The Shods are a punk band from Lowell, Massachusetts

Lowell, Massachusetts

Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...

 who have released five albums and an EP to date. The Shods have a loyal regional following, and remain well known in their home state.

Origins

The Shods formed in 1993 in Lowell, MA with musicians Scott Pittman, Roy Costa, and music mainstay Kevin Stevenson, whose other projects included Formicide, Only Living Witness

Only Living Witness

Only Living Witness was an American metal / hardcore band.-Career:The band was formed in 1989 in Boston, Massachusetts, by Jonah Jenkins and Eric Stevenson . Eric's brother Kevin Stevenson and former Formicide bandmate Roy Costa completed the line-up. In 1991, Kevin Stevenson and Costa were...

, and Duck Duck. Within a week of forming, the band produced a debut EP

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 titled I'm in Lowell, MA. In 1995, the band released its debut full-length album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

 Here Come The Shods on a self-created label called Poorhouse Records.

Tours

After recruiting F.J. Ventre on Bass, and Dave Aarnoff on second guitar, work began at Fort Apache Studios

Fort Apache Studios

Fort Apache Studios is a New England recording studio internationally renowned for alternative rock sessions produced there since 1986. The studio is currently located in the village of Bellows Falls, Vermont in space leased in an old hotel called The Windham, owned by the town of Rockingham,...

 on what was intended to be their major label release on MCA. This deal, however, fell through and the band shelved the project until 2001. Also during this time, the band toured around the northeast with fellow Bostonians, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members...

, and Stevenson began playing in what became known as the Rivers Cuomo Band

Homie (band)

Homie is a side project of Rivers Cuomo, lead singer of the band Weezer. Homie, as it stands now, was a one-time effort. Homie has released just one song, "American Girls", for the soundtrack of the 1998 film Meet the Deedles...

.

Health issues

After many lineup changes during the recording of Bamboozled and Thanks for Nuthin, The Shods were threatened to come to an end when lead guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Kevin Stevenson learned he was battling multiple sclerosis. Following the tragic news, the band pushed forward by releasing Tippy in 2003. Although activity has been mostly stagnant in recent years, past members have returned with founders Kevin Stevenson and Scott Pittman for reunion shows including one in support the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Dropkick Murphys

Dropkick Murphys

Dropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant playing and yearly St....

in 2007.

Albums

• I'm in Lowell, MA - EP
• Here Come The Shods
• Bamboozled, Jilted, Hornswoggled + Hoodwinked
• Thanks For Nuthin'
• Stop Crying
• Tippy

Founders

• Kevin Stevenson (songwriter/vocals/guitar)
• Scott Pittman (drums/vocals)
• Roy Costa (bass/vocals)

Past members

• Kevin Stevenson
• Scott Pittman
• Roy Costa
• Dave Aaronoff (guitar/vocals/keyboards/additional songwriting)
• Dave 'Manimal' Livingston (bass/vocals)
• James Gaudette (guitar)
• Craig Silverman (bass/vocals)
• F.J. Ventre (electric and upright bass/vocals)
• Jay Buckley (keyboards/vocals)
• Micah Smalldone (guitar/vocals)

External links

• The Shods Official Site
• "The Shods Biography" by Kerry Purcell, The Boston Herald
• Shods Info
• Shods Tabs
• Shods Fan Page