Artist Spotlight: SHELLSHOCK

Official Web Site: www.shellshockmusic.com

Shellshock was formed in 2001 by four musicians who were becoming increasingly disillusioned by the loud rock and cover bands that seemed to dominate South Florida's music environment. Alex Tavares, Shellshock's front man, was becoming frustrated with his position as a drummer for a local cover band and sought a forum for his own self-expression. He went into the studio and recorded Finding Myself, an acoustic collection of original music that received ample airplay on local radio stations. Soon, Tavares was playing acoustic sets in Lauderdale venues where he distributed more than 300 copies of his solo album.

Meanwhile, Alex Mirones, Mike Abay, and Uned Correa were searching for a vocalist and songwriter to complete an original band they were hoping to launch. They had been playing together for several years as Funkette, a very successful South Florida cover band, but were looking for a singer to collaborate on a different kind of project. They acquired a copy of Tavares's CD and, within weeks, the four musicians merged their individual styles, arrangements and influences with lyrics crafted by Tavares and Correa to create a quality sound that differed immensely from other bands in the area.

Shellshock released their debut CD, Suburbia, in late October, 2001, and the release drew immediate attention nationwide. College radio stations from South Florida to Illinois were spinning tracks from the CD and hits to the Shellshock website at shellshockmusic.com began to skyrocket.
In a unique distribution move, Shellshock made the decision to give away select merchandise to website visitors who requested CDs, stickers, and autographs. Radio airplay motivated music consumers to check out the website and its contents. Within 7 days of the completion of Suburbia, orders for the 4-track CD began pouring in from all over the United States, South America, and Europe.

Shellshock is now gearing up for their winter tour and preparing an innovative stage show featuring instrumentals greatly influenced by Depeche Mode, The Cure, and U2 that fuse with vocals resembling Dave Matthews and Peter Murphy to create a mature alternative sound that is both captivating and powerful.

The band will return to the studio in the Spring to complete a full-length CD which, if history is any indicator, will certainly cause a stir in the music world. Music fans interested in finding out more about this incredibly talented band or to request merchandise should visit Shellshock's website at shellshockmusic.com