Check out the new website for THIS IS A SHAKDOWN! View newly uploaded videos! Leave us a comment and tell us what you think!
www.thisisashakedown.com
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Message Board!
Visit the Reversed Image Unlimited message board and tell us what you think about THIS IS A SHAKEDOWN!, Chuck Mosley, Adam Heart, and Ghost Town Trio!
http://reversedimageunlimited.com/community.php
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
THIS IS A SHAKEDOWN! "Love Kills," CD Review
4 ½ out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Jade Baird
The debut album from This Is A Shakedown! is a new mix of rock and industrial techno. Being a new band straight from Cleveland, Ohio, their sound is original compared to the mainstream bands with radio hits out there. Using keyboards and voice synthesizers, as well as their creative mixing of vocal tracks and programming, they create an electronic sound that that would work at both dance clubs and rock concerts. Brandon Zano's vocals are melodic and have a nice falsetto to reach higher notes that emphasize the trans-pop that stands on its own in a genre-bending way. The guitars also add a layer to the mix, creating a punk influence on the style of each song. With their jumpy, electro vibes and lyrics of girls, cravings, and clubs, this band is more teen and youth targeted. They have used the internet (myspace and facebook) as a way of getting their music to the audiences' ears. This new way of music marketing has a huge influence on the industry and has gotten many bands' sounds out there, including This Is A Shakedown!
On the CD, the song "Radio" has a message of lust and desire for an idol (and possibly musician) that he hears on the radio and can't get out of his mind. The song has an enchanting melody, with symbols, guitars, and a piano piece to top it off. The lyrics talk of how his "obsession starts to grow" and how it "just keeps getting more hard core." The last verse of the song breaks down and becomes aggressive, as if playing along this the singer's urge to forget his infatuation. Its ends with a calm piano bit that simulates peace, as he has dealt with his feelings and seems to have learned how to forget her. A more industrial sounding song, "Oh!" uses a lot of effects to create a more underground feel. A constant synthesizer pulsates throughout the piece, making a new electro rhythm that entrances the listener into a head-bobbing, foot-tapping reaction. The vocals are also remixed so they repeat themselves in the chorus. As the song tells of a boy getting a girl he wants, the music acts as the storyteller as it beats with the conviction the boy uses when speaking of the girl. The first single off the record, "Circles," has the same industrial, indie rock sound, with clanking noises and voice synthesizers.
The song "My Funny Valentine" has an instrumental hook of drums and string arrangements. With the whispering vocals overlapping the haunting music, it creates a spell-binding story of an overwhelming love and how a girl wants to change herself to be everything for the boy she loves. This song, as its sound, is different from the others because it’s slower, soothing, and more powerful with its message. For a band with a distinctly different style, this song sticks out as the most unique on the record.
This new band definitely has a premise and understanding of today's developing market for a techno-industrial style. Their sound can relate to more than one genre, and thus, be included in more scenes, bringing in more fans. Both rockers and radio-friendly music fans can enjoy the sounds of the keyboard, synthesizers, and steady drums as they listen to This Is A Shakedown! Teens, club-goers, and internet music junkies will be happy with this new taste of a different type of music experience
Reviewed by Jade Baird
The debut album from This Is A Shakedown! is a new mix of rock and industrial techno. Being a new band straight from Cleveland, Ohio, their sound is original compared to the mainstream bands with radio hits out there. Using keyboards and voice synthesizers, as well as their creative mixing of vocal tracks and programming, they create an electronic sound that that would work at both dance clubs and rock concerts. Brandon Zano's vocals are melodic and have a nice falsetto to reach higher notes that emphasize the trans-pop that stands on its own in a genre-bending way. The guitars also add a layer to the mix, creating a punk influence on the style of each song. With their jumpy, electro vibes and lyrics of girls, cravings, and clubs, this band is more teen and youth targeted. They have used the internet (myspace and facebook) as a way of getting their music to the audiences' ears. This new way of music marketing has a huge influence on the industry and has gotten many bands' sounds out there, including This Is A Shakedown!
