Artist description So much rawk music you won't be able to stand it.

Music Style Pure. Rawk. Music.

Musical Influences Rawk

Similar Artists Weezer, Police, David Bowie, The Cars

Artist History Shpeez is the culmination of three musicians coming together from different bands around the Pittsburgh area. The band is a trio consisting of Ryan Lendt on bass and vox, Lou Paniccia on drums, and Barak Shpiez on vox and guitar. Their sound is a combination of the individual's influences, including Ben Folds Five, Weezer, Radiohead, Frank Zappa, the Police, Pearl Jam, among many others. The story goes like this… Several years ago Barak got a call from Evan X. Merz to form a band. Evan "auditioned" Barak to see if he was any good, ciming that he had other guitarists lined up (a big lie). So with no other options Evan invited Barak to play guitar in the Reactions. The Reactions, with Joel Strait on bass and Pat Minor on drums played around Pittsburgh playing the worst Police rip-off music around. Tensions in the band grew high, and Barak and Evan left to form a new band. Room 101 (allusion to George Orwell's 1984) started off as just a recording project. But when performance opportunities arose, the duo realized they needed a drummer. Their first drummer was a rap/heavy metal fan whose style didn't really fit in with the poppy nature Room 101. A week before the group's first performance, however, this drummer quit. Luckily, he found the band a replacement, one Lou Paniccia. Lou brought a level of technical proficiency that elevated the group far beyond what they had been before. Room 101 played gigs around Pittsburgh, picking up where the Reactions had left off. When the group split up in 2000, the three members went their separate ways. Lou sat in on some bands here and there, but nothing really stuck. He continued on with his more traditional percussion studies. Barak formed a new band, Well Dressed Men, with some friends and members of the band the Ezekial. This band, like the others, played around Pittsburgh with moderate levels of success. They cut a seven song self-titled CD but broke up at the end of the summer of 2001 when Barak left for Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. By pure coincidence, Lou was also moving up to Boston to go to Berklee. This is where Shpeez really begins. Lou and Barak practiced in the Berklee facilities and honed their skills for their return to Pittsburgh. This is when they contacted Ryan Lendt to play bass. Ryan had been the lead singer and guitar player for the band Standpipe Tilley. The rest of the history is in the process of being made... Pure. Rawk. Music.

Group Members Barak Shpiez, Lou Paniccia, Ryan Lendt

Instruments Guitar, Bass, Kit, Vox

Albums Shpeez

Location Pittsburgh, PA - USA

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