Christmas" really gets the eggnog flowing!

Joe Houston

"Screamin" Joe Houston wails on his sax and lends his rough, gravelly, and utterly appropriate voice to "The Blues & Nothing Else." This album stands out as a testament to the skills of a man who started saxin' away before the second World War. Joe Houston has played with the best of music for decades; too many people to list, but he always loved playing alongside Big Joe Turner. Joe Houston was one of the first pioneers in the early days of rock and roll, and has influenced many blues and rock artists.

It is further noteworthy that "The Blues & Nothing Else" features Houston singing on every track, and even playing alto sax on the last song.

Knock-Out Drops

Rockabilly is alive and kicking on the 1994 Knock-Out Drops EP. Gary Twinn and band set a musical atmosphere of liveliness across all 5 tracks, the stand-out being "Custom Car Cowboy."

Twinn partnered twice more with Shattered Music after the Knock-Out Drops EP; he formed The Honeydippers with Danny B. Harvey and continued with the rockabilly style.

Elliot Kendall

"Le Hot Show" is the debut album from Elliot Kendall, a "jump blues" style, mixed in with lush harmonies and big band influences. It is an innovative and creative album, and the styles are blended together by Kendall quite well.

Prior to the release of "Le Hot Show," Kendall has served as a music journalist and archivist. He is originally from the Bay Area but had been in L.A. for years in and around the music scene before further pursuing his own musical interests.

Beto Lovato

An excellent guitarist with Latin influences, Beto Lovato released "The Color of Blood" through Shattered Music in 1996 and shines with his mixture of electric modern blues and Spanish influences.

Lovato sings to a wide audience on "The Color of Blood," alternating the between vocals in English and Spanish on different tracks.

Nymbus

Nymbus performed together during a brief 3 year period during 1968-70, and played innovative, psych/acid/biker rock. Despite gaining a local reputation in the Bay Area during their time, Nymbus never released or recorded a studio album, in part due to their passion being for music above anything else.

Fortunately, Bay Area promoter Jim Sorensen did record Nymbus at a show he booked them for in Livermore, CA in 1970, shortly before the group broke up. The tapes sat in a vault over 40 years, until Sorensen shared them with Robbie Pettersen and Shattered Music in 2011, and the LP and CD were released in 2012. "Live in Livermore" was called "tight and listenable" in a short review in Shindig! no. 27.

Mick Taylor

A veteran of rock and blues music since the 1960s, Mick Taylor is perhaps best know for his genius contributions to "Sticky Fingers" and "Exile On Main Street." He is a brilliant player with innovative and occasionally unrivaled performances.

"Coastin Home" features Taylor having fun with what he does best, particularly on "Can't You Hear Me Knockin.'" The album is done in Chicago blues style, and has the great guitarist playing off saxophone legend Joe Houston.

It is rumored Mick Taylor has been asked to play again with The Rolling Stoned in late 2012 for their 50th anniversary celebration.

Unsung

It wasn't a new concept to pair poetry and music, but Unsung certainly gave it a unique take. No rehearsals, no pre-planning, nothing but total improvisation jamming to poetry went into this 11 track spoken-work rock/guitar recording.

There are only 2 overdubs on the entire album, and those are also done in just one take, in the spirit of the original recordings. Unsung features some excellent guest poets and makes for an interesting and thought inducing listen.

Tangerine

Danny Deigan had a dream and a vision for the type of music he wanted to make. He made glam inspired rock fun and relevant again; an invitation to toss on some eyeliner and hit the club for a good time.

Extraordinarily talent and ahead of their time, Tangerine and Deigan won "Best Independent Album of the Year" by the Los Angeles Music awards. Tangerine was only around for a short time, but they sure made their mark, packing venues with hundreds of people during their brief career.