“Who can tell me what it’s really about?” asks Jack Black of a group of school children.
He would have you believe that rock and roll is really about sticking it to the man, and he is probably right. But what one girl in the school of rock and Arizona band American Sharks have in common is that they reckon rock and roll is about getting wasted and having a fucking good time!
American Sharks are proof you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to be a rad band – hardcore stoner rock rich in tone and full of satanic lyrical imagery.
Having recently made a name for themselves in one of the most competitive music scenes in the world, American Sharks are going international for their first Australian tour supporting local hardcore punk dynamo Clowns!
But who are the American Sharks you ask? These guys absolutely live to party, fusing all the best elements of balls out punk rock with the good time party vibes and smooth blues influence of the palm desert stoner scene. Their self-titled debut album dropped back in 2013 and was jammed cover to cover with ear numbingly epic tunes – some would describe it as more delicious than a bag of Oreos is to a stoner. The vinyl release even featured a limited edition ‘colouring book’ cover with custom markers named after the bands favourite varieties of weed.
Iron Lungs bursts right out of the cover with a catchy fuzzed out riff, complex rhythms and epic vocals that invoke feelings of lunging beuges while ripping down the highway on a sweet-arse motorcycle. Fan favourite Overdrive is quick to follow with driving rhythms and a punchy chorus that had me listening on loop for like an hour – the accompanying video clip is totally emblematic of the bands drink hard, play hard, party hard attitude.
OVERDRIVE!!!
XVI takes a slightly darker tone with its ominous intro, sinister licks and lyrical content right out of the devils playbook for converting saints to sinners.
While many of the albums’ songs are a little same same, it doesn’t detract from its impact. Every track is rich in tone, recorded to perfection, brimming with satanic lyrical imagery and most importantly makes me want to drink a million beers and mosh as hard as I possibly can.
Their live performances are renowned for being as powerful and energetic as their records. While not doing anything incredibly original, they are exceptionally good at what they do and reliably get the whole room moving. These guys are proof you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to be a fucking rad band.
After bursting on to the American music scene but a handful of years ago, Mike, Will and Nick have gone from small beer fuelled tours in a minivan to playing some of America’s most iconic venues (House of Blues, SxSW) with some of the biggest bands on the scene (Clutch, The Sword, Red Fang). Their Secret? There is none. The Sharks have put in the hard yards on tour, spreading their stoner-punk party vibes to any venue that will let them through the door and with the help of Clowns they’ll be doing just that all around Australia very, very soon.
Get on board the high-speed rollercoaster of beers and bongs at a venue near you before they jet back the States to continue raising hell! Tour dates below:
Friday 20th Feb – The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba, QLD
Saturday 21st Feb – Crowbar, Brisbane
Sunday 22nd Feb – The Time Machine, Nambour, QLD
Wednesday 25th Feb – Hombre Records, Newcastle, NSW
Thursday 26th Feb – Transit Bar, Canberra
Friday 27th Feb – Studio Six, Sutherland, NSW
Saturday 28th Feb – Black Wire Records, Sydney
Sunday 28th Feb – Tattersalls Hotel, Penrith, NSW
Sunday 1st Mar – Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney
Wednesday 4th Mar – Club 54, Launceston, TAS
Thursday 5th Mar – The Brisbane Hotel, Hobart
Friday 6th Mar – The Bendigo Hotel, Melbourne
Saturday 7th Mar– Crown and Anchor, Adelaide
Sunday 8th Mar – Karova Lounge, Ballarat, VIC
Monday 9th Mar – The Bendigo Hotel, Melbourne
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