Shotgun Harbour - Down Here

[AlphaMale]

Anybody heard these guys yet? Really good stuff. I think GEOFF would love this!!

 

 

 

SHOTGUN HARBOUR hails from Yulee, Florida, and since its inception in 2009 seems the band has grabbed a strong fan base throughout the U.S. Southeast.

The shotgun guys debuted with an EP two years ago and last December the quintet presented their new material "Down Here", a collection of really well rounded rocking songs.

 

Despite their name, Shotgun Harbour aren't another sleazy or Sunset Strip-like act, they are a modern hard rock outfit with an updated style and a sound propelled by strong guitar riffs.

The five piece includes Blaine Dickinson (Lead Guitar), Brock Dickinson (Vocals), Jordan Lloyd (Bass), Justin Monds (Rhythm Guitar) and Matt Braddock (Drums), all young musicians playing with energy and fire.

Although modern in approach, these rocking songs are firmly rooted in American classic acts. Shotgun Harbour has the ability to take on heavy subject matter, yet still make the songs ridiculously contagious and enjoyable.

"Daisy Duke" opens with great catchiness, followed by the groovy title track "Down Here". In the lyrics you are able to appreciate Shotgun Harbour's intentions: "... listen to our music loud and turn it on, this is how we do it, Down Here... ". And they rock good!

We have next the hard rockin', slightly southern "Yesterday", followed by the clean guitar driven ballad "Trust Me" crafted with obvious radio approach, and then "Time To Run" rocks hard again yet with sustained melody.

 

"Liar Too" is one of the highlights to me. This track has much more detailed arrangements going from slow vocals and instrumentation to a swelling cascade of guitars full of intensity.

"The Cover-Up" is an uptempo rocker which reminds me in the chorus Collective Soul yet the song skeleton is bluesy hard rock inspired. "Open Road" bleeds more groove again, while the ballad "Day Late Friend" recalls Nickelback but in a good way.

"Too Far Gone" is a quite furious track featuring breaks in the middle and razor riffs - the heaviest piece on the album - which ends with the modern semi-ballad "I Am Here", another radio oriented tune not good as the previous.

 

Shotgun Harbour is a more than interesting rockin' band with a modern approach without sounding colourless or bland, on the contrary, there's a lot of energy and freshness in "Down Here".

Solid catchy songs, good sharp vocals, thick twin guitar walls and a fat rhythm section (especially loved the drums) is the motto of this recording sporting an excellent production & mix for an indie.

Really good stuff.

 

 

01 - Daisy Duke

02 - Down Here

03 - Yesterday

04 - Trust Me

05 - Time To Run

06 - Liar Too

07 - The Cover-Up

08 - Open Road

09 - Day Late Friend

10 - Public Enemy

11 - Too Far Gone

12 - I Am Here

 

Brock Dickinson - Lead and Backing Vocals

Blaine Dickinson - Lead Guitar

Justin Monds - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals

Jordan Lloyd - Bass, Backing Vocals

Matt Braddock - Drums

[Grey]

From what I've heard on Spotify, I'm sold. Now where the hell can I buy it? I don't want iTunes files.

[AlphaMale]

I have iTunes so it's not a problem for me. Not sure if they made physical copies of the new disc.

[Stefan]

This is good stuff! I'm sure Geoff's gonna like it...

 

http://www.reverbnation.com/shotgunharbour/songs

[Glen]

Is it mostly mid paced?

[Grey]

I have iTunes so it's not a problem for me. Not sure if they made physical copies of the new disc.

 

I asked the band. Here's their reply:

 

Available on Google Play and Spotify. You can also purchase the old cd "The Cover-Up" from our online store and we'll throw in copy of "Down Here" for free!

 

Also worth noting: The track list above includes two different EPs with two different lead singers. Only the first 6 of that list are from "Down Here".

 

The other 6 tracks from their first EP can be heard here:

[hardrockhaven]

I liked it. Thanks for the heads up.

[Geoff]

A little laid back for me based on first thoughts, but it sounds pretty good. Good enough to give the tunes a go. Thanks for the tip.

[Guest Justin Monds]

What's up guys. I am one of the two guitar players in Shotgun Harbour. Really appreciate you guys checking our stuff out. We did not get pressed CD's made yet but are debating whether to invest in that (expensive!!!) or put that money to something else like merch, band savings, etc. Again, thanks for checking us out and if you bought the EP we thank you very much.

 

*PS - To get the record straight, "Down Here" has songs 1-6 on it with the current lineup. Our older album, "The Cover-Up" has the rest on it with former lead singer Scott Struble. For some reason online sites like to combine them. But both are quality music so check them out!!!

[AlphaMale]

Hey Justin. Glad to hear from you here! Your band rocks. Love the newer stuff with the new singer. Solid modern hard rock! Good luck to you guys!!

[Grey]

What's up guys. I am one of the two guitar players in Shotgun Harbour. Really appreciate you guys checking our stuff out. We did not get pressed CD's made yet but are debating whether to invest in that (expensive!!!) or put that money to something else like merch, band savings, etc. Again, thanks for checking us out and if you bought the EP we thank you very much.

 

*PS - To get the record straight, "Down Here" has songs 1-6 on it with the current lineup. Our older album, "The Cover-Up" has the rest on it with former lead singer Scott Struble. For some reason online sites like to combine them. But both are quality music so check them out!!!

If you guys don't opt for the pressed CDs, a lossless (flac) release like what's offered at cdbaby or bandcamp.com would be cool too. That way audiophiles can still get CD quality and you don't have to worry about physical distribution. I already bought the mp3s, but I'd pay again for lossless. Honestly, when I buy a pressed CD, it goes into my CD drive once to convert it to flac, then I never touch the CD again. I can't speak for everyone though.

 

Love your music. It's a cool mix of southern rock, modern rock and blues. You're one of those bands that you can't describe by saying they sound like somebody else. It's an original sound. Good stuff. Thanks for the tunes and I hope you guys can make some good $$$ at this.

[Guest Justin Monds]

Something to consider there Grey. We have been working hard to make ourselves stand out of the local scene here in Jacksonville. We were all raised on Southern Rock but have heavy influences in metal, progressive rock, and country as well. We have been describing our sound as if Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shinedown, and Brantley Gilbert had a baby you would get Shotgun Harbour. A lot of people from overseas say we sound like Clutch as well. We hope to have our music hit the right person soon. We know a lot of people in the industry (in fact, the lead singer of Saliva is a native of Jacksonville named Bobby Amaru) and have opportunities to get there with the right people in the room. Again, we can't thank you guys enough for the support. We hope to have new material soon. We have taken a lot of time off due to personal schedules not aligning but we have been working on a special project that is absolutely awesome! Stick around, the fun has just begun.