Chris Shaffer Fans' Blog

Sidelines Setlist

2011-01-29T06:40:00.000-08:00

Shaffer, Dan Hunt, Jerry Reiskamp, Troy Seele

The boys are on it right now. Go check them out if you haven't seen them in a while.

Set 1: Reality, surround me, gypsies, wild world, hey mrs. Cleary, your world, I have fallen, when I'm with you, d jam, father

Set 2: Good to me, sleepy train, hey hey what can I do, I shall be released, when you're high, lack of water, beautiful world, run around wasted, what the hell

Set 3: Maggot brain, let you in, ballad of lightning, yoshimi, franklin's tower, oh lord, share the stage, blanket inside, fools bargain, another one (new song-title unknown)

Cheeseburger in Paradise 8.22.10 Setlist

2010-08-22T05:55:00.000-07:00

Shaf, Dan, Jerry, and Benito

Set 1

Gypsies, Surround Me, Good to Me, Broken Glass, When I'm with You, Rocky Raccoon, Ballad of Lightning, Reality, Hey Mrs. Cleary

Set 2

Beautiful World, Lack of Water, Let You In, Wake Up, Is She Cold, It's Alright, She's a Diamond

Set 3

Share the Stage, Sleepy Train, For Your Soul, Fabricated (From Here), D Jam, Yoshimi, Nobody, What Do You Know, Father, I Like to Sleep, When You're High

DC's Pub Setlist 8.7.10

2010-08-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

Shaf, Benito, Jerry and Dan

Cs, bd, dh, jr

Set 1
Gypsies, When I'm with you, Lazy river, Surround me, Rocky raccoon, Good to me, D-Jam, Two beasts, Here I go, Ballad of lightning, Oh lord

Set 2
Hey Mrs. Cleary (title?, new song), Sleepy train, she's a diamond, fade away, hey joe, lack of water, rosie, father, so slow to rise

Set 3
Revolution, let you in, beautiful world, without my love~LA woman, again, what the hell, yoshimi, when you're high

Sooner than later in HD

2010-08-08T06:07:00.000-07:00

I've uploaded a higher res version of sooner than later. Check it out here.

Sooner than Later on youtube

2010-05-02T18:21:00.001-07:00

I shot some video of Shaf and the boys (Benito, Jerry, and Dan) last weekend, and I've put Sooner than Later on Youtube. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs7Ew-RhVKg

Carson's Pub Setlist 2.6.10

2010-02-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

Acoustic Show with Benito & Shaffer on guitar, and Jerry on the cajon

Set 1: Two Beasts, Here I Go, Reality, When I'm with You, Ballad of Lightning, Oh Lord, It Ain't Easy Being Bad, Your World, Blanket Inside, Good to Me, Lies, Surround Me

Set 2: Gypsies, She's a Diamond, Broken Glass, She's Broken, The Dragon, Intrigued, Fool's Bargain, Fade Away, Father, So Sad to Leave It, Again

Set 3: Is She Cold, Sleepy Train, Yoshimi, Beautiful World, Lack of Water, New Untitled Blues Song, Happy Place, I Like to Sleep, Franklin's Tower, When You're High

Joes 1/30/2010 Setlist

2010-02-02T18:16:00.001-08:00

Full Band Show-Benito on lead, Jerry on Drums/Vocals, Shaffer on guitar/vocals, MacNammara (sp? 1st show)-Bass

Set 1

It ain't easy, Reality, So Sad to Leave It, Good to Me, Franklin's Tower, What do you Know, Lies, Surround Me, I Shall be Released, She's a Diamond, Oh Lord, Fool's Bargain

Set 2

Maggot Brain, Broken Glass, Again, Sleepy Train, Yoshimi, Lack of Water, Everybody, What the Hell, Weeping

Set 3

Gypsies (CS and JR), Here I Go (CS and JR), Father, Beautiful World, Happy Place, Fade Away, Let You In, When You're High, Beautiful World 2nd Time (for Jimmy's birthday)

Joes 1/9/10 Setlist

2010-01-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

Acoustic show with Benito and Shaf on Guitar, Jerry on the Cajon (the now broken Cajon because he's beat the thing so hard!).

This was a fantastic show. Post a comment back to this post with an email address if you'd like for me to send you a link with a song or two from the show.

