Artist description SHRUG made its debut before a wholly unsuspecting world on September 22, 1994 in Dayton, Ohio. Within a year they released a brisk selling, self-produced CD "Straight to Beta" and won the 1995 Dayton Band Playoffs along with several other band competitions that followed. Since then, Shrug's mission has been the creation of eclectic, catchy songs and the performance of those songs with as much intensity as possible. Shrug's brand of lyric-driven, hard-edged "acoustic hard candy" and their heartfelt energetic live performances have won the Dayton, Ohio based band a devoted fan base and critical acclaim as well as slots on bills with Guided By Voices, Fuel, Fastball, The Verve Pipe, Men at Work, Peter Mulvey, Moxy Fruvous, Over The Rhine, Mojo Nixon, The Aquarium Rescue Unit, and many others. Anyone with a jones for solid, literate Rock music should check into Shrug's Rock Records debut CD "Everything's Blowing Up Roses", which is a combination of a wide range of influences and styles into a sound uniquely their own.Recently Shrug has been propelled into the mainstream by such notable shows as this years NXNE (North by North East) music conference & convention (which was held in Toronto, Canada), a slot on this years X-Fest which was put on by WXEG (103.9 FM in Dayton) that drew over 12,000+ fans, and Shrug showcased their talents at this years CMJ Music Fest. where many music execs and college radio PD's & MD's were floored by the show. In short, Tod sums it up this way, "We like to play, we've been told we're good at it, and we'd like you to come see us. Say "Hi" when you do."

Music Style Lyric-driven, hard-edged "acoustic hard candy".

Musical Influences Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, early David Bowie, Jeff Buckley, Wilco, REM.

Similar Artists Shrug is best described as a mixture of their influences: Beatles, the Stones, Elvis Costello, early Bowie, Jeff Buckley, Wilco, and REM with a little Radio Head and DMB sprinkled on top.

Artist History Shrug in their original line up of Tod Weidner, Dan Stahl and Steve Bambakidis played their first show at Canal St. Tavern in Dayton, OH on September 22, 1994. Coincidentally, that is the same night that the pilot episode of "Friends" aired. So while we are the same age as "Friends," our hair is not as cool. The next year Shrug independently released their first full-length CD, "Straight to Beta." It was well received and sold out quicker than ever expected. In 1996 Shrug started recording their second CD entitled “Everything’s Blowing Up Roses” and towards the end of the year Steve left the band and moved to FL. to pursue a real career. Shortly there after Dave Burris joined the band. They played some shows and went to NY to record more of the CD. But in the same time Dave’s business took off and had to leave the band. Enter Adam Edwards. The new CD was finished with Adam at the helm and since the CD has all three bass players on it, the songs take on a different feel depending on who was playing on it.

Group Members Tod Weidner – guitar, vocalsDan Stahl – drumsAdam Edwards – bass

Instruments Core instruments: acoustic guitar, drums, bass. Other “ear candy” instruments: djembe, little teeny cymbal, tablas, hammond organ and violin.

Albums “Straight To Beta” & “Everything’s Blowing Up Roses”

Press Reviews “If you want a category for the band, it would be easy to say they are alternative, but no category really fits and that is what makes Shrug such a great band. They mix elements of jazz with rock and come up with a very unique sound. For a trio they build quite a wall of sound… Everything’s Blowing Up Roses is good enough to earn the band major label interest. The production and mixing are very professional ... this sounds like a big budget release.”-- David Kotlinski, “Check'n The Charts”, Dayton, OH."The album that took years to produce proves to be well worth the wait. This is the second release from Dayton's best acoustic-fueled rockers, but don't expect hippie-dippy love songs from these guys. Instead, Shrug serves up heartbreak, alienation, and lost love on a canvas of maturity that can only be achieved by a band that has paid some dues and is still standing. If there's any justice in this world, this album should be a runaway hit, both nationally as well as locally.-- Greg Spence, “The Dayton Voice”, Dayton, OH. "The group's three-piece format is fleshed out with subtle strings, keyboard shadings, muscular guitar leads, additional percussion and multiple vocal tracks. Despite the studio gloss the songs on the new CD feel real thanks to an underlying pained, almost desperate, ache in Weidner's vocals."-- Don Thrasher, “The Dayton Voice”, Dayton, OH."The songs from [Everything's blowing up roses] are very strong. Shrug's songs contain that rare combination of intriguing lyrics layered on top of a solid musical foundation. -- John Pinnix, “Check'n The Charts'”, Dayton, OH."Let me say this now: These guys are good! They combine a variety of styles to create a very original sound… they're on the verge of breaking out into the great unknown."-- Patrick Crisler, “The Dayton Voice”, Dayton, OH. "It's rare to find a band whose music sounds truly original. Last night… I found one: SHRUG."-- Sarah Hawkins, “Everybody's News”, Cincinnati, OH."Long established as one of the regions best 'song' oriented bands, Shrug's image-laden lyrics never get in the way. They know how to rock and their live show literally oozes with the sweat of sincerity."-- Mick Montgomery, Canal St. Tavern, Dayton, OH.

Additional Info Producers: George Karras, Joshua Chervuckas, Shrug.

Location Dayton, OH - USA

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