Shake Some Action! Go Digital

Shake Some Action! have single handedly come up with what is hands down the best music video I’ve seen in ages. What makes it so great? Notice the dexterous guitar fingering for one. And how about those incredible digital effects seamlessly blended with live concert footage. And the performances, well how many performances of this caliper do you ever see? I could count them on the fingers of one hand. These guys really do remind me of Badfinger. Check it out.

Shake Some Action! Interview

Seattle Powerpop Blog (SPB): Congratulations on the release of your stellar new album Sunny Days Ahead. I think it’s got a great sound that combines the polish of your first album Shake Some Action! with the excitement and directness of your live album Live at the Crocodile. Are you happy with the way it turned out?

James Hall (JH): Thanks Andy. Overall I'm very happy with it. I think your description is about right – it was a combination of playing live (the backing tracks) with the polish added in the overdub sessions that followed.

Gary Miller (GM): I’m very happy with the results. I know some folks have been surprised with the harder edge that comes with some of the tracks. But, I think it’s a good balance and it was a very satisfying process to go through to get the end results!

SPB: James you did a great job producing and engineering the album. Was recording the rhythm tracks with Rob Sharp at Playroom Studio key to getting the sound you wanted?

JH: Thanks Andy! It was – Rob is such an easy guy to work with and we all knew him to varying degrees, so we knew he understood what would work best for the songs. He has an amazing collection of vintage analog gear – great preamps and mics and some rare Vox and Selmer amps that we put to good use. We wanted a warm analog feel for the drums and bass in particular, with just the right amount of grit - and Rob knows how to dial in the right amount of grit.

SPB: I love the use of keyboards and percussion on this album. Did you guys experiment overdubbing various instruments after you had the basic tracks recorded?

JH: We spent about 2 months overdubbing and yeah, we experimented a lot. Chris did most of the percussion – the tambourines and shakers and the like – and we used percussion on almost every song. Gary and I spent a lot of time trying various keyboard overdubs – we had a pretty clear idea that we didn’t want it to just sound exactly like the live band, we wanted to spice it up a bit. There’s a lot of Hammond B3 organ, some Mellotron and Farfisa, some piano and Gary played lap steel on “Curtain Call.” It’s easy to go overboard with that stuff but I think we got the balance about right.

SPB: The songs on Sunny Days Ahead are credited to Shake Some Action! on the CD insert, how much of a group effort was this record? What was the songwriting process like?

JH: It was very much a group effort from the very beginning. Gary and I talked about co-writing early last year and we found we worked really well together – once we started a lot of new material just came out of nowhere. We had a lot of fun coming in with ideas, recording demos in my studio, then taking away unfinished songs and returning a week later with lyrics and melodies. Those first few songs ended up in our live set at the end of last year – “Walking Away,” “Looking For Someone” and “Unusual Girl.” Then Chris started coming in with songs (he wrote a lot of “You Don’t Care”) and would help co-write on others. Once we had chords and lyrics we would learn the songs as a band and that was where David would come in and add the icing on the cake with his guitar work. So the writing process was very collaborative from beginning to end.

SPB: Several of the songs seem to be about disintegrating relationships. Was there a catalyst?

JH: Not really. That’s the stuff that always fascinates me regardless of whether it’s happening to me or not. Some friends of mine were going through a nasty divorce last year and that inspired some lyrics on a few songs but only in a general sense.

GM: I’ve always written lyrics that have some type of loss or longing in them. For some reason, that’s always been a draw for me both as a writer and a listener. So, as one who is happily married, it requires putting yourself in another space or frame of mind sometimes. But, really, that kind of stuff is universal and you can draw on past experiences, or even things that evoke the same feeling but are in completely different parts of life. Truth be known, while I was writing the lyrics to “Your Valentine,” my dog was very sick and almost died. I’m sure that imbued some sadness in those lyrics.

