The Shambles ®
Formed in 1990, the Shambles consist of life long friends Bart Mendoza (vocals/guitar) and Kevin Donaker-Ring (guitar/vocals), as well as Mark Z (bass) and Todd Woolsey (drums.) Recently Mark has decided to put his touring days behind him, with Orrick Smith (bass/guitar) and Kenny Howes (guitar/bass) stepping in to the void.
If the names of the musicians sound a bit familiar, the bands various members previously performed with such leading lights of 80s mod / garage / powerpop favorites as Manual Scan , The Crawdaddys and the Mystery Machine, while Kenny has a string of great solo albums to his credit. All "lifers' when it comes to music, the various members also moonlight in various side projects to this day. But this group is more than the sum of its parts. The quartet takes sixties pop, garage, folk and 70's am radio, and mixes it with pre 1970 Disney, soundtracks, r&b, rock, late seventies punk, and Spanish ballads, the result a collection of songs that are all about the hook and the musicianship to back it up.
The Shambles have toured extensively and performed in Mexico, Spain, England and throughout the U.S, appearing in concert as well as on TV and radio. They've also contributed to over three dozen compilation albums, and have released four albums to date. There's been a fair bit of press, from Billboard to Creem and they've even gigged with the likes of Jonathan Richman, The Rembrandts, Superdrag, The Records, OK Go, The Wondermints, Sugarplastic, Rusty Anderson, Kay Hanley, The Alarm, Robyn Hitchcock, 20/20, Graham Parker, Stew, Cindy Lee Berryhill, Anthony Meynell, The Hoodoo Gurus, The Chevelles and Stereophonics amongst many others.
Look for 2009 to see more tracks surfacing across various compilations, and a brand new album on the horizon. Also look for various reissues as well as a collection of worldwide artists covering the bands music, in English, Spanish and even Czechoslovakian.
All mere stats of course. That their discs continue to be essential listening for pop fans is a testament to their craft. But catch them live for the full spectrum effect of short sharp bursts of tunes and riffage, or even a bit of the cynical humor that tends to punctuate between tune banter. At eighteen years and counting the Shambles are at the difficult point in their musical journey, on the cusp of becoming a musical institution while at the same time just hitting their stride. Ya gotta love that.
-Alan Fleagle
Sydney, Australia
You can find Shambles music at Not Lame www.notlame.com , and Jam Recordings www.jamrecordings.com . Meanwhile Get Hip Records has kept several titles in print, including the "Nadie te Quiere Ya" 7" single and "Reviving Spark" , an album exclusive to Japan:
www.gethip.com
Out Now! The Shambles "Desde Ayer" , limited edition CD from JAM Records! Demos, radio session, outakes and more! www.jamrecordings.com
Upcoming Releases:
Due March 30 2009: Do You Want To Be In The show?: A Tribute to the Jetset / Includes the bands version of "Hard to Say Goodbye."
Tribute albums to The Risk, 20/20, Ricky Nelson and George Harrison are on the horizon, as is an appearance on the second volume of "Sweet Relief" , a CD series put together to raise funds for Hurricane Katrina victims. Also the band will be featured in the September issue of The Troubadour.
New Releases:
Out Now! The Shambles 5th album "20 Explosive Hits" !
The Shambles are featured in the current issue of Italy's Misty Lane Magazine.
Out Now! Buffalo Springfield tribute album "Five Way Street" with The Shambles version of "Whatever Happened to Saturday Night?" - on Not Lame
Out Now! - Television Personalities tribute "I Would Write A Thousand Words" with the Shambles covering "If I Could Write Poetry." from Canadian label The Beautiful Music.
Out Now! The Album "Sweet Relief" from JAM Recordings includes the bands "Wendy Never"
Out Now! The current issue of Spain's "Ansia de Color" Magazine includes a CD with the bands take on "Fixing A Hole."
Out Now!The online only Byrds tribute disc "Tymeless Flight" includes thier version of "Feel A Whole Lot Better.
Lots more going on! For a full round up of the band's activities, past & present - check out www.theshambles.net