Set 1

The Chair
Nobody
Surround me
Fools bargain
Ballad of lightning
Good to me
Your world
Washed away
Here I go

Set 2

Revolution
Father
Gypsies
Sleepy train
Lack of Water
she's a diamond
I like to sleep
Who is your love
Beautiful world

Set 3

Two beasts
Broken glass
Cover song
Anytime
Four walls
New song-unknown title
I gotta feeling
Blanket inside
Lazy river
Don't throw your love away (unofficial title)
When You're High

Carson's Pub December 19, 2009 Setlist

2009-12-21T05:21:00.001-08:00

Meatball on lead, Jerry on Drums, John on Bass

Set I
Gypsies
Reality
Your world
Don't throw your love away-new song
Surround me
Manic man
Good to me
It ain't easy
Nobody
Oh lord

Set II
she's a diamond-Shaf and Jerry, Jerry on Box
she's broken-Shaf and Jerry, Jerry on Box and Drums
Franklins tower
Beautiful world
Lack of water
Sleepy train
Fade away
Lies

Set III
Cover Song
Hey joe
Mamas and papas
Sympathy for the Devil
Again
Everybody
Broken glass
When You're High
Run around wasted

Pictures from last two Joes Shows

2009-12-12T18:38:00.001-08:00

I've uploaded some picturesfrom the last two Joes shows for those interested.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wondanewman/20091212?feat=directlink

Joes 12.5.09 Setlist

2009-12-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

Shaffer with Meatball on lead, Jerry on Drums, New Bass Player (didn't catch his name)

Reality

Oh lord

I shall be released

Good to me

Your world

Lies

So sad to leave it

Surround me

Manic man

Fools bargain

Set 2

Lightning. CS with Jerry on box

Blankets CS with Jerry on box

Franklin tower

Again

Sleepy train

When I'm with you

When you're high

Lack of Water

Set 3

Two beasts CS with Jerry on box

Here I go CS with Jerry on box

Beautiful world

Let you in

Maggot brain

Broken glass

Yoshimi

She likes to move it

Sympathy for the Devil

Happy place

Joes 11/21/09 Setlist

2009-11-22T06:52:00.000-08:00

Jerry back on drums makes all the difference in the world!! Meatball on guitar is solid. I didn't catch the new bass player's name again, but he's keeping the groove.

Good show, new song played, crowd seemed to be digging it. I have a few pics, but I haven't gone through them yet.

Set 1

Reality
Surround me
Good to me
So sad to leave it
Oh lord
Lies
Around (new song, title unknown)
What do ya know
Fade away
When I'm with you
It ain't easy

Set 2

Your world
Beautiful world
Weeping
Franklin's tower
Father
Rocky Raccoon
Again
Let you in

Set 3

Maggot brain
Sleepy train
Lack of water
Yoshimi
When you're high
Everybody
Gypsies-CS solo

Joes 10.9.09

2009-10-11T05:05:00.000-07:00

I got a chance to check out Shaf at Joes on Friday night. I dug the straight forward, loud lead guitar playing.

Playing with him was:

Gary "Meatball" on guitar

Scott Huff on drums

?? on bass

Pics from the show are available here.

I only stayed for a bit, but here was the setlist while I was there:

Partial set 1

I shall be released

Good to me

Broken glass

Rocky Raccoon

Everybody

Set 2

Maggot Brain

Ain't Got Nobody-cover-unsure of exact title

Let you in

Sleepy Train

Lack of Water

Hey Joe

Carson Pub 9.19.09

2009-09-20T07:03:00.001-07:00

Saw the new why store in action last night at Carson's Pub in Indy. Sounded pretty good given the newness of the guys being together.

Pics from the show are available here.

New band members: Scott Huff on drums

Nick Peoni on Guitar

Kyle ? on Bass

I only made it through the first two sets, but here's the setlist until I left:

Set 1

Reality

Surround me

Rocky raccoon

Good to me

Your world

It ain't easy

Oh lord

I shall be released

Cruel world

Set 2

Gypsies

Beautiful world

Sleepy train

Lack of Water

Rathskeller 6.19.09

2009-06-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

Great turnout for this one. Played for 2 solid hours, then shut down due to weather. Pics are available here.

Joes 2 April 25 Setlist

2009-04-26T05:08:00.000-07:00

Good crowd for this one, and the boys were on top of their game. During the show, Shaffer said they are going to play a three day gig in Florida at a resort in July.

Set One

Sleepy Train, Reality, Here I go, Good to me, Again, Surround Me, When I'm with you, Happy Place

Set Two

Everybody, Beautiful World, Franklin's Tower, Lack of Water, What the Hell, It's Alright, I shall be released, Revolution

Set Three

Maggot Brain, Broken Glass, Wake Up, I have fallen, Mamas and Papas, Yoshimi, Hey Hey What can I do, Run around wasted, When you're high

Pictures from the Noodle

2009-04-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

Pictures from the Noodle show on 4.9.09 are available here.