SPB: I think David’s a great guitar player but I understand that he was busy with his newborn baby (congratulations) during much of the recording and that Gary actually played some of the guitar solos on Sunny Days Ahead. I really love the solo on “Half Past Three” - the way the tension quickly builds over the bridge erupting in a quick burst of violence and then when it starts back into the verse it sounds so joyful like a little victory dance and finally over the chorus almost gloating – nah nah nah nah, nah nah, nah nah nah…Great stuff and it fits so perfectly with the story the lyrics tell. I’m curious Gary, was all that thought out or was it just intuitive?

GM: You know, it’s funny you should ask that, because that is the one song that I hadn’t analyzed the lyrics for at all. In truth, it hadn’t really even struck me what that song was about until you wrote about it on SPB. I should probably hang my head in shame for that, I’m sure. But, the song’s story wasn’t obvious to me until you wrote about it. I suppose I’m thick headed or something! I guess that’s a long way of answering that it was total intuition and luck that allows the guitar solo to match the storyline of the song. I was just writing to the music, rather than the lyrics.

SPB: “Who Do You Love?” has a scorching solo played by Ryan Maxwell of Young Sportsmen. How did you happen to work with Ryan on that track?

GM: Well, this song almost didn’t make it onto the record. Even though it’s a total rocker, I don’t think James has ever really been in love with the tune. So, we were working on this one late in the game, during the time where David and Dana were getting closer to having their baby. I didn’t feel like I could really pull off a solo to match the vibe of the tune. So, I asked James if he wanted to go “outside the circle.” I called up Ryan, and he literally said “have guitar, will travel.” So, he came over and just blasted through it.

SPB: What kind of distribution deal do you have for Sunny Days Ahead and where can people buy a copy?

JH: People can buy a copy at any of the major online stores – iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody, CD Baby etc etc – and our distribution stretches across the world so even if it isn’t on the shelves, it can be ordered from practically any record store on the planet.

SPB: You guys haven’t played any shows since last September. Gary moved to North Carolina earlier this year. I’m getting a little worried. Gary’s driving rock-solid bass playing and spot-on high harmony vocals are an integral part of Shake Some Action’s sound. Are you going to try to function as a bi-costal band or are you looking for a replacement for Gary?

JH: We still haven’t worked that one out. We had planned on taking a little break after finishing the record anyway – so with Gary gone that’s just been extended. We’re still in that mindset of having a rest from the band and seeing what happens. As you mentioned, Gary is an exceptional bass player and vocalist. It would be tough to find someone who could do either of those things as well as him, let alone wrapped up in the one person. We had such a great chemistry as a band – everyone was easy going and low maintenance, there was never any drama – that replacing any member of the band would diminish it for me. We’ve talked about collaborating long-distance and as far as recording goes that’s perfectly do-able. We’re just not sure about playing live – we haven’t ruled anything in or out, we’ll just wait and see where the dust settles.

GM: I really hope to see the long-distance collaboration come into being. I think that’d be interesting and fun, especially since I think James and I write well together. But, as he says, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens after this record runs its course.

SPB: Gary you like to classify Seattle bands in what you call affinity groups, so what bands are in Shake Some Action’s affinity group?

GM: That’s a very good question. I may be too close to the forest to see any particular trees here. I think we might straddle a few. I think we always felt comfortable surrounded by the Unsmashable guys. But, at the same time, some of our best shows I think were with The Purrs. We’re not nearly as psychedelic as those guys. But, I think both bands have a slightly dark undercurrent.

SPB: Every review or article I’ve ever read about Shake Some Action! mentions that you play Rickenbacker guitars. Have you ever thought about trying to secure an endorsement deal?

JH: Dreamed about it would be more accurate! If John Hall is reading this, we’d love a 12 string 360.

GM: And if you could toss a 4003 in the box, that’d be awesome. Ha ha.

SPB: I have a theory that bands that play Rickenbacker guitars are somewhat enamored with the music of the mid-sixties Beatles, Byrds and Who, hope to emulate that sound in some way and will therefore most likely make pretty good music themselves. What do you think of my theory?

JH: I think that’s true to a large extent, although a lot of bands can take the emulation too far - the trick is to incorporate other influences to put a fresh spin on the music. After all, those bands eventually got away from that sound themselves so it’s important to evolve.