On the CD, the song "Radio" has a message of lust and desire for an idol (and possibly musician) that he hears on the radio and can't get out of his mind. The song has an enchanting melody, with symbols, guitars, and a piano piece to top it off. The lyrics talk of how his "obsession starts to grow" and how it "just keeps getting more hard core." The last verse of the song breaks down and becomes aggressive, as if playing along this the singer's urge to forget his infatuation. Its ends with a calm piano bit that simulates peace, as he has dealt with his feelings and seems to have learned how to forget her. A more industrial sounding song, "Oh!" uses a lot of effects to create a more underground feel. A constant synthesizer pulsates throughout the piece, making a new electro rhythm that entrances the listener into a head-bobbing, foot-tapping reaction. The vocals are also remixed so they repeat themselves in the chorus. As the song tells of a boy getting a girl he wants, the music acts as the storyteller as it beats with the conviction the boy uses when speaking of the girl. The first single off the record, "Circles," has the same industrial, indie rock sound, with clanking noises and voice synthesizers.
The song "My Funny Valentine" has an instrumental hook of drums and string arrangements. With the whispering vocals overlapping the haunting music, it creates a spell-binding story of an overwhelming love and how a girl wants to change herself to be everything for the boy she loves. This song, as its sound, is different from the others because it’s slower, soothing, and more powerful with its message. For a band with a distinctly different style, this song sticks out as the most unique on the record.
This new band definitely has a premise and understanding of today's developing market for a techno-industrial style. Their sound can relate to more than one genre, and thus, be included in more scenes, bringing in more fans. Both rockers and radio-friendly music fans can enjoy the sounds of the keyboard, synthesizers, and steady drums as they listen to This Is A Shakedown! Teens, club-goers, and internet music junkies will be happy with this new taste of a different type of music experience
http://www.backstageaxxess.com/index.php/cdreviews/39-cd-reviews
Stephen Nicholson Of THIS IS A SHAKEDOWN!
Modern Drummer Blogs
Hello, everybody, my name is Stephen Nicholson. I grew up in the city of Cleveland Heights, a suburb east of Cleveland, Ohio. I guess you can say that I became interested in drumming around the age of nine. It was a human’s ability to create rich and complex rhythmic textures—with the mind and the four limbs of the body—that intrigued me from the get-go.
To start off, my parents bought me a practice pad and drum lessons to see if drumming was something I would actually want to pursue. When they realized that I was swept away by the idea of playing a drumset, they bought me a snare drum (not exactly what I had in mind, but I guess they needed more proof). It was only after three years of urging and wreaking havoc on their Tupperware (setting it up around my snare drum to imitate a full set) that they purchased the real deal. It was the happiest day of my life (well, at least to a twelve-year-old).
Within the first year of high school I realized that developing my skills was a definite must. I was blown away and intimidated by the wealth of talent that lingered in the halls and classrooms of the Instrumental Music Department at Cleveland Heights High School. Luckily, I met Kurt Tietjen (my ex-brother-in-law) in that first year. Earlier, he had been involved with the Canton Blue Coats of Drum Corp International. I was immediately transfixed by the abilities he acquired from the long hours of practice that one must endure to perform at that level. I considered DCI to be the apex of potential for any young person interested in playing percussion instruments.
Following our chance meeting, Kurt apprehended my desire to improve my snare drum technique. So he pummeled me with a barrage of intense instruction and countless hours of practice, which catapulted my skills to new heights. (Anyone wanting to excel on the drumset should immerse themselves in snare drum studies to develop speed, strength, and technique. Trust me; it’s to your advantage.) Due to the drastic improvement in my playing, I was upgraded to snare drum in the school marching band by my sophomore year. In the two years that followed, I was appointed head percussionist (which was a painful experience, being in charge of a bunch of knucklehead teenagers), earned a position in the orchestra, and played for the school jazz band. I was exposed to a lot of really good drummers during that time, such as Dennis Chambers, Billy Cobham, Tony Williams, Dave Weckl, and Neil Peart. It was definitely a very stimulating period in my life that had a huge impact on shaping me as a performer heretofore.