Slippery Noodle Partial 4.9.09 Setlist

2009-04-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

The noodle was packed for this show last night.The boys put on a great show, and the crowd was loving it. Being as it was a work night, I only made it through the first two sets. I also have a bunch of pics to go through from last night.

Chris Shaffer, Troy Seele, Dan Hunt, Jerry Reiskamp

Set 1

Your world
Reality
When I'm with you
Mamas and papas
Beautiful world
Surround me
Good to me
She's a diamond
Again
I got it
Oh lord
My sky is blue
Book on the shelf
Run around wasted

Set 2

It's alright
Father
Franklin's tower
Sleepy train
Yoshimi
She likes to move it
Blanket inside
Wake up
Revolution

Vogue Setlist

2009-03-28T04:13:00.000-07:00

March 26-Vogue-Indy

Troy Seele, Dan Hunt, Jerry Reiskamp, Shaffer

Your world
I have fallen
Reality
Franklin's Tower
What do you know
Good to me
Surround me
Father
Beautiful World
I shall be released
When I'm with you
Sleepy Train
Again
Everybody
Lack of Water
Sympathy for the Devil-joined by Healing Sixes
Broken Glass
When you're high

There was a good crowd for this one. I'd guess 200+. Shaffer was on his game for this one. He seemed to really feed from the energy of the crowd. Troy back on guitar sounded great. Good show!

Boys on Bob and Tom

2009-03-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

The boys were on Bob and Tom this morning. I tuned in over the net. I recorded to my md player, but like a true dumbass, I paid no attention to how much time was left on the disc, so I missed the last few minutes. There was some banter with B & T, and they played:

Everybody
Beautiful World
Again

Troy Seele sounded great on the guitar. I really dig his playing. He brings Everybody closer to the original more than anyone since MDS.

Joes 2-January 17 Setlist

2009-01-18T05:58:00.000-08:00

CS, BD, DH, and JR

Set 1
Ballad of Lightning
Reality
Surround Me
Fool's Bargain
I Have Fallen
Good to Me
Nobody
She likes to move it
Broken Glass
When I'm with you
Fade Away

Set 2
Maggot Brain
Roll like Thunder
Mamas and Papas
Sunrise
Revolution
Again
Wake Up
Let You In
Hey Joe
Beautiful World

Set 3
She's a Diamond
Is she cold
Yoshimi
Lack of Water
What the Hell
Sooner that Later
So Slow to Rise
Same Old(name?) (new song)
When You're High

This was a cool show. First set was a lot of older stuff off of the 1st MCA release. This band is gelling and sounding better each time I see them. Shaffer is on his game right now, and you can tell he's taking the shows seriously. It's great to see the band coming together like this!!

Does anyone care anymore?

2009-01-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, this thing called Chris Shaffer's music has been an obsession of sorts for me since the mid 90's. It started with getting the bob and tom cd with Everybody on it, and I was hooked. Over the last 14 years, I've seen Shaffer 100's if not a 1000 or more times. It was simply what I did. My friends knew if Shaffer was playing anywhere in the area, I would be there. The frequency has changed a little now with family demands, but I still get that same feeling when I catch Shaffer.

I think it's kind of like my grown up (kind of) version of collecting baseball cards like I did when I was a kid. I have a real need for catching a new tune live. I bet I have 500 minidiscs in the closet that I've recorded over the years. I suppose that's what keeps me coming back, just being able to record the moment in time on disc, to listen to again myself or to share with friends later. I can remember driving home from shows in columbus, ohio, fort wayne, south bend, etc. and listening to the recording the whole way home. My obsession grew from there.

The point of my post though is this, does anybody who used to care so much about this music still care? As I go to shows now, I don't see many of the same faces from show to show, and I wonder why. Has life just changed that much for everyone that catching a show doesn't fit into life anymore or is it that the music isn't the same with different guys playing the instruments? Or perhaps have people govne away because they don't like the things shaffer does at times?

I would contend that many people don't get that magical feeling from the band that they used to get from the original why store. Why? I'm not sure. I think the talent is there with these four. Dan Hunt and Jerry Reiskamp on rhythm are rock solid. Benito on guitar smokes. Is it different from the original? Sure, but it's still damned good.

I would love to hear the old TWS play some of the songs on Vim live just to compare it to the way this group plays the songs, but that isn't ever gonna happen. I think this group pulls off live versions of those new songs incredibly well. I would kill to see Shaffer play them with Rusty Anderson's band like he did this past weekend in LA.

I've said this a million times, and I've been wrong every single time, but I'll say it again now. I think Shaffer is on the verge of getting some radio play. If, and I know it's a big if, he can keep these three with him, and if, and I know it's probably a bigger if, he can keep a relationship with Rusty, he might get some breaks to go his way.