Shake Some Action! – Sunny Days Ahead

While Shake Some Action’s self-titled debut was essentially a James Hall solo record – written, performed and recorded by the talented frontman at his home studio – their terrific new album Sunny Days Ahead was a total group effort that sounds more direct and immediate than its predecessor and nicely captures the energy and excitement that Shake Some Action generate live. The thirteen concise, punchy songs on Sunny Days Ahead rush by fairly breathlessly from one great track to the next, each showcasing the considerable talents and pop-craft of this fine Seattle band.

With an insistent guitar riff and driving beat opening track “Get It Together” is (ironically considering the album’s title) a prophetic admonition to “Look out for stormy weather/Come on and get it together,” and it sets the tone for what follows: an album of infectious, melodic power pop imbued with the snarl and indignation of punk, taking on fakes, haters, bullies and cheats.

The album’s basic rhythm tracks were recorded in a single weekend, many in just one take and there’s an air of spontaneity and looseness here but the songs are all expertly constructed and practically overflowing with ideas. “Looking For Someone” for instance, has a catchy intro riff, verses driven by syncopated bass and rhythm guitar parts that recall the Beatles’ “Taxman,” crunchy power chords that lead into the chorus where organ and wordless background vocals create gorgeous, shimmering overtones and harmony vocals send a chill of pleasure down your spine - all this before they even reach the bridge.

“You Don’t Care” is a scathing rebuke of rampant greed and consumerism propelled by another unstoppable guitar riff (this album is chock-full of them), slashing rhythm guitar and hard-boiling bass and drums. James Hall’s rich, sonorous voice lends an imposing resonance to barbed lines like “Super-size/White-lies/Bloodshot eyes/And nothing satisfies you.” Backing vocals punctuate each verse with the refrain: “You don’t care you need it,” and when the harmony vocals kick in at the chorus: “Too much is not enough,” the song absolutely soars.

With its chiming guitar arpeggios and tambourine “Hurry Up” has that jangle-pop sound that hearkens back to the Byrds and early R.E.M. Other highlights include the exuberant pop punk of “Half Past Three,” “Unusual Girl” with great Farfisa organ and “la la la la” vocal hooks and “Who Do You Love?” the supercharged rocker that brings the album to a rousing finish. All the songs are great though and the CD is only 37 minutes long – you’ll want to set your CD/MP3 player on repeat and listen over and over. That’s what I’ve been doing for the last few weeks and I’ve decided that Sunny Days Ahead is a strong contender for SPB album of the year.

Seattle Powerpop Radio Playlist #9

Playlist number nine, number nine, number nine…

More great power pop from a few of my favorite Seattle bands including a new song from The Young Fresh Fellows taken from a compilation CD called R.E.M. Jukebox that came with last month’s Q magazine. The track will eventually be released on a forthcoming Robyn Hitchcock produced Young Fresh Fellows album. I can definitely hear Mr. Hitchcock’s influence here.

I’m really excited to have a cut from Young Sportsmen’s excellent new album If You Want It. I’ll have a full album review up soon.

The Greatest Hits are aptly named since every song they record sounds like it should be a greatest hit. This is a new one produced by Steve E. Nix and Johnny Sangster.

James Hall sent me this great track from Shake Some Action’s soon to be released second album Sunny Days Ahead. Listen carefully to this song about an after school fight and notice how perfectly Gary Miller’s guitar solo colors in the action and emotion outlined by the lyrics.

The last song here is a classic from The Model Rockets off of their 1996 album Snatch It Back and Hold It. It’s a really great punky power pop song. John Ramberg’s hilarious social observation is right up their with Ray Davies’ and it doesn’t get any better than that.

