Braden Faisant, lead singer of Shaky Shrines.
After a hiatus brought upon by personnel changes and the finite number of hours in the day, the Local Spotlight is back, in what will hopefully be at least a semi-regular thing. This week we talk with Pittsburgh's "Bad Trip Cemetery Psychedelic Garage Rockers" Shaky Shrines. I've seen these guys (and gal) a couple times now, most recently opening for JEFF the Brotherhood and Diarrhea Planet. Their live show is relentless: driving, heavy psychedelic rock with hardly any breaks between songs. You don't want to miss it:
Pittsburgh Music Report: Who am I talking to? What's your role in the band?
Shaky Shrines: This is Braden. I sing and write most of the songs in the band. This project is my first stab at being the ‘band leader,’ and I was super fortunate to have Nate, Nate, Chelsea, Chris, and Brendan help me out.
PMR: Where did the name "Shaky Shrines" come from? It's fun to say.
SS: Nate (guitar) and I started the band and demoed the songs from the first EP together. We went through a ton of names, but Shaky Shrines was one that just seemed to work the best. Zeb Love is a really good friend of mine – he liked the name and designed/printed the poster we sell at shows. The name/imagery just seemed to fit the aesthetic I was aiming for.
PMR: Tell me what's special about your live shows. It seems like every time a kick-ass rock band plays Pittsburgh, Shaky Shrines is the opener. There was Reignwolf, Cloud Nothings, and now Jeff the Brotherhood/Diarrhea Planet.
SS: First off, Thank you! That seems like a compliment? Second, I have no idea. We are constantly writing new songs and trying to make a better and better live set and I think some people have recognized it and enjoy it. I also don’t like a long set, so we try to put together a group of songs that transition well and clock in between 20 – 30 minutes with no stops (the latest set clocks in at almost 25 minutes exactly).
PMR: What do you make of this psychedelic garage rock revival that's going on with bands like Thee oh Sees, Ty Segall, Wooden Shjips, Black Angels, etc.
SS: I am a huge fan of all of those bands and I love everything that they are doing! My favorite band (at least at the moment) is The Warlocks. Beyond Beyond is Beyond is a label out of NYC that has been putting out some truly awesome psychedelic gems. I’m also a big fan of the Philadelphia-based blog The Styrofoam Drone.
PMR: What are your thoughts on the local music scene in Pittsburgh right now?
SS: I have always been a huge fan of Pittsburgh bands. Most recently, Gangwish put on an absolutely killer set at Howlers opening for the new band URNS (who had an incredibly heavy and awesome first show). Carousel and Outsideinside put on the best straight up rock shows I have ever seen. I can also count at least 10 times that I’ve seen the Gotobeds this year, and they keep getting better and better and they truly have an incredible record with Poor People are Revolting. AND you have the Nox Boys writing really catchy garage-pop and playing out constantly. Needless to say, there is always something going on in Pittsburgh and I love being a part of it.
Nathaniel Hanson of Shaky Shrines
PMR: Can you name another local band or artist in particular that you admire?
SS: Well, I will say this: I admire the people who make the music, and all of the projects they’ve had over the years. So I really admire The Mary Celeste, The Ezekiel, Teddy Duchamp’s Army, Voice In The Wire, The Modey Lemon, and Red Team Blue Team – but there are so so so many more !!!
PMR: You get to open for a band of your own choosing at any Pittsburgh venue you want. Who and where?
SS: I wish we could’ve opened for the Night Beats at Brillobox when they came last November. I’d like to see the Allah-Las in Pittsburgh, as well as some more west coast bands like Creeping Pink (listen to "Eris # 7"), but Thee Oh Sees at any venue would be a dream show for most of the Shaky crew.
PMR: What's your favorite local sandwich?
SS: \m/ SEITAN PITTSBURGH STEAK WITH EVERYTHING ON IT FROM THE ONE AND ONLY SPAK BROTHERS \m/
PMR: What's next for Shaky Shrines? How far do you want to take this thing?
SS: We will be writing and recording as much as we can. We will also continue to open for touring acts that we support and want people in this city to hear. If I can continue to rent veggie oil vans, we will hit the road when we get the opportunity. At the end of the day, I love making music with my friends and as long as they support me in this endeavor, we will keep on keepin’ on.
Thanks to Braden for taking time to answer our questions. You can catch them live on Halloween at Mr. Smalls, when they open for Foxy Shazam. Tickets for the all ages show cost $16 and available online.
-- B. Conway