Sixty Watt Shaman
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Sixty Watt Shaman | |
---|---|
Origin | |
Years active | 1996–present |
Labels | Game Two, Spitfire, Shaman Box Music, Megalithic Media |
Members | Daniel Soren Jason Budman Mike Beggs Chris Baker |
Past members | Joe Selby Pete Campbell Kenny Wagner Jim Forrester |
Website | sixtywattshaman |
Sixty Watt Shaman is an American rock band known for incorporating hard rock with blues, southern rock, doom, punk rock and heavy metal influences, originally based out of Towson, Maryland, Montgomery Village, Maryland, and currently Winchester, Virginia.[1]
Sixty Watt Shaman formed in 1996 out of a band originally called Approach, formed by Daniel Soren and Kurt Ubersax two years earlier in 1994. Ubersax and Soren recruited Joe Selby on bass and Chuck Dukehart on drums, and Approach played in and around the Baltimore area and recorded an album release. Later Ubersax was replaced on guitar by Joe Selby, and the band auditioned new bass players, selecting Jim Forrester to take on the job. They recorded and released their first studio album, Ultra Electric, in 1998. The band continued on to record two releases with Spitfire Records, and is now on Megalithic Media. Sixty Watt Shaman continues efforts focused on new music, shows, festival events in the US and Europe, and are writing and recording new music and videos for release.
History
Sixty Watt Shaman was formed in 1996 by lead singer/rhythm guitarist Daniel Soren, lead guitarist Joe Selby, and drummer Chuck Dukehart, from their original band Approach, bringing in bass player Jim Forrester, when Joe Selby moved from bass to guitar to form the new project.
The band name derives from a split reference to Jim Morrison (referred to as the 'Electric Shaman') and an infamous sixty watt amplifier once played by Jimi Hendrix. The band name was dubbed by vocalist Dan Soren in early September 1996 upon his return from European travel where he had visited the grave of Jim Morrison who is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France. Jim Morrison was called the "electric shaman" by press and popular culture during his Doors years. The reference to "Sixty Watt" refers to an amplifier that was built specifically for Jimi Hendrix by the pioneering amplifier manufacturer Jim Marshall; it was a special sixty watt amplifier which was used during live performances and on the Electric Ladyland album, but was alleged to have been stolen and never recovered after Hendrix's Isle of Wight Festival performance.
The band's debut album, Ultra Electric, was recorded in two 24-hour sessions at Hound Studio in Baltimore. The session were produced by Sixty Watt Shaman and engineered by Frank Marchand in 1998 and released on the independent label Game Two Records.[1] Also recorded, studio outtake track "Red Colony" was released on the Welcome to MeteorCity (MeteorCity) compilation, marked as a ground breaking release for its showcase of up and coming heavy rock bands. Soon after, the band also recorded two tracks with Baltimore producer/engineer Jon Smulyan with a mobile unit at The Regal Beagle rehearsal studio the band had built in the loft of an early 20th century barn, at an artists colony in Reisterstown, Maryland. One track, "Whiskey Neck", was released on another seminal compilation, In the Groove by NY's Musical Cartel Records.
After these releases, Sixty Watt embarked on a US tour from Maine to Texas with California band
In the late 1990s the band worked tirelessly to play shows all along the East Coast with bands in and outside of their scene, including
With one release behind them, in 1999 the band were signed by
For their 2002 release, Reason to Live, Dukehart was let go from the band and was replaced by drummer, "Minnesota" Pete Campbell, who went on later to play with other acts, such as
Before the release of Reason to Live, Sixty Watt Shaman toured Europe with Karma to Burn, playing with many of their European contemporaries such as Dozer. After the release, they embarked on a full US tour with Alabama Thunderpussy and dates with Clutch that culminated in a final tour date at their hometown venue, 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., on January 4, 2003. After the end of that US tour, lead singer Daniel Soren moved to the mid-west and worked on other projects including The Mighty Nimbus with Pete Campbell; and, also, a project out of Norman, Oklahoma with Chris "Paco" Johnson and Forrest Smith, playing shows in Norman and Oklahoma City. Jim Forrester worked on other projects including The Devil You Know, Angels of Meth, Soaphammer and others. Upon his return to Maryland from Oklahoma, Dan Soren rejoined Joe Selby in another rock project, Stillhouse. Dukehart had been fired from the band and went on to other projects. Pete Campbell joined doom pioneers Pentagram on drums.
Over the years, band members continued to work both separately and together on various projects and reunions. Dukehart had a brief return for a tour to play DesertFest dates in 2014 but was fired once again by the beginning of 2015. Soon after Forrester and Soren parted ways as band mates once again, with Soren leaving the door open for future work together. Eventually, Dan Soren reformed the band with a new lineup, and, tragically, Jim Forrester died in a shooting in Baltimore in 2017.
Following the DesertFest dates in 2014, and the firing of Dukehart and parting with Forrester in 2015, lead singer Daniel Soren reformed the lineup in 2015 to include Johnny Wretched (John Koutsioukis) on bass guitar and longstanding hometown heavy rock drummer Sandy Hinden. That lineup went through 2018, followed by several more lineup changes, eventually landing on Mike Beggs and Chris Baker to round out the current group. With their new lineup, Sixty Watt Shaman moved to new home base in Winchester, VA and continues to write and record new material.
Members
Current
- Daniel Soren – vocals, guitar
- Mike Beggs – guitar
- Chris Baker – bass
- Jason Budman – drums
Former
- Joe Selby – lead guitar
- Minnesota Pete Campbell – drums
- Michael Nagel – guitar
- Jeff Clemens – bass
- Kenny Wagner – drums
- Todd Ingram – guitar
- Chuck Dukehart – drums
- Jim Forrester – bass
Discography
- Ultra Electric (1998) (Game Two)
- Seed of Decades (2000) (Spitfire)
- Reason to Live (2002) (Spitfire)
Compilation releases
- Welcome to MeteorCity (1998) (MeteorCity)
- In the Groove (1999) (Music Cartel)
Split 7-inch
- "Stone's Throw Away" – Sixty Watt Shaman / "Darkness and Longing" – with Spirit Caravan
References
- ^ AllMusic. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
- ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Reason to Live – Sixty Watt Shaman". AllMusic. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- AllMusic. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
External links
- Official website
- Sixty Watt Shaman at AllMusic