Here's the playlist:

The Young Fresh Fellows - "Let The Good Times Crawl"
Young Sportsmen - "The Deadenders"
The Greatest Hits - "Electric Blanket Boogie"
Shake Some Action - "Half Past Three"
The Model Rockets - "Cul De Sac"

Seattle Powerpop Radio Returns w/ Playlist 8

Wow it's really been a long time since the Seattle Powerpop Radio has been updated, playlist 7 was posted by Gary last September, but I've finally figured out how it’s done and I think this new playlist 8 is an especially good one. New songs from three of my favorite Seattle bands, a new song from up and coming Seattle band The Shy Ones and a cool Big Star cover recorded a couple of years ago by the very talented Braden Blake.

The Eighth installment of Seattle Powerpop Radio includes the following tracks:

The Riffbrokers - "Evaporate"
The Shy Ones - "All I Ever"
Doll Test - "The Decider"
Shake Some Action - "Looking For Someone"
Braden Blake - "The Ballad of El Goodo"

Just click the play button on the red widget over to the right and enjoy.

New Song from Shake Some Action!

Seattle Powerpop heroes Shake Some Action! have a new record coming out in June called Sunny Days Ahead and you can download a really cool track from it for free over at Three Imaginary Girls.

Their CD release party is set for Friday June 13th at the Sunset Tavern. I’m really looking forward to it. Maybe Gary can get me on the guest list.

Here’s an inside look at Shake Some Action! recording their new record at Rob Sharp's Playroom Studios in Seattle.

A bevy of free downloads from Shake Some Action!

Yes, yes. I know I'm in this band. But, we've just made a whole buch of mp3s (26 to be exact) available for free download on our site today. So, if you're in the mood for some live SSA!, just head on over there and get to clicking.

Shake Some Action! lands on top records list

Steve at Absolute Powerpop has posted his annual picks for top albums of the year (the list ran to 125 this year). There is a lone Seattle entry for 2007, and it's Shake Some Action! coming in at number 27.

Shake Some Action! KEXP footage

Here's some newly acquired footage of Shake Some Action! in our appearance on KEXP sometime back in the early part of 2007. The song is called "Sound of Your Mind."

Shake Some Action! studio footage

Shake Some Action! is currently laying basic tracks for our third record (if you include the live disc). James shot some video over the course of our second day at Rob Sharp's Playroom Studios.

The Blakes and Shake Some Action free today

If you're anywhere near the U District, a new block party type event called AVEventure 2007 is happening today with music and so forth. The line up features a lot of world music and raggae. But, both The Blakes and Shake Some Action are on the bill.

The whole shebang is free. Shake Some Action is on the 41st Ave stage at 4pm. The Blakes are at the 43rd Ave stage at 7pm.

My solitary Bumbershoot photo

This photo of about half the crowd was taken from the stage about two-thirds the way through the set by Shake Some Action! I love how I told the audience I was shooting a photo of them and most of them actually looked at the camera and smiled. Sweet! :)

If anyone out there has other photos they'd like to send my way for the blog, just shoot me an email.

Shake Some Action! in a Nike video

Shake Some Action's song "What You Want Me To Do" is now featured in a Nike Women ad campaign/contest. People who want to enter the competition will submit videos of themselves and use Shake Some Action (or two other approved music choices) as the backing track. The original ad can be seen here. Blogger's warning: it's a big file that took forever to load for me. Your mileage may vary.

More Andy Werth/SSA photos

Dan Muller is the main man at Trickshot Photography, and he just posted a bunch of cool shots from the Lonely Forest/Andy Werth/Shake Some Action! show at the Mars Bar this past weekend.

My fave is this close up of my bass. :)


Photo credit - Dan Muller, Trickshot Photography

Andy Werth, The Lonely Forest, SSA photos

The Mars Bar hosted a show with The Lonely Forest, Andy Werth and Shake Some Action last night. Of course, being in SSA, I was there. So, I snapped some photos. It was pretty quiet, most likely due to the Cap Hill Block Party going on (the same could be said for the Scheme/Dept of Energy/Riffbrokers show on Friday). But, it was still a fun night of music.

The Lonely Forest opened the night and perhaps purchased themselves the crown of "loudest bass/drums/piano trio on the planet." Seriously. It was a good show, but they're a punk-rock-volume piano trio! I snapped some photos. But as is often the case when I shoot photos, they were not good shots. So, when in doubt, play around in photoshop.

