The Shake

"Contemporary indie music has resorted to a lot of bells and whistles that this band does not use when writing their songs; similarly this is the attribute that sets them ahead of the rest of the pack." - Migrate Music News

"Each and every track is loaded with hooks, from the “ba ba ba” of ‘Debutante’ to brisk chords of ‘Manic Boogie’ to the hard rock guitar riff of ‘Got No Soul.'" - Secret Sound Shop

Cited as being one of the 28 Best Bands of CMJ 2010 by Black Book Magazine - Black Book Magazine

Kick It plays it straight, with plenty of immediately likeable garage rock…As “Devil’s Side” attests, the group isn’t at all afraid to throw in wailing electric guitar whenever the mood suits them. Eliad Shapiro even adds soulful organ to “Devil’s Side,” which only increases the fun factor. Witty song titles like “Dyin’ Ain’t the End of the World” shows that the group also has an overt sense of humor. So with all they’ve got going for them, who wouldn’t want to kick it with The Shake? - www.popmatters.com

Possibly the best unsigned band to be part of the indie NYC fabric for far too long unnoticed…full of rock n’ roll and enough belting punk thrown in to make you sit up and listen... All I have left to ask is, with guitar playing and vocals like this, why haven't these guys been signed to a major label yet?” - Lucid Forge Music & Entertainment; www.lucidforge.com

For all the Shake's stylistic intricacies, in the end it's their melodies that are paramount, each one catchier than the next. “Princes" and "Devil's Side" truly do kick it, "Outcast" is absolutely incendiary, "8 O'clock" and "Let Me" sparkling pop fare, "Stop Fighting” is lethal, and "Manic Boogie” is enough to drive one right over the edge. This is the Sixties, and although not quite how some may remember it, true to the spirit and talent of the time. - The All Music Guide; www.allmusic.com

There’s something in this mélange that says to me: “I am the missing link between your fond nostalgia and your obsessive downloading of everything ‘Pitchfork’ fawns over. - www.deadairnightmares.com

You could say that the garage-rock sound that briefly flourished around 2003 with bands such as The Hives and Jet has become passé. But The Shake is making that old-new-old sound seem, well, new again…People are starting to notice. - Newsday (NYC & Long Island)

"New York based The Shake, are probably one of the best-kept secrets of the indie music scene..."Well, Oh Well" is going to draw you in because of their catchy guitars and vocals all backed by their rock and pop sensibilities...The Shake is easily a band that has a chance to find their way into an overcrowded music scene and blow anyone and everyone away that is willing to give them a listen." - Guest List Magazine

"The Shake Go Crazy," marks, not a departure, but an evolution and a sign of maturity from the band... A particular honed and crafted wildness envelopes the brilliant 8-track LP... With “The Shake Go Crazy,” you’ve got 12-bar blues, punchy (almost-)power pop, unmitigated screaming Rock and a dash of odd time signature Prog, all ornamented with studio banter and occasional coughs in the background. Oh, you’ve also got what I’m surely going to nominate for Song of the Year 2010 – though it should have been in the running last year – in “Got No Soul,” the last track on the album... Jon Merkin lets his voice and not the production do the talking. It’s scratchy, it’s honest and it’s powerful. Eliad Shapiro effortlessly invokes the spirit and style of Page and Gilmour without approaching copycat territory. Bassist Jeremy Stein keeps things simple and jives magically with drummer Vish Kumar, who is a cot dang powerhouse... The Shake deliver an absolute knockout with “Go Crazy.” Very much worth the $10 off iTunes, even in this economy. - Dirty Fucking Hipster dot com

"It was quite overcast out when my first band of the day started their set at The Rockwood Music Hall. The Shake didn't seem to care either way, they were ready to rock! Fans of the Australian band Jet can appreciate The Shake's garagey, AC/DC inspired sound as they brought back the guitar solo on numerous occasions while the guitarist and bassist harmonized on the vocals. Singer Jon Merkin resembles a young Paul Westerberg and entertained us with charismatic chatter in between songs. The bands catchy hooks, metal shredding climaxes and funky inspired bass lines made it feel like a Friday night! Dare I say they threw in a funky Bee Gee's cover?"

~~The Deli Magazine - The Deli Magazine

The CMJ Music Marathon is an annual, awesomely unnavigable smorgasbord of underground acts around the city. Yesterday a writer covering the festival for The Deli mag made her way into a pre-happy hour mini-showcase of artists from CitizenMusic to catch a set by The Shake, a freshfaced rock and roll four-piece with stellar vocals, catchy guitar hooks and a penchant for the occasional disco cover. Check out the review under “Lindsey’s CMJ day 3? — and be sure to watch the video for The Shake’s single Manic Boogie. I defy you not to chair-dance. - No Happy Medium

The Shake mix rock 'n roll excess with riffs o' plenty to create songs that are fast, songs that are slow, songs that are funky, & songs that make you wanna move!
(6 out of 6 Stars) - Rock N Roll Experience; http://www.angelfire.com/rock/e4/march2008.html