The Press Corps

The Press Corps were formed in 2003 when ex-Fluid and Spell drummer extraordinaire Garrett Shavlik (vocals) thought it’d be fun to have a group where he could get out from behind the drums and shake his tail. Seeing as he was already in a band (Seattle's almighty Alta May) with his good buddies/cohorts in rock Erik Roper (guitar) and Marcus Pina (bass), he was three-fifths of the way there. But with Shavlik now up front, who would provide the pounding rhythms? Old friend Dan Peters from Mudhoney of course. And what about second guitar? Surely, one guitarist wouldn’t be enough for the Press Corps’ brand of tuneful heavy rock. Enter Bruce Fairweather, guitar mercenary of Mother Love Bone and Green River fame. Viola! The band was now complete.

But what do they sound like? The Press Corp somehow manage to create a unique sound, rooted in the garagey, melodic hard rock of the members’ former bands, but also culling from influences as varied as the backgrounds of the band members themselves. That doesn’t mean the Press Corps are some kind of retro grunge act. They write no-nonsense driving riffs that sound both completely modern and totally classic at the same time. Sort of like your favorite pair of Chuck Taylors -– they never go out of style.

The debut album "Urban Truth, Rural Myth", kicks off with the T-Rex-glam inspired riffs of “Black Out Boys”, and rocks on with the kind of sing-along heard only in better bars and clubs across the nation. “Mediocrity” follows with a sinewy bass line that vies for a spot in your psyche, and another sing-along that would make any electorate punch the air and get down. “She’s All The Wave” gets downright poppy, with a finely blended mixture that we like to call altcountrynewwavespacerock – kind of like Gram Parsons meets Elvis Costello meets Hawkwind – yeah! Wanna’ dance? “Cat Eyes” will give you your fix of Black Flag Bee Gee’s dance punk! The album carries on with “Rose Gold” and a nod and a wink to the grandiose rock of The Who and Guided By Voices, and “Sisters”, the number one contender for Christmas single 2008 if we ever heard one! And so we go until the closing typewriter staccato guitar line of “Press Corps”.

Live, The Press Corps put on a mean show, carried by the stellar rhythm section, buzzing, dueling, and whirring guitar heroics, and harmonic vocalbatics of seasoned pros. Give the record a spin – go see them live – you won’t regret it.

“Relax, and enjoy.”