THE SHAMBLES
The Shambles is an American power pop and rock group from San Diego, California. Formed in 1990 from members of other regional bands, The Shambles have released numerous CDs, LPs and 7-inch singles, have toured extensively in the United States, and performed in the UK (including an appearance at the Marquee Club in London), Mexico and Spain. (More from Wikipedia)
These items are taken from a detailed discography of the Crawdaddys that is presented on the website for the power pop band the Shambles at www.theshambles.net, whose bandmembers include Mark Z, the former bass guitarist for the Crawdaddys. This discography also lists 10 compilation albums that feature songs by the Crawdaddys.
(January 2015/2)
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The album that I have, Inside Out Your Mind (2015) I mistakenly thought of as their first album, but the band had been around two decades at this point. It wasn’t even the Loons’ first album on Bomp! Records; that was Red Dissolving Rays Of Light five years earlier (also on order). After writing this post, I came across an interview with Suzy Shaw who said that they revived Bomp! Records specifically for the Loons; Mike Stax had always wanted to have an album on that label. The band’s new drummer on both of these albums was Mike Kamoo, who had been the drummer for the Shambles; while the line-up of the Loons was otherwise the same as on Paraphernalia. Bass guitar and album design are by Anja Dixson on Red Dissolving Rays Of Light, while the name Anja Stax is shown for both on Inside Out Your Mind. The only other change between the two Bomp! albums is that Chris Marsteller is also shown as playing keyboards on Inside Out Your Mind. The Loons’ original drummer, John Chilson had also previously played with the Shambles.
(June 2017)
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Mike Stax also does not have an article in Wikipedia, though there is a short article on the fanzine Ugly Things that he founded in 1983 (the Tell-Tale Hearts were also formed that year). To my mind, there can be little doubt of his “notability”. An article in the San Diego Union Tribune on May 23, 2013 about an upcoming concert over three days celebrating the 30th anniversary of Ugly Things quotes another San Diego musician and rock critic Bart Mendoza (who is in the Shambles): “To me, Ugly Things is the top music magazine in the world. It’s even better than (top English music publication) Mojo, because it has more pages and covers more ground with more depth. Mike’s coverage of music is the template everybody has to match, not only for content but for research. No one else does such comprehensive articles.”
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After the Tell-Tale Hearts broke up, their former bandmembers and those from another popular local band, Manual Scan joined forces in creating the Shambles, a power pop band that formed in 1990 and is still active. Kevin Donaker-Ring and Bart Mendoza, both of Manual Scan, started playing with first Ray Brandes and later David Klowden of the Tell-Tale Hearts, plus Mark Z, formerly of the Crawdaddys. Another ex-Heart, keyboard wiz Bill Calhoun was added at a later date. The Shambles have had a revolving membership over the years; from what I can tell, none of the bandmembers from the Tell-Tale Hearts are currently with the Shambles.
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The Tell-Tale Hearts also toured in 1994 to promote High Tide (Big Noses & Pizza Faces). Further reunions took place in 2004 and 2007. An article written by Bart Mendoza of the Shambles for sdnews.com for the 2007 reunion says of the band: “Mixing Vox keyboard-driven rhythm and blues with fuzzed-out rock, the group’s live shows were incendiary, championing an authentic ’60s sound and taking their cues from such legendary acts as the Pretty Things and [the Dutch band] the Outsiders. While the group has been overlooked locally in recent years, their impact worldwide, particularly in Europe and Japan, continues undiminished. The band is cited regularly as an influence on today’s rockers. Numerous acts have covered the Tell-Tale Hearts’ music, including Spain’s Agentes Secretos, Australia’s Shutdown ’66, England’s Diaboliks, and Japan’s Young Pennsylvanians.”
(September 2017)
