If you have been in Charlottesville for more than 5 minutes at any point within the last couple of months, you know the significance of this Saturday. Some remarkably talented Charlottesville boys in a band named after the lead singer are going to rock Scott Stadium, making April 21 a day that will live forever in music history.
That's right: Shannon's playing.
Composed of Shannon Mier (vocals, rhythm guitar), Keegan Verburg (lead guitar and student in the University's School of Architecture), Matt Goodwin (bass), and Gerry DeRose (drums), Shannon is a local rock band whose lineup of the band stabilized just last month. In fact, Mier is the only member of the band who actually appears on the album.
The revamped Shannon recently debuted opening for local favorite Buzby at Outback Lodge and plans to take Charlottesville by storm in the coming months. Shannon will be, in a way, opening for Dave; as the first stop of its upcoming "Stoops to Stadiums" tour, the band will play a free show at the corner of Stadium and Harmon Roads at 4:30 p.m. for early concert goers and the general public. And if its debut album, "Not Too Late," is any indication, it'll be the perfect way to start off a day of musical exhilaration.
Shannon has a vigorous set planned for this Saturday's concert, juxtaposing that energy with the relative low-key feel of much of the album. Along with familiarizing the crowd with songs from the album, the band plans to debut a new song in addition to playing a series of covers, including songs by Sublime, Stone Temple Pilots and a driving, signature version of Dave Matthews' "Halloween."
"We try to play covers that are fun, energetic, and easily recognizable by the audience," said Mier in a recent interview. "Our main goal is to have fun, and for people to have fun listening to us."
Described by Mier as "a cross between Guns N' Roses, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bob Dylan," "Not Too Late" is a surprisingly mature debut album. Featuring all original material, the lyrical work in particular is refreshing, putting the band in the category often referred to as "thinking man's rock." You won't find mindless, flashy guitar riffs here; every piece of each song seems to have a distinct place and purpose.
Not to say that the band's material is overly weighty. Although the debut leans more in the folk-rock direction of bands like Train (even though "Dreams," for one, brings to mind Blur's "Beetlebum"), a recent member shake-up has brought about a more energetic dynamic and more of a traditional rock n' roll approach to the music. Regardless, a certainly emotional poignancy is present in the album, manifesting itself through sadness in "Gone But Not Forgotten" and hopelessness in "Shelter."
One of the strongest tracks on the album is undoubtedly "Dreams." The song feels much looser than much of the album, allowing Mier room for more vocal freedom and putting more emphasis on instrumentality, evident in a brief but solid guitar solo. "Mexico" also showcases the band as a whole, resulting in a mellow, more intricate piece.
The most notable flaw of the album is a tendency to be musically repetitive on a couple of the tracks; fortunately, this has been remedied by the introduction of new members. The additional energy of Verburg and DeRose (who were not with the band when the album was recorded) adds a new dimension to liven up Shannon's overall sound and will undoubtedly contribute greatly to future albums. Mier described Verburg saying, "the guitar parts he comes up with are really great for the songs. I completely trust him with my songs, which is the highest compliment I can give."
In the near future, Shannon's material may very well become as recognizable as that of the band for which they're "opening."
"I am definitely inspired by the fact that Dave started in C'Ville and went on to become the biggest band in America," Mier said. "The real symbolism in this show is that it is the first date on our 'Stoops to Stadiums' tour. We are starting on a porch, and we won't stop until we end up playing right across the street at Scott Stadium."
And watch out, because it just might happen.
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