Han Shot First

LIVE Review:

Han Shot First @ The Lemon 6/21/04

By Janis Tate (2004)

"Though it's hard to ever touch "The Rolling Stones", HAN SHOT FIRST definitely comes close in music, vibe and eclectic styling. Fearlessly reinventing themselves live, HSF again mixes up the set, taking sucessful chances with their original arrangements. "What I'm Looking For", normally a rapid power pop tune, is turned into a mid-tempo reggae song with seemingly no effort.

HSF, masters at maneuvering their songs into a great set list, give a killer concert like show with many climaxes before they're done. Opening the set with an aggressive anthem to themselves (just cocky enough to be "rock star" confident but not egotistical) the band then segways into a driven, blues touched rock tune. Midway thru they hit us with a wonderfully written rock ballad called "It's Me" complete with stadium guitar solo and all. Then back into a high energy rock tune to send us off with.

Lead vocalist/bassist, JAMEY McGAUGH, brings the band into smooth and often humorous transitions as they flow from song to song about love, politics, self awareness and being the average guy. I think JAMEY McGAUGH describes them best when just before the show ended he declared "we're rockin' hard up here"...and he's right"


- http://www.indiemusicexplosion.com/

"The production is spectacular. The music is great, and the band is tight. If you're going for a solid hit on Nashville radio, you've got yourself a winner. You'll sell a million records."
Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Guitars, Drums, Programming, Production.
- marcbeutler
Santa Rosa, California
September 3rd, 2005

"The performance is excellent: all the musicianship is great.
Great vocal delivery. A well-crafted song, with a catchy melody, lyrics that the average joe can really relate to."
- markduval
August 31st, 2005

"Soothin' and welcomin' intro...vocalist has a great and unique voice...steel suits the songs well...lyrically nice twist...very vivid...draws a pic in the mind...ahhhh niiiiice solo!"
-Vince
Chatham, NJ

Love the voice, very commercial sounding. I like the lyrics, this is a really nice song. Good stuff.
- katiyaB
Leeds, London, United Kingdom
September 12th, 2005

Beautiful intro...very captivating voice and melody. Good vocals.
- adrinathorpe
Los Angeles, California
September 12th, 2005

Voice Made for Teen Girls to Swoon Over
Wow, you have a total Bob Dylan sound, except you sing on-key! I think your sound would really appeal to teens. Kids will love it.
Loved the "I do" when everything but your voice faded out. Very effective.
Good job. You have a unique voice that I think the young crowds would die for. Keep at it my friend.
- staciausten
Orem, Utah
September 10th, 2005

Structurally this song has it all. Melody, nice instrumentation, nice bridge, and I could keep going on. ….you just might have a hit on your hands.
- MichaelWM
Niagara On The Lake, Canada
September 10th, 2005

Great performance! Song is simple but very hooky. Production is tight!
- Anubadude
Detroit, Michigan
September 8th, 2005

This singer has an unusual voice. That difference sets this song apart. Cool elements here. Nicely produced. What I like about the singer is that he conveys confidence in the delivery of the song. Nice arrangement too.
- wordwiseguy
Birmingham, Alabama
September 8th, 2005

The production is very nice, clean. The mix is very good as well. Very competant musicianship; all the guitars sound pretty and the band is tight. Good job.
- mudelle
Brooklyn, New York
September 8th, 2005

Nice song. I like it. Good melody and lyrics. The singer has a good voice.
Extra Credit: Lyrics, Melody.
- gabbler
September 7th, 2005

It’s a good song... good recording. Vocals were different, sounded good.
- duignan91
Fuquay Varina, North Carolina
September 5th, 2005

Nice restraint in the rhythm section on the slow tempo... production sounds great. Chorus really explodes out of the slow-paced verse. Nice job.
- JamisonKirby
Nashville, Tennessee
September 5th, 2005

- http://www.garageband.com/hanshotfirst

Am I crazy? For some reason you guys remind me of the Rolling Stones. This song really has a dirty rock feel to it, and I love it. Rock on guys!
-Eddmonger
Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
September 12th, 2005




The riffs and guitars are nice and vintage sounding. Really good panning splits the guitars well and the drummer is talented. Probably nice band to see live, check out their upcoming gigs!
Extra Credit: Originality.
- AndrewGil
San Diego, California
September 9th, 2005


This song has a very smooth mix of all components. The lyrics are easy to understand in a nice, nostalgic oldies kind of way. The lead guitar mimics this sense, and you seem to have good control over the genre. Good job, vocalist, with the performance…Ooh, very nice guitar riff, not to complicated…The song has a great, complete feel, or as we Germans say, 'Gestalt.' Wery nice, my friend.
Extra Credit: Guitars, Production.
- fifthman
San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico
September 8th, 2005

Cool! This song sounds well produced, the vocals are cool, the guitars are awesome.....I would listen to it again... keep up the good work!
Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Guitars, Drums, Production, Lyrics, Melody, Mood, Originality.
- kingdugger911
Dugger, Indiana
September 4th, 2005

- http://www.garageband.com/hanshotfirst