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I've Got A Great Idea You Guys! Slick Shoes! ... Slick Shoes! Are You Crazy?
RECENT BAND NEWS:
Slick Shoes has released a split EP with Cooter. It features four songs from each band, which are exclusive to the album. It's only $5, so check it out here!
The album 'Waking Up Screaming' is out and is a great album that will appeal to those who did OR didn't like their second release, so check it out!
Slick Shoes is a great band and a prime example of the reason to listen to melodic punk. With their first release in 1997, this band started cranking out the tunes and now have two albums and an EP to show for it. First came the debut self-titled EP, followed that same year with their first full-length album, 'Rusty', and then their second album, 'Burn Out'. Slick Shoes was originally birthed from the Orange County-based band Today's Special which included guitarist Jackson Mould, and drummer Joe Nixon. The two stuck together for over a year just writing songs together until the rest of the pieces finally fell into place. Bass player Jeremiah Brown helped complete the band while Mould's took charge of lead vocals. At 14-years of age, Kepke soon joined the band and became the permanent frontman. Two weeks later, after sending in a demo on a whim, the band was signed to Tooth & Nail Records. Then, Slick Shoes has added second guitarist Dale Yob (90lb Wuss, The Cootees) to it's lineup to fill out vocals and guitar. After 'Burn Out', Dale left the band in favor of the relatively new band Fanmail, also signed on Tooth & Nail Records. This change reduced Slick Shoes back to a quartet, which is how the band has decided to stay.
For the band's second release, 'Burn Out', Slick Shoes took a more forward-thinking approach to this record as opposed to previous records which relied heavily on a single writer.
"We wrote most of the songs for this record really quick, but they were mostly ideas we had on tour," Nixon says. "We'd just be fooling around at practice. But we didn't put the songs together until a month before we recorded. We were just confident with our songwriting and we knew what we wanted for our sound."
Already considered one of the tightest punk bands in the industry, 'Burn Out' finds Slick Shoes pressing its relentless, high-speed rhythms to a new level. The addition of Yob, along with increased harmony vocals, also adds depth to the band's already full sound. Much like Slick Shoes fans have come to expect, intricate guitar riffs abound, displaying the bandmates' musical past which includes a love for one of the '80's least-appreciated genres.
"Back when we were in high school, we were influenced by metal," Nixon says. "When we first started playing, the kind of music that showcased our instruments was the old metal and thrash music. Even though we don't listen to it anymore, it still kinda rubs off on us."
'Burn Out' also includes much of the same lyrical fare of albums past that delve into the writers' day-to-day lives, whether it be relationships with friends, girls or God, or just what may have happened at school that day. The record also includes a cover of the 7 Seconds classic "Clenched Fists, Black Eyes," and a remake of "Silence" from the band's EP. Ultimately, the band's musical and lyrical content comes from a desire to be prominent about their faith.
"We just want to be true," Nixon says. "We don't want to put up a facade. We're just Christian kids having fun in a band. We don't want too many expectations of us. Some people put too much on bands. We do feel a certain amount of responsibility and accountability to the kids. But we just want to entertain. That's our focus."
The album 'Burn Out' wasn't well recieved, though, despite the fact that it was very much like the original album, which sold well. The band simply must have fell victim to the "Sophomore Album Syndrome", a phenomenon in which bands' second (or sophomore) album doesn't sell well despite a debut album which sells well. Undaunted by this, however, they worked just as hard as they had been and readied their third album, 'Wake Up Screaming'.
'Wake Up Screaming' is a great album, which proved to everyone that Slick Shoes IS talented and that they can write great songs. The album proved to be just what the band needed, a perfect boost to eradicate any thoughts that they weren't one of the greatest punk bands around.
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