Throughout my twenties I played in a number of bands, covering an assortment of musical genres like rock, hip-hop, freeform, metal, avant-garde, instrumental, and so forth and so on, but the sine qua non of that decade was when I discovered Meshuggah’s drummer Tomas Haake. His knack for polymetrics defied anything I had ever heard before. He seemed to reach beyond the instrument, forcing the evolution of drumming itself. A steady diet of Tomas was a powerful catalyst in expanding my horizons and altering my approach to drumming altogether. It was extremely liberating, dwelling in the moment, unchaining the soul, and allowing music to swirl around turbulently through my mind, body, and drumset. During that time I evolved on many levels, inculcating in myself a deeper and wider sense of direction, purpose, and capacity for creating music.
Today, I play in the band This Is A Shakedown! We’re a heavy-hitting, high-energy rock outfit that incorporates dance/electronica influences into our music. We’re signed to a label called Reversed Image Unlimited, which is based out of Cleveland, Ohio. Michael Seifert is our producer and also the man that signed us to the label. Tracking drums with Michael was definitely a unique experience. He decided to set up four completely different drumkits in Studio B of his recording studio, Ante Up Audio, miking all of them at once, so we could bounce around from one kit to another without the hassle of breaking down and setting up every time we wanted to get two different tones for each song. I think there were about thirty-eight tracks dedicated to recording drums for the album (yee-haw!). We proceeded to do some pretty wacky things, like layering multiple kits on songs, tracking the drum and cymbal parts separately to isolate the sounds and then manipulate them into drum-loops using whatever plug-ins were at our disposal, recording cymbal parts in half-time in order to speed them up over the course of the track, and recording drums in other rooms to capture ambient noise. So, I would say the drums have a lot of personality on this record! The CD is titled Love Kills. Y’all should check it out. Peace!
For more, go to www.myspace.com/thisisashakedown.
http://www.moderndrummer.com/modern-drummer-blogs/
Hello, everybody, my name is Stephen Nicholson. I grew up in the city of Cleveland Heights, a suburb east of Cleveland, Ohio. I guess you can say that I became interested in drumming around the age of nine. It was a human’s ability to create rich and complex rhythmic textures—with the mind and the four limbs of the body—that intrigued me from the get-go.
To start off, my parents bought me a practice pad and drum lessons to see if drumming was something I would actually want to pursue. When they realized that I was swept away by the idea of playing a drumset, they bought me a snare drum (not exactly what I had in mind, but I guess they needed more proof). It was only after three years of urging and wreaking havoc on their Tupperware (setting it up around my snare drum to imitate a full set) that they purchased the real deal. It was the happiest day of my life (well, at least to a twelve-year-old).
Within the first year of high school I realized that developing my skills was a definite must. I was blown away and intimidated by the wealth of talent that lingered in the halls and classrooms of the Instrumental Music Department at Cleveland Heights High School. Luckily, I met Kurt Tietjen (my ex-brother-in-law) in that first year. Earlier, he had been involved with the Canton Blue Coats of Drum Corp International. I was immediately transfixed by the abilities he acquired from the long hours of practice that one must endure to perform at that level. I considered DCI to be the apex of potential for any young person interested in playing percussion instruments.
Following our chance meeting, Kurt apprehended my desire to improve my snare drum technique. So he pummeled me with a barrage of intense instruction and countless hours of practice, which catapulted my skills to new heights. (Anyone wanting to excel on the drumset should immerse themselves in snare drum studies to develop speed, strength, and technique. Trust me; it’s to your advantage.) Due to the drastic improvement in my playing, I was upgraded to snare drum in the school marching band by my sophomore year. In the two years that followed, I was appointed head percussionist (which was a painful experience, being in charge of a bunch of knucklehead teenagers), earned a position in the orchestra, and played for the school jazz band. I was exposed to a lot of really good drummers during that time, such as Dennis Chambers, Billy Cobham, Tony Williams, Dave Weckl, and Neil Peart. It was definitely a very stimulating period in my life that had a huge impact on shaping me as a performer heretofore.
