The Shake were all about new last night: new song, new guitarist, and I think maybe some new clothes? Although a quiet evening in Williamsburg (Tuesday at 8pm at Spike Hill isn’t as happenin’ as you would think.), Jon Merkin (vocals/guitar), Jeremy Stein(bass/vocals), and Dan Kirschen (drums) debuted their newest member, Mike Serman on guitar as well as a couple new songs,including “Kill My Name” (see the live performance here!), and tracks from their The Shake Go Crazy.
December 2009, I was headed to Santos Party House to see Black Taxi, who have become my family away from home over the last two years. But, being the musically curious person I try to be, I saw The Shake listed on the bill and decided I’d check them out, especially since it was the celebration of their The Shake Goes Crazy release. The four burst onto stage, and my immediate responses were, “Woah, these guys are YOUNG!” and “Woah, these guys can rock!” A couple days later, I received a friend request from guitarist Eliad Shapiro…by mistake. Apparently I resembled someone else who had attempted to high-five him during the show. Either way, it was a good conversation starter. We soon realized that we shared music tastes and friends around the city. The next month, we once again convened at a Black Taxi show, this time I was introduced to The Shake’s singer, Jon Merkin, and their manager, Nick Schupak, who is a force to be reckoned with in the NYC music scene and head honcho of CitizenMusic Presents. Fast forward to SXSW 2010. After meeting so many bands in NY, I felt the need to put together a showcase, boasting NY bands in Austin. Collaborating with Schupak, we put together “NYC in ATX” and another, and he did a third, all at Hyde Park Bar and Grill, off the beaten path from the downtown Austin main drag. I finally met bassist Jeremy Stein and drummer Dan Kirschen of The Shake, and we all bonded over Hyde Park’s infamously wonderful french fries, green hair spray on St. Patrick’s day, and all the other great bands in the line ups. Late night adventures through Austin and a dangerously packed Seabring that got six of us back to our hotels, provided a whole lot of entertainment. After surviving our travels out west, The Deli Magazine collected the “best of NY” bands for a mini-festival, during which The Shake performed at Public Assembly in Brooklyn. It also happened to be Eliad’s birthday the next day, and I felt there wouldn’t a better occasion to bring a cake and candles on stage. Nick and I balanced the decadent chocolate pastry as the audience sang “Happy Birthday.” Cute, right? Since then, although not that long ago, a lot has changed.Presently, Eliad is attending law school at Cornell (Smarty pants!), and Mr. Serman has taken over guitar duties.October marks CMJ season, so be sure to check out The Shake four times during October 19-23. You can see their line up here.
Rocker Stalker 