Maybe that's why I keep going back, I keep this hope for this guy to make it. Why? I don't know. I just hope he can reach people the way the original store reached me back in the day. It sounds exaggerated, but for a period of time after my mom passed away, they were one of the things that I lived for. I loved that feeling the music gave me. I'll be forever grateful for that feeling.

So, where are the rest of you, and why don't you feel the same about the band as you once did? I'm interested.

It's MY Music. I WROTE IT!

2007-11-14T13:51:00.000-08:00

Let You In : Words - Shaffer, Music - Smith
Everybody Holds the Future: Words - Shaffer, Music - Shaffer & Smith
Is She Cold: Shaffer & Smith
Heaven in You: Shaffer & Smith
All My Life: Shaffer, Smith, Gardner, and Bushor
For Your Soul: Shaffer & Gardner
Lend You the Money: Shaffer & Bushor
Lies: Shaffer & Smith
Working: Shaffer and The Why Store
Who is Your Love: Shaffer, Smith & Gardner
Tell Ya Why: Shaffer, Smith, Gardner, Bushor & Bushor
Hold the Mercy: Shaffer & Pedersen
Mamas and Papas: Shaffer & Pedersen
Happy Place: Shaffer & Bushor
Intrigued: Shaffer & Pederson

Third Round Results

2007-08-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

I'll continually update this post with the winners from the third round. Moving on to the Fourth round:

Blanket Inside (67%)
Is She Cold (59%)
She's Broken (53%)

Vote now for the champion from these three songs!

Second Round Results

2007-07-14T19:35:00.001-07:00

I'll continually update this post with the winners of the second round of the tournament.

Blanket Inside (61%)
Father (67%)
Is She Cold (67%)
Reality (66%)
She's Broken (51%)
Washed Away (53%)

Vote now to decide between Blanket Inside and Father in the first matchup of the 3rd round.

VIM Review

2007-07-10T14:32:00.001-07:00

Not impressive. There are some good songs, but the choppy, riff-driven arrangements don’t really do them justice. Anderson does make good use of the Chamberlin to bring strings and other sounds into the mix. Real strings would have been cooler, although honestly he could have achieved the same sweeping, sustained feel from an electric slide guitar. Strings can sound good, but they aren’t very rockin’, are they? There’s a great little riff in Again when Shaffer starts singing the lines that begin, “I don’t care about your open books . . .”, but the guitar work on this track is largely simple and predictable. The inescapable problem with this song, though, is the “wall of back up singers.” When they join Shaffer for the “Again, Again” chorus, their contribution sounds completely artificial and over-produced. It’s common to stack vocal tracks to make them sound richer and more full (check out Blanket Inside from Welcome to The Why Store for a more subtle example), but Anderson’s heavy handed approach to this technique is flinch-inducing.

Polly Brillikis’s backing vocals on Beautiful World also sound canned, but here the treatment yields much smoother results. Brillikis sounds ethereal, ghostly even, and her airy vocals enrich the mood of the song. Even better, Shaffer’s singing and playing are at the center of this song. His unique voice and his 12-string guitar have been the musician’s mainstay for years and Beautiful World clearly demonstrates why. He also flexes his harmonica muscles nicely, revealing a talent for the harp not previously captured in the studio. In contrast, the “shoo be doo wop” chorus reminds listeners of Shaffer’s penchant for writing pop candy melodies and belies the alterna-rocker persona he seems to embrace on this cd.

What The Hell should be the first ass-kicking rocker on the disc, but it’s not. Composed of power chords and a 4/4 time signature, filtered vocals and deleted profanity, What the Hell plays like the first chapter from “The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Rock Singles.” This song has a lot of attitude, and it can be a barnburner when performed live, but this version robs it of its essence. Are we really living in a world where James Taylor can record “fuck,” but Chris Shaffer won’t? Take the dress off, Shaffer. This is rock’n roll; louder is ALWAYS better, and if you lack the stones to drop the f-bomb, then just don’t go there. And the idea of filtering Shaffer’s rich vocals is just silly. He doesn’t need it, and the only obvious intent is to make What the Hell sound like one of dozens of indistinguishable tunes being played on adult alternative format radio stations. Stripping the track down to bare bones during the “Every day is a new day” segment works nicely, especially when the guitars and drums come crashing back in immediately after. Anderson introduces some inspired soloing, flicking some nice melodic lead lines over, under, and in between Shaffer’s repetitions of the main theme (“Started out good,” etc.), while at the same time driving the rhythm as hard as ever until the song dissolves into its end.