Throughout my twenties I played in a number of bands, covering an assortment of musical genres like rock, hip-hop, freeform, metal, avant-garde, instrumental, and so forth and so on, but the sine qua non of that decade was when I discovered Meshuggah’s drummer Tomas Haake. His knack for polymetrics defied anything I had ever heard before. He seemed to reach beyond the instrument, forcing the evolution of drumming itself. A steady diet of Tomas was a powerful catalyst in expanding my horizons and altering my approach to drumming altogether. It was extremely liberating, dwelling in the moment, unchaining the soul, and allowing music to swirl around turbulently through my mind, body, and drumset. During that time I evolved on many levels, inculcating in myself a deeper and wider sense of direction, purpose, and capacity for creating music.
Today, I play in the band This Is A Shakedown! We’re a heavy-hitting, high-energy rock outfit that incorporates dance/electronica influences into our music. We’re signed to a label called Reversed Image Unlimited, which is based out of Cleveland, Ohio. Michael Seifert is our producer and also the man that signed us to the label. Tracking drums with Michael was definitely a unique experience. He decided to set up four completely different drumkits in Studio B of his recording studio, Ante Up Audio, miking all of them at once, so we could bounce around from one kit to another without the hassle of breaking down and setting up every time we wanted to get two different tones for each song. I think there were about thirty-eight tracks dedicated to recording drums for the album (yee-haw!). We proceeded to do some pretty wacky things, like layering multiple kits on songs, tracking the drum and cymbal parts separately to isolate the sounds and then manipulate them into drum-loops using whatever plug-ins were at our disposal, recording cymbal parts in half-time in order to speed them up over the course of the track, and recording drums in other rooms to capture ambient noise. So, I would say the drums have a lot of personality on this record! The CD is titled Love Kills. Y’all should check it out. Peace!
For more, go to www.myspace.com/thisisashakedown.
http://www.moderndrummer.com/modern-drummer-blogs/
Friday, May 22, 2009
Chuck Mosley Video Blog
New Chuck Mosley Video Blog set to come out tonight! Check it out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/chuckmosleyvua
Thursday, May 21, 2009
THIS IS A SHAKEDOWN! To Peform at Cleveland Indians Game!
New York, NY-Cleveland-bred electro-rockers THIS IS A SHAKEDOWN! are holding
it down for their hometown at an upcoming Cleveland Indians game. On Friday,
May 29, the Indians will take on the New York Yankees, and TIAS! will be
there to root them on with a special performance!
During the 7th inning stretch, the band will lead the Cleveland crowd in a
sing-along of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame." THIS IS A SHAKEDOWN! will
perform the classic tune from the "party deck" of the arena.
Quickly developing a reputation as a band that gets the party going, the
band is described as "danceable hetero-angst rock" by KEUL Radio (Arkansas).
It is this distinctive sound that has earned the band recognition, as radio
stations are blasting their tracks in heavy rotation. This is all riding on
the recent release of their debut album Love Kills (released May 5 -
Reversed Image, Unlimited).
This rousing event will take place at the Cleveland Indians home base of
Progressive Field. Two of American's greatest pastimes - baseball and live
music - doesn't get any better than that!
Reversed Image Unlimited LLC is a non-traditional, highly innovative record
label featuring indie, electronic, rock and pop artists. Keep an eye out for
new releases from THIS IS A SHAKEDOWN!, Chuck Mosley (formerly of Faith No
More), Adam Heart, Ghost Town Trio and more.
For more information, regarding this and other Reversed Image Unlimited
releases, please contact Carol Kaye at Carol@Kayosproductions.com.
Monday, May 18, 2009
THIS IS A SHAKEDOWN!- Circles
The first music video ever made with Apple Mac Book's Photo Booth. On March 20th, 2009 This Is A Shakedown! recorded their music video for "Circles" at Ante Up Audio in Cleveland Ohio using 21 borrowed Apple Mac Books. This incredible video was filmed and edited by Bryan Porter of Enigma Digital Media Productions. This is their first underground video that will never be released on television due to the intense strobing effects. Please Leave some comments on what you think of the video!
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