Search - Hal Al Shedad; the :: Descriptions: Singles and Unreleased Recordings: 1995-1999

Reissued! The Hal Al Shedad were Ben Lukens (bass, vocals), Ed Rawls (guitar) and James Joyce (drums). The Hal Al Shedad played their first show on April 8, 1995 in Pensacola, Florida with Inkwell and their last show on April 8, 1999 in Atlanta, Georgia. Somewhere between 150-200 shows were played during those four years, including six tours and several short excursions to Auburn, Detroit, Austin, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Carolinas, Florida and Tennessee along the way. The Hal Al Shedad toured the Midwest/east coast in the summer of 1995 where they slept in the van every night. The Hal Al Shedad toured the southern Midwest and Texas during the winter of 1995 where they spent new year s eve playing in Fort Smith, Arkansas hoping they would die. James moved to Texas during the summer of 1996 and Ed moved to New Orleans later that fall, so touring was momentarily halted. In the spring of 1997 a full US Tour was completed, Ed saw a dead body in the middle of a snowstorm, a gas station nearly exploded almost taking the hal al shedad and rainer maria with it in Chicago, and james drove straight from El Paso, Texas to Austin, Texas straight without stopping. The Hal Al Shedad toured Europe in the fall of 1997 and played London on the day Princess Di died. There was a short east coast tour in the Summer of 1998 and another Midwest/east coast tour the winter of 1998. There were three vans during this time. This cd collects the sixteen tracks which are not present on either of the hal al shedad full lengths.