MUSIC
Fresh off a road trip, that included a week at SXSW, SHOE. celebrates the release of their latest effort, The Speed of Life, with a live performance in the Cass Corridor’s Alvins.
The Speed of Life is filled with poppy, sing-along, dance tracks, firmly rooted in Detroit’s Motown sound, complete with beautifully arranged upbeat horns, and support from a rhythm section that playfully challenges the ear without impeding the record’s forward motion.
The boys in the band stopped by to chat about recording, road-tripping and playing music at The Speed of Life.
Why SHOE. ?
Dustin: Long story short – I just chose a noun. I was hating every name that was being thrown around & knew I would eventually hate this name too so I just chose a noun. Then I put a period on the end, because it seemed like such a simple name that I thought I would have problems in the future, which we are having now with the discovery of Shoe from Tasmania.
Jamiel: What he said.
Influences in the music please?
Dustin: I grew up on Beach Boys & Beatles but sang gospel music in my teens. After moving to Detroit, I immersed myself in the Motown sound (cause it’s so good!) then discovered Radiohead & rock n’ roll & everything changed for me.
Jamiel: As far as my bass playing goes, Paul McCartney, Donald “Duck” Dunn, and James Jamerson have always influenced me.
Sean: I started playing drums to Led Zeppelin and Nirvana records and got a feel for the heavy, pocketed, drum feel. During high school, I played in a couple of jazz bands, which in turn taught me more of the subtleties to playing for sound, and not yourself, essentially, a healthy mix of John Bonham and Art Blakey.
On songwriting:
Dustin: For this album I had most of the meat of the songs worked out, the chords & lyrics, then brought them to Jamiel & Sean, who made them better. We played most of them live for about 9 months or so before recording. During that process we began writing more as a band, like Places We Go, which Jamiel had sort of been working on & brought to us.
Arrangement:
Dustin: The horn arrangements come from Michael Krammers (New York). I had ideas of how I wanted them to sound but was blown away by what he came up with.
And the studio . . .
Dustin: This is our 4th album, & the 3rd one we have recorded with Chris Koltay at High Bias Records in Detroit, which is located on Michigan Ave. across from Slows BBQ, which is, of course, a bonus.
Life on the road with Shoe. is all about . . .
Dustin: Not annoying each other too much. I know I sing every word of every song that comes on the radio, & that’s just one example.
Jamiel: Really?! I go out of my way to annoy Dustin.
Listening to anything we need to know about?
Dustin: Well, I just got my first ipod this year for my birthday (I know, I’m a little late) So, I’m listening to a lot right now. Phoenix, because I love their music! It just sounds, and makes me feel, sooo good! Nina Simone. I fell in love with her voice & music about 10 years ago & love to listen to her late at night when I’m driving. Steve Wonder. He’s one of my favorite singers & I’ve been listening more to him the warmer it’s getting outside.
Jamiel: Mirrortwin (Lucas Sisters) and Troy Gregory. Even if I didn’t play with them, I would be a huge fan of both. Also, I heard Secret Twins from Ann Arbor lately and they were fantastic.
Sean: Bars of Gold, Mirrortwin, Secret Twins, Child Bite, Sea of Japan, The Telephone Callers.
Anything you want to say to your mom for Mother’s Day?
Jamiel: Thank you for being Super-Human.
Sean: Thanks for the Puccini and Verdi when I didn’t even know any better.
The Speed of Life is on itunes or @ www.moreshoe.com