Sooner Than Later IS the first true balls to the wall track on the project. This song was born a long time ago, and has finally grown up into a scorcher. It’s immediately demanding. Shaffer lets out a scream that is almost more of a wail, setting the tone right away. John Pierce comes in with a sinister bass line, which grows round and fat and hypnotic. The bulk of the song highlights Shaffer’s vocals supported by drums and bass, and punctuated by piercing guitar elements, but that doesn’t even come close to telling the whole story. Slowing the tempo down from its original version was in this case a master stroke. The repetitive nature of the composition translates into an ever-building tension that pays off with sweet release towards the end of the piece. The lines, “When you make it to heaven . . .” have been filtered, but with better results than on WTH. In the first place, it’s less noticeable; furthermore the treatment helps to set the bridge apart from the rest of the song. It’s a smooth transition from filtered Shaffer to unfiltered Shaffer singing the “Paybacks are coming” bit. Someone (Scot Coogan on drums?) calls out a commanding count to get back to the song and this time it’s Anderson who picks up the “Sooner Than Later” refrain. Shaffer quickly replaces him on lead vocals to finish the lyrics, then exits on a scream, leaving Anderson plenty of room for sonic exploration. Anderson’s session and road work with major artists such as Paul McCartney, Neil Diamond and Courtney Love have often been the subject of discussion, but his solo work, identified equally as pyschedelic, pop, progressive and hard rock, is not to be overlooked.

Wake Up is another recycled tune – one that suffers from Anderson’s arrangements. In the original version of the song, the weighty subject matter is offset by a light, swirling, bouncy guitar line, creating an interesting contrast and a crowd favorite. Here, dexterous playing is replaced by clunky chord strumming. The ponderous material is matched with a somber tone and slow pace. This creates a sharper distinction between the verses and chorus, a distinction so strong that the parts of the song seem unrelated. Anderson does let off a few hot licks, but the descending chords in the bridge are predictable and uninteresting. She’s A Diamond is a throw-away also, a thank you to Anderson for producing the record. Anderson’s lyrics are trite, the playing is minimalist, and it’s hard to know whether the chorus pays homage to Cab Calloway or Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo. Shaffer’s vocal performance is all there is to this song and his delivery serves to make this song palatable.

Next, coiled like a glistening turd as the centerpiece of this album is Run Around Wasted. This song has 3 separate elements that could conceivably make for a good song. There’s the Red Hot Chili Peppers flavored sections (“Gotta run around gotta run around wasted”), the “Say what you want” pieces, and the wordless vocal parts (Ah Ah – Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah). Apparently Shaffer and Anderson could not come up with a way to make the disparate sections work well together. Instead they’ve inserted Zeppelin-esque self-indulgent filler masquerading as heady pyschedelia. This extends the track to over 10 minutes in length, an unpardonable lack of control on a cd which in total running time is well under an hour. Moreover, the transitional sections are utterly unrelated to the other sections of the song, the drumming being the only tether running throughout

The rest of the disc is filled with songs of self-pity. Shaffer refers to his fundamentally unsatisfiable nature on each track. The familiar themes of substance abuse and failed relationships are visited and revisited. Departure and Share The Stage are mournful dirges, lacking in musicality and made barely tolerable by keeping focus on Shaffer’s singing. I Want More and Stone Cold Sober fall back on the hard rock theme of the disc, making for solid versions of so-so songs.

For those of you listening to THE WHY STORE for the very first time, ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE OFFICIALLY OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

2007-07-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

I heard about THE WHY STORE concert on the radio. The venue's website confirms the booked act as being THE WHY STORE. I visited TicketMaster.com and searched for shows by a band named THE WHY STORE. Sure enough, TM confirms that such a band exists and that tickets are available for purchase. So I buy my tickets and get an official TM ticket that reads, THE WHY STORE. The day of the show, the venue's marquee reads THE WHY STORE.
I'm not sure what more is needed to confirm that THE WHY STORE is a working band. It's just that the members have changed.
shawnb

First Round Results

2007-06-19T19:48:00.001-07:00

I'll continually update this post with the winners from the first round matchups:

Moving on to the second round:

Blanket Inside (61%)
Everybody holds the Future (67%)
Father (68%)
Happy Place (88%)
Here I Go (74%)
Is She Cold (68%)
Lazy River (68%)
Reality (69%)
She's Broken (60%)
Sleepy Train (63%)
Tell Ya Why (51%)
Washed Away (58%)

Vote now to decide between Blanket Inside and Everybody for the first second round matchup!

