ATH Interview: Shivery Shakes + Video Premiere

We’re trying to put together as much of a push as we can to make this year’s Austin Music Bloggers Awards pretty special.  We wanted to sit down with a few of the acts to get their insight on Austin, the Awards show, etc.  We caught up with William of Shivery Shakes who shared a few thoughts on such things.  His band is up for Best Single with “Sidewalk Talk;” HERE are the other nominees.  As you may recall, we attended the festivitivities for the that song’s video premiere, check the pics. You can also check out that video of said single running on the Internet for the first time at the end of the interview.

Don’t forget to grab your tickets HERE.  They’re selling pretty fast with a great rock show/award ceremony on the cards.

ATH: You’ve been a big part of the Austin music scene for quite some time (Bubbles/ShiveryShakes). How does it feel now that you’re getting some great recognition? What else do you hope to accomplish?

SS: Recognition is always a great motivator, it’s always great to know that someone is enjoying something that you’ve been chasing after creatively. It pushes you to keep going. I think we just want to keep making great records, one better than the last. If that’s all I could do with the rest of my life, I’d be content – just try to keep making better records. That’s really what winds us up at the end of the day – the idea of making better pop songs…endlessly.

ATH: There are some pretty great tracks in the Best Single Category. If you can’t pick yourself (you cant!), who do you think should be the winner of the best single?

SS: I’m a huge fan of both Marmalakes and Tiger Waves – and their nominations are both really great tracks. I’ve also been a big fan of Gal Pals…I’m not sure what should “win”…it’s all great music. I’m constantly astonished by how much talent resides in this town.

ATH: We always see you out at local shows checking out other local acts. Has that impacted your musical growth? Has it led to a certain sense of comaraderie with local bands?

SS: The Austin music scene is on a HUGE upswing. There have always been fantastic bands here, but when I was growing up here, I always picked on local acts thinking “my highschool band can write better songs than these f$%*s”. However, now I can’t believe the amount of fantastic music here – there’s a surplus. Technically, the music scene in Austin is in an era reminiscent of the Clinton Administration…I could get pretty in depth with this analogy, but I’ll resist. To answer your other question – there is a fantastic sense of community here right now. I have trouble setting up local bills because I want to ask 15+ bands to play. I’m not quite sure if this helps my personal musical growth, because I’m constantly intimidated at how good everyone has been.

ATH: Growing up as a local…what are the pros and cons of being a musician in Austin?

SS: This is an easy one

PROS: Everybody is family, everybody has the same career. E.G. “When’s the next show? That last single you put out was amazing! I loved ya’lls set – let’s play together soon.” It’s a constant love-fest over everyone’s art. It’s fantastic.

CONS: I’m so fucking broke it hurts. Will you pay my rent?

ATH: Marry, Fuck, Kill….Marcus Haddon, Andrew Penmer, Jack Thorton…explain.

SS: Well…this is tough, because technically by band association, I’m probably down for all of the above with all of them…but if I had to pick….

MARRY: Marcus. He’s a charmer, lots of hidden talents, pretty stand up dude. Plus who doesn’t want to come home to that ‘stache? Right?

FUCK: Andrew. Probably the nicest dude in town – the guy probably has more humility and modesty than most Austinites stuck together, but I bet that dude can fuck like a truck (F-150 style baby). We get more gigs off of that dude’s looks than I would like to admit – though I’m sure he is completely unaware of it. If I was into that kind of thing, I’m sure he’d be a gentle and competent lover.

KILL: Jack…sorry dude. Jack’s a really awesome guy, but I bet if I got him stoned enough he wouldn’t mind being Ol’ Yeller. Come see the farm boy!

ATH: We know you’ve got a new record about ready to be wrapped up. When can Austin (and the world) expect to hear the new SS album? Does it have a title yet?

SS: The Shivery Shakes album is on it’s way…but probably not for a little while. We’re trying to do ourselves a favor by not getting too excited and just dropping it in the can. Every other day I’m tempted to be like “IT’S READY FOR THE WORLD, HERE YA GO BANDCAMP!”, but we worked WAY too hard on this album not to give it a proper treatment. If I had to guess, it’ll available on wax by June or July…pressing a record is a very thorough process. Also, it will most likely be a S/T record – I appreciate when bands do that for their first release instead of pulling some White Album bullshit and naming their 5th record S/T. Ya feel me?

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