For example, I made the bass player look like that scene out of Star Wars when Han Solo gets frozen by Jabba The Hut. Compare below:

Han Solo:


Bass player from The Lonely Forest:


Pretty close, huh? :)

Here's a less science fiction shot of their piano player:


Andy Werth and his band came on second, and they had a good contingent of friends, family and fans in attendance. One thing that I think is great about Andy (beyond his great songwriting) is that he is able to appeal to folks who don't normally just hang out at rock clubs.

Anyway, the two regular trumpet players were not able to make the show due to separate emergencies. So, Andy had two other fellows sitting in with him. Apparantly they just got together a few nights ago and charted out their stuff. But, it sounded great even with them being new.


Andy's trumpet players (sorry, I didn't catch your names)


Andy Werth

Shake Some Action took the stage last. We decided to make this a night of "b-sides and rarities." So, instead of our normal set, we played four new songs, three cover tunes and a few tracks from the record that we don't play as often, like "Orange Peel" and "You've Got It Made." It was a pretty sloppy/rockin' set, but it was a lot of fun.

I snapped this shot of James as we walked off of stage. Being drenched in sweat is usually a sign of a good show.


Shake Some Action - James Hall

Absolute Powerpop's top 2007 releases, so far

The fine folks at Absolutely Powerpop have released their Top 50 for the first half of 2007 list. There appears to only be one Seattle artist on the list. Coming in at number five is Shake Some Action! [conflict of interest alert: I'm the bass player in SSA]. They also released a short list of the Top 5 EPs for 2007, and The Brides of Obscurity come in at number five there.

Congrats to both!

SPB Anniversary countdown: Day 1

Day 1??? That's right, tomorrow is Day 0. So, this is the last blog of the ten-day countdown to the SPB Anniversary Show that is happening tomorrow (Friday, June 29) at the Sunset Tavern.

To close out this countdown, I want to do a thank-you-in-advance to all the bands on the bill. You guys all rock. Thanks so much for being part of it!

Here's a rundown of the schedule (starts at 9pm sharp!):

First up: The Knast. These guys blasted onto my radar back in January with a myspace friend request that had a single song posted called "Sittin' In My Tree." Since then they've played around town a bunch and added three more songs to their site and have been in the studio laying down tracks. I love what they're doing. It feels very NYC, very dirt-under-the-fingernails, but still very catchy.

Second on the bill: Andy Werth. Andy's sunny 1970s pop is a stark contrast to the Knast, but what they share is an undeniable ability to write catchy melodies. I learned of Andy last year with the release of the "Back To the Sun" ep, which immediately brought a smile to my face. I expect the same will happen on Friday.

Third at bat: The Small Change. I've said it before and I'll say it again -- These guys are hands-down one of my favorite bands in town. The energy, the melodies, the retro-mod sounds that are somehow completely modern-day... I love it all. I only wish I had a better camera so that I could actually snap a photo of Greg in mid-air instead of after he lands (stupid shutter delay!).

On fourth: Shake Some Action. I play bass in SSA, so I'll keep the praise to a minimum. But, suffice it to say that James has crafted some incredibly catchy tunes, and I feel lucky to be able to hold down the bottom end for them.

Coming on fifth: Dept of Energy. There's something hypnotic about these guys. I remember first seeing them and thinking Robb had a voice that, while it's sometimes all over the place, you can't stop listening to. Unique lyrics, unique melodies, no bass player. Quirk pop at its finest.

Closing out the night: Sgt. Major. What can be said about this motley crew of rock dudes (and dudette)? Sgt. Major is like the aftermath of a head-on collision between one van full of pure rock energy and another van full of Seattle powerpop history. Kurt gave me a bit ol' tease by sending an email saying "Many surprises... this I know." I can't wait to find out what they are!

And you shouldn't miss it.

SPB Anniversary countdown: Day 2

Wow, the anniversary show is day after tomorrow (Friday June 29), and I'm super duper psyched up about it. In today's edition of the countdown, I thought I'd tell you more about... ME! I've met a lot of you in person. But, for those who don't know, here's my story.