It's Tournament Time

2007-06-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

It's summer, and I'm a little bored on vacation once the baby hits the sack, so I thought I'd throw an idea out here. We'll see if anyone's interested. Here's my thought, I'll take 2 songs from each Shaffer project (TWS, SS, CS) and throw them into a tournament for folks to vote for on the poll to the right (maybe down a little too). I'll choose two songs from each album (including Live at Midnight) to make the tournament plus a couple of wildcards to even out the tourney . We'll let the poll run for a few days, and the song with the most vote advances to the next round of this single elimination tourney to determine the greatest Shaffer song of all time. You can vote using any criteria you'd like: best hit, best song to hear live, best lyrics, best guitars (be it MDS or otherwise), etc.

Here are the 24 songs in alpha order, also the order they'll match up:

Blanket inside vs. Broken glass
Company store vs. Everybody
Father vs. Four walls
Got that on me vs. Happy place
Here I go vs. I like to sleep
Is she cold vs. Lack of water
Lazy river vs. Mama's & Papa's
Reality vs. Roll like thunder
She's a diamond vs. She's broken
Sleepy train vs. Sooner than later
Tell ya why vs. The chair
Washed away vs When you're high

Once it gets down to 3 songs, 1 will get the bye into the championship. I'll let the wife choose which one gets the bye.

Vote away for the first matchup. I may also put up a contest on the Archive board for people to predict which song will win. The prize might be a copy of one of the Ft. Wayne TWS reunion shows.

Don't Take It Personally

2007-05-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

Is Chris Shaffer's personal life anyone's damn business?
Maybe not. Maybe what happens after Chris leaves the stage is no one's business but his.

That'd be true if he could keep what's in his head inside his head.
Chris has a long history of mining his personal life for material.
He makes the decision time and time again to share with the world his personal life. He wants to be sure the public knows he " . . . still dreams of how it used to be." He wants to be sure his audience knows that he's haunted by drugs and alcohol. He wants to be sure everyone knows he's been screwed over by his ex-wives. He writes these songs and fills them with personal details.

Then he records the songs. Then he makes thousands of copies of the songs. Then he sells the songs to people for money. He shows up where he's paid to show up on the day he's paid to show up and plays these songs to live audiences for money.

At that point, it's not his personal business any more. It's business, all right, but how can the content be considered personal when he's selling it to anyone with 10 bucks? Some people sell Amway, Chris sells his life - in song form.

Chris tends to hang on to the notion that he is true to his art the way a drowing man hangs onto a life preserver. It may be the one consistently noble element of his character. The fact that many of his songs are deeply personal lends weight to that notion.

But there are two sides to the coin. You can't write deeply personal songs and then ask your audience to leave your personal life alone.

Who Cares?

2007-04-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons this blog was started was to create a forum for open conversation. Seems like the message boards can be kind of quiet sometimes. We all love the music of Chris Shaffer, where's the conversation?

My theory is that maybe it's all been said by now. Maybe most people have decided how to take Chris and are no longer surprised or ruffled by his choices. I get the feeling (my imagination only?) that for a lot of people, Chris is a touchstone to the past. The Why Store was a big deal for a lot of people during those fun and formative college years (even for those of us who didn't graduate!). And Chris is still fun to see, but I think that most of his fans are still seeing him as he relates to that earlier experience. Like thumbing through an old yearbook. For some, no band Chris puts together will surpass The Why Store.

I agree with this perspective, but I want to make a further distinction. The magic that was The Why Store is gone forever. When those guys get back together every few years- it's cool, they can kick ass again, but it's not the same. A fog of nostalgia hangs over every one of those reunion shows. The last few reunion shows in particular were obviously sub-par, the band members failing to communicate well on stage. No reunion show will ever surpass the power, the passion, and the magic of seeing The Why Store in their prime.

That's why I was so excited by the Chris Shaffer Band with the CS, KT, DH, & PK lineup. It seemed to me like the magic was being reborn.

Like a lot of people, I was pretty deeply into The Why Store during the 90's. I kinda lost track after they got dropped from Way Cool/MCA. I liked TWS, I was proud of them, but it seemed their time was over. There was more for me to discover. One time I saw Shaffer Street open for the Mickey Hart Band. I was glad to see Chris still earning a paycheck, winning great gigs, and nailing his cover of Dylan's "I Shall Be Released," but overall, I was not impressed with Shaffer Street. I didn't agree with the Linda McCartney aspect of his wife playing in the band. Heather has a fine singing voice, but if Chris is in the band, there's just no reason for someone else to sing lead.

I happened to see the 4-28-5 reunion show listed in the paper. I'd missed all the other reunions, hadn't even known they took place. My wife and I shared a love of the music, though, and we decided we would go. It was very exciting to see the band again, but this show was mostly about celebrating the past. I thought the band still sounded great, and I was glad for them and for everyone in the audience that had the chance to be a part of the special evening. However, I got tired of the bad singing from the crowd, I had to be at work early the next day, it was stiflingly crowded, and we didn't even end up staying for the whole show. We left after "Father." We'd had a good time and we were glad we went.

