Music Style Rock

Musical Influences John Mellancamp, Bruce Springsteen, Beatles

Similar Artists John Mellancamp, Bruce Springsteen, Beatles

Albums Progress Avenue

Press Reviews Progress Avenue a pleasing dish Reviewer: Splendid E-zine Slow Groovy Ride, On Her Own, and These Words are the first three songs on Progress Ave; they are, in addition, so pleasing that it's silly to care whether Shaker is more influenced by radio than personal experience. Through their driving melodies and energetic delivery, these songs do nothing less than reaffirm why people like Bruce Springsteen, Shaker's apparent idol, still has the trace of songs heard on New Jersey boardwalks in his eyes. . . .-- td Reviewer: The Arizona Rep Magazine BACKSTAGE PASS News makes good fodder for songwriter Gast Eric Searleman The Arizona Republic Nov 10 1999 02:48:07 Musicians listen to a variety of things, but how many rock stars turn to National Public Radio for inspiration? That's exactly what Larry Gast does. He's the singer and main songwriter of Valley band Shaker, and he's got his ears peeled for anything, including news bits from the esteemed news radio station. "They've got a lot of great stories," he says, "and since I'm a storyteller, that helps my songwriting." His attention to narrative is paying off, too. Shaker's debut disc, released late last month, is a strong effort mixing Springsteen-Mellencamp-inspired acoustic-based rockers with slice-of-life vignettes. "All my songs are driven by the lyrics," says Gast, also a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. "I start with the words and try to stay focused on the idea. After that, the music comes pretty quickly." As good as the lyrics are, the music on Progress Avenue, the debut album, is even better. Gast comes from a blue-collar Midwestern background, and his songs definitely reflect that. He has played in country bands, blues bands and rock bands and pulls freely from all these genres. He even admits that Hanky Panky, by Tommy James and the Shondells, was his favorite song while growing up. Most obvious of all his influences, however, is Bruce Springsteen. There is an overt E Street Band vibe to Shaker's record, something Gast can't deny. "It's funny, I lived in New Jersey for five years and I didn't like Springsteen at first," Gast says. "I thought he was a total mess. But now I really respect him. "I like his energy, attitude and the topics he chooses to write about. He really showed me what you can do with a rock song. "He's clever," Gast says with a self-deprecating laugh, "and much smarter than me."

Location Glendale, AZ - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).