Search - Shotwell :: Celery Beef & Iron

Definately a classic

chris lea | boerne, tx | 03/19/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"shotwell was a great band...the generator shows in the streets, the well thought out lyrics, the d.i.y. ethics...the songs on here are more 'stable' sounding than on the classic split lp with miami; i guess that is attributed to most of this album being recorded in one place rather than being a collection of demos and outtakes. the songs here all have a similar structure of verse/chorus and are always catchy, simple and short. i highly recommend this, the split lp (now on cd), or the 7" under the name shotwell coho. pretty much an essential san francisco band."

A message of peace without the hippie junk!

johnnyproblem | New Castle, DE. USA | 10/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Street level punk rock, not that phony Oi/street punk stuff that every kid with a mohawk at the suburban shopping mall is rockin' out to in thier moms mini van, I mean real punk from the streets and quite often actually played there with the help of a handy generator. Jim (singer/guitarist) evokes a message of revolution in the name of peace without the hippie pretensions and unlike most of his peers he is not only talking the talk but walking the walk. Musically somewhere between Pinhead Gunpowder and Crimpshrine (not so coincidentally all three featured Aaron Cometbus on drums). This easily one of my top 50 punk albums of all time. Buy this asap and while you're at it write to NO! records and get thier equally amazing split LP with another great band "Miami". One of the last bands truly disinterested with fame. p.s. their current bassist is from Delaware like myself and that alone would make them cool i my book."

Laughing @ Absurdity For A Decade

johnnyproblem | 07/29/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I first saw Shotwell strum into existence at a wherehouse party show circa 1994 in the Mission of SF. Unlike another band on that bill called Sublime, they are still at it today...and still playing the underground circuit. Their lineup changes characters all the time, but revolves around lead singer/songwriter Jimmy. Currently as of Summer 2003 it features many of the same guys on this disc and that means they are sounding like truly weathered & proficient purveyors of street punk. Just like back when this album was recorded, the band features Tony Rojas on 2nd guitar plus singing some tunes and on Bass ex-Bedlam Rover, Greg Snyder. Tight, but raunchy around the edges, this lineup is the definative unit, and they made this must have for folks into speedily played garage rawk with a social conscience. Unlike the Epitaph/Fat scenesters, these guys let it all hang out and are unconcerned about radio play, selling merch, or getting onto the corporate Warped Tour circuit. Influenced by Johnny Thunders & The Clash, not "suburb-bambam" shtick of the Offspring or Good Charlotte, this is pure punk for not-so-now people. They keep it loose and are generally on the juice...they made their rep, skipping out on nightclub gigs and instead playing word of mouth house parties and illegal generator shows. "Celery,Beef & Iron" was recorded at two studios, one in Wisconsin & some in SF, circa 1997. The songs with Aaron Cometbus on drums bang away nattily, while Petey's WI era tunes lurch and propel themselves through mood swings representing the last gasps of the four on the floor foundation that they at times have left behind during their quasi-crustcore phases of the early 21st century. This is their first full length studio album, an effort that was relatively well rehearsed & professionally recorded compared to some later efforts like the Matty Luv (R.I.P) recorded 4 track efforts "Shotwell/Miami" split LP/CD and the later "the devil has its day" available on Plan-It-X records. Expect a new disc to appear at some point in the 2004 future, but I doubt it will be available on Amazon. These guys sell their stuff at shows, and regular distro is scarce."