It would have ended there, except 2 short weeks later we noticed Chris Shaffer listed as playing at the Rathskeller. Miraculously, we were able to find another sitter and were able to go out again. We didn't know what to expect - we were basically looking to get out of the house. The sardine bar was packed as always and the only available table was directly in front of the band.

Long story short, the band blew us away completely. The intimacy of the room was a factor. Sharing beers with the guys during set break was a factor. But mostly, it was the music. We'd always loved Chris's songs, now there were more to learn. Chris's stage presence hadn't suffered a bit, and the energy coming from him was a little surprising in its intensity. But the X-factor, the piece that put everything over the top was Kenny Taylor. I knew what to expect from Chris - I was familiar with his voice and style, if not all of his songs. I walked in thinking I'd be hearing some 2nd rate guitarist delivering half-hearted versions of MDS solos. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Kenny was not covering TWS songs, he was re-inventing them. Kenny was taking the songs I thought I knew so well and he was opening them up, shaking them around, and finding places to take them that even Mike Smith never knew were there. He was able to stay true to the compositions while breathing new life into them. He was fast, he was piercingly sharp, he was startlingly original in his approach. Blending elements of country, bluegrass, rockabilly and swing music into the pop rock structure that Chris has so long mastered, Kenny was able to give the songs a depth they'd never had before.

Opinion will always vary. Mine is that Kenny is every bit as good a player as MDS. I will go farther. I believe that the alt country influence that KT brought to the mix was a better contribution to the overall sound than what Smith was bringing. They're both killer players, but I think KT's contribution made Chris's music more original, more distinct. When I listen to TWS songs, I sometimes think it sounds too much like the other stuff that was getting played on the radio at the time. In fact, in a later blog, I will make the argument that sounding too much like other bands is the primary reason TWS ended up getting dropped. So while I wouldn't say one is a better player than another, I will say I think Chris sounded better with KT.

As I went to more and more shows ( I saw more Shaffer more times in 2005 and 2006 than at any time since 1993 - 1994), I confirmed my opinion. I got the Shaffer Street cds, 6 Ball, and Live at Midnight. Chris was still writing great, original music and I began to realize his writing was only improving with time. People might go see him to remember old days, but Chris continues to move forward. Dan and Paul were solid and reliable and good, but it was Shaffer's voice singing Shaffer's words and the magic of KT on guitar that I thought people would sit up and take notice. There was too much talent to be ignored. I wanted to help.

I emailed Chris and asked him if he would like a banner to display at gigs so people would remember who they'd seen and so they could find the website. He said yes, and promptly lost the banner I made him (from Skinny Dave's art) after a dozen or so gigs. I have a few contacts at minor record labels. I asked Chris if he'd mind if I sent them press kits. So he hooked me up with some cds and bios and I sent them off. Nothing came of it. I wanted to see Chris succeed. I was listening to a lot of different bands and I knew Chris could hold his own. I knew that if "ABC" band was making it, there was no reason CSB shouldn't be making it. I pestered him to let me make stickers and hand them out. I wanted to hand out flyers and handbills for upcoming shows. I wanted to make t-shirts for him to sell. (I ended up making only 1). With TWS playing Deer Creek for Q95, I thought Chris had a certain amount of buzz and that he should be able to parlay that into some success.

It seemed like he was doing just that. He got in touch with Rusty Anderson and I thought the first Chris Shaffer cd from an actual record label was on the way. We all know how that turned out.

So my little love affair with Shaffer has been somewhat shorter than others. Along the way, I heard plenty of stories. How things ended with MDS and the band. How things ended with Heather (I mean aside from the songs on the cd we all bought). I learned that Chris had a falling out with Larry Gerstein - TWS spiritual advisor. How anyone can get to the point of not getting along with a buddhist like Larry is beyond me - I can't even fit it into my head. I don't pretend to know the truth behind any of these situations, but I am able to see an emerging pattern.

The breakup with KT was the one that hit me hardest - probably because it was the only one I had a front row seat for. I've seen Dan Crance defend Chris on excluding KT from the record that became VIM, and on the separation of the two titans. I understand about the employer/employee nature of their relationship, but I also understand the concept of loyalty. Those two spent a lot of time writing and playing together. I think it's 100% bullshit that Chris couldn't find room on that cd for a KT solo somewhere when Polly B is on there and she was never any more than Chris's flavor of the month. There's at least 3 places on the disc where a KT solo would fit nicely. I just would never treat someone that way and it is very revealing when someone does.

