Music
Press
"This is a really fresh sounding track. I am impressed with the subtle layering of melodies, great backing vocal accents, and the abundance of melodic hook lines. This track sounds to me as if it could cross over into several different formats - the subject matter has potential for wide appeal and I think this is as good a lead track as any - nice work!" - Taxi
Discography
Love Callin', 2006
"Take Me," original version received airplay in 2003
Photos
Bio
Chapel Hill indie rock and L.A. hair metal. Polar opposites, right? And ne’er in the ‘tween shall they meet… except when two Shady Cats, Grady Crumpler and Bill Eagen, get together to record.
While Grady was playing in SPECS and going to school at UNC – Chapel Hill, Bill was in Los Angeles with his band, Shattered Truth. While Grady was taking in all the music in Chapel Hill, Bill was bumping into Axl Rose at the grocery store (where Bill could occasionally afford to buy the staples for lettuce and ketchup sandwiches). How could two players with such vastly different experiences make music together? The answer: hands-on music education.
Grady got his hands on a treasure-trove of vinyl LP’s when his uncle took a job in England and entrusted him with a large record collection, heavy on British Invasion and seminal American acts. Inundated with great music and inspired to play along (on said uncle’s Les Paul, no less), Grady couldn’t help but come up some new angles on classic sounds.
Bill got his hands on some drumsticks and began accompanying his father and grandfather on gigs. He learned to play standards, light jazz, and more on the job. Off the job, he went for more extreme sounds.
Since both players had an appreciation of "classic" music, it was easy to find common ground. The full story of how these two musicians met is available under “About” at the Shady Cats web site: www.shadycats.com.
So, what’s the music sound like? With the exception of “I Want Independence” (Soundgarden? Black Sabbath channeling King’s X?), the songs on Love Callin’ are infused with a 70’s rock-pop vibe. The songs are totally original, and they largely avoid clichéd chord progressions, but there are little segments here and there where the listener says, “That sounds like Beach Boys harmony,” or “E.L.O. and Queen used a similar effect.” For instance, on the title track, guitarists might pick up on tones and licks reminiscent of Lindsay Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) and a particular strum associated with Pete Townshend (The Who). “Take Me” might remind listeners of Cry of Love, who won fans the world over with their update of the Led Zeppelin sound. (Ironically, Cry of Love’s producer, John Custer, produced 5 songs for Love Callin’, but not this one.) “All The Way” has a guitar solo that screams, “Santana!” Is that cool? Hell, yeah!!
Reviewers have also noted the following influences, not already name-dropped:
Tom Petty, Del Amitri, Keith Richards, Beatles, Raspberries, XTC, AC/DC, Wallflowers, Pete Yorn.
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