My name is Gary Miller. I moved to Seattle from Atlanta at the end of 2003. I was born in the South (East Tennessee, specifically) and lived there my entire life up until my Seattle move. I went from East Tennessee to Middle Tennessee to Chapel Hill, North Carolina and to Atlanta.

I've been a musician since my junior year in high school (1987). I wanted to be a drummer, but my mom was having none of that. Two of my skateboarding pals played guitar and drums, and they told me I should get a bass so we could start a band. So, for Christmas of 1987 (holy crap that's 20 years!) I got my first bass and amp. We played our first show two months later.

Fast forward to Chapel Hill in 1993 where I formed the band Gumption with my friend Kurt (who is now in Portland, coincidentally, and has a great solo record out now called Ten Singles). Gumption had a moderate level of success, putting out a 7" single and a six song EP that we recorded with Chris Stamey (of dB's fame).

After that band came to a close, I went to grad school and moved to Atlanta for work. I wasn't very involved in the Atlanta music scene, which (like most of Atlanta) didn't seem very creative to me. So I took up swing dancing and married a great woman named Theresa. Neither Theresa nor I liked Atlanta, so we decided to move elsewhere, and that place ended up being Seattle.

I now play in Shake Some Action and The Scheme. I work at the University of Washington, where I am the assistant director of the Undergraduate Programs Office in the Business School. And, in case my boss is reading this, I do the blog between my student appointments during the day. :)

So, that's my story. Well, at least part of my story.

Shake Some Action, of course, is on the bill for Friday. So, if you're coming to the show, please come introduce yourself. I'll be the one playing bass.

Oh, and one last thing. I love petting animals. Here's a photo of me with a goat.

SPB Anniversary countdown: Day 4

In today's edition of the countdown to the Seattle Powerpop Blog Anniversary Show (Friday, June 29 at the Sunset Tavern), I'm going to hit close to home by talking about Shake Some Action.

Shake Some Action was formed from the ashes of The Jeunes. Jeunes main man James Hall recorded the SSA primarily at home himself (with some assistance from currently guitarist David Bos). The current rhythm section, comprised of Chris Campbell on drums and yours truly on bass, came into the fold just as the SSA record was being finalized.

Shortly thereafter, the group starting hitting the clubs, and in December they played a show at the Crocodile Cafe, which they recorded. Today is the official release date of the Shake Some Action "Live at the Crocodile." It's currently a digital-only release through iTunes.

We're currently writing material for the second SSA studio album, and we'll be playing a few of those new songs at the show on Friday. But, I'm most excited about our cover of The Heaters' "She Belongs To Me." A few of the Heaters have said they're coming to the show, too. No pressure. :)

Two weeks until SPB anniversary show!

You've probably all seen the graphic over there --->

But, perhaps you've not paid very close attention. Well, now is the time to start paying attention, as the one-year anniversary party for the Seattle Powerpop Blog is in 12 days!

The show is taking place at the Sunset Tavern and has a rediculously cool line up. But, as if the line up wasn't cool enough by itself, in addition to their own music, during their 20 minute sets each band will be paying tribute to (at least) one other Seattle pop band by performing a cover tune. So, while you'll be seeing six bands, you'll be hearing the music of over a dozen!

Here's the scoop:

FRIDAY, JUNE 29

Midnight -- Sgt. Major, paying tribute to: Young Fresh Fellows, Model Rockets, The Sonics and The Fastbacks
11:25pm -- Dept of Energy, paying tribute to: Harvey Danger and/or Western State Hurricanes
10:45pm -- Shake Some Action, paying tribute to: The Heaters
10:10pm -- The Small Change, paying tribute to: Green Pajamas
9:35pm -- Andy Werth, paying tribute to: The Color Bars
9pm -- The Knast, paying tribute to: Screaming Trees

Now if that's not a fun evening, I don't know what is. Go ahead and mark your calendar for the night. Only a fool would miss such a party!!