Search - Shyster :: February

The last best hope of the new school

vkanwar@slaw.neu.edu | Boston | 07/19/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Long before emo pop innovators like the Promise Ring and new school melodic punks like the Dillinger Four started their stylistically divergent races to the charts, there were certain bands out there who "brought it all together". In 1984, it was Husker Du; In 1986, it was Rites of Spring; In 1991, it was Jawbreaker; In 1993, it was Shyster. Shyster was formed in Orlando Florida, in the shadows of a sinister Disney cartoon. They played melodic and uncompromisingly emotional music, when their contemporaries were producing cookie-cutter pop-punk songs. Their legendary live shows brought together punks, indie-rockers, and hardcore kids to forge an innovative if secretive "emo" scene in the South that today provides the most convincing argument that guitar rock is not obsolete. More recently, the guys from Shyster have started a number of underground side-projects, but still tour the country as Shyster for the few people "in the know". Like t! he bands I named above, Shyster's influence will only grow with time. This EP on artist Frank Kozik's Man's Ruin label brings together three "old school" favorites that have been unavailable for years, with some "middle period" emo-tunes. Powerful stuff. Also check out "Say Uncle"--their full-length debut on Offtime Records. All their other stuff is pretty hard to find domestically."

Local goodness

a_to_the_l-l-y | Orlando | 03/23/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I remember seeing them in a lil' hole in the wall appropriately named 'Club Nowhere' back in '93. Explosive and refreshing. When they split up, I thought about what a loss it would be to the local music scene here. Fortunately their reuniting provided an audible gem for those who remember them and for many new open ears. Listen and listen again, then decide on your own. ++"