So it pissed me off and I started to say things. Like, why is it that Chris never gets called on his bullshit? Why the big dramatic blow ups and the fake, professional gloss overs? Why doesn't Chris try harder to succeed at a higher level? Why does he still book gigs under The Why Store brand? Some people were thinking these things, but not saying them. Some were shocked that I would have the gall.

But I wanted to know more. Where is Chris coming from? Does he even want to break out of the Indy market? Where does he think his strengths are? What do his fans think? What are they getting out of going to the shows? Are his fans offended by his mood swings? If his fans are all thinking the same things, then how come no one is saying any of them?

I've come to the conclusion that, by and large, I am more interested in this than many other fans. People who like music are, after all, interested in the music. People go to a show when they can and that's about it. Fans like to trade shows and share information on the message boards, but it doesn't seem to be a nurturing environment for sharing thoughts. I think the main thing is that there just aren't many people having thoughts to share.

This brings us back to the top of the post. Maybe people aren't saying anything because they've said it already. Maybe they know by now that Chris is fun to watch perform, but it's better to leave it at that. Maybe they know that no amount of effort will be enough to get Chris to change his path once he's on it. Maybe some fans have been disappointed enough times that they just don't have the emotional currency to try to care about what happens next so long as the new guy (be he guitarist, drummer or whatever) can play the Shaffer catalog.

Me, I'm still invested. And I'm still interested. And that's why I post.

peace
shawn

Favorite live show pic

2007-04-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking of all of the pics I've taken at Shaffer/Why Store shows, and I thought it might be fun to see what you guys have taken. I'm trying to attach my favorite. This is from the Fort Wayne show on 9.24.05. Anybody else have one to share??? I know JasonA has a few to choose from....

JasonA's best/worst shows

2007-04-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

BEST: I'm not sure I could define a single greatest Shaffer or Why Store show. I remember specific things about each and every show I've ever seen, and they are great for a lot of different reasons. Here's one in particular that helped push me further into this...um...sickness? Hobby? Interest? Musical cult following? Yeah that's it!

July 30, 1999: The Why Store plays Club Soda, in Kalamazoo, MI. This was only the second show I had been to since I found out taping was allowed. As usual, my pre-show jitters were running rampant as I try to figure out the most diplomatic way to get the soundboard hook-up.

The band is set up to play outside on the back patio, only this is the new scaled-down TWS production. I had met former TWS sound man Steve Spergl a few times before, so I look for him. With no MCA label, the only band crew is John McConnel, Mo and then-manager Billy Morgan (none of whom I really knew at all at that point). Billy was now in charge of running the board, only he wasn't around before the show. Some Club Soda guy ran the board for the opening band, and he was real busy resetting from the opener's gear to TWS. So I hit him up, he says "not now, talk to the Why Store's sound guy." So I hang out by the board and wait. Time goes by, with show time quickly approaching, still no Billy. Nobody's around the board at the back of the room.

So I say screw it, dig out a flashlight and proceed to plug myself into the board, fearing great trouble if I'm discovered messing with the board. I get plugged in, put the tape in and literally less than 5 minutes later Billy shows up and the band starts playing. Nobody ever said a word to me for hooking up, cool.

Being the end of July, it's hot as hell. The kind of humid summer heat where it's 11 p.m. and still over 80 degrees outside. The band rips through one song after the next without stopping in between, mostly new (to me) material from the as-yet-to-be-released Life On Planet Six Ball:
Remember, Dreamer, Bitten By A Snake, Roses, Mamas & Papas, Taken Your Soul, Sunrise, Fade Away, Broken Glass, Let You In > bass solo > drum solo, Happy Place, When You're High, Intrigue, Blanket Inside, Reality, Lack Of Water
ENCORE: When I'm with You, Sleepy Little Train to Memphis

All of the new material really smokes live. Chris tells the crowd early on "watch your fluids", referring to the heat, me & my buddy chuckle. I remember Mike Smith getting out his glass slide at the beginning of When I'm With You, holding it up to his nose and being visibly taken aback by the stench. He then immediately called McConnell over to share the stink.

After that I went home and made a CD of just all the new 6 Ball songs from that show to listen to over and over and over.

I had been a casual TWS fan up until that night, but this show was a turning point that rekindled my interest in the band and propelled me to seek out their greatness whenever and wherever it happened in Michigan from that point on.

WORST: "On stage, I fly by the seat of my pants; sometimes they fall off."
- Chris Shaffer, in defense of the House Of Blues show that 1da mentioned in his entry below.

I wasn't at that show, but can relate to some of the not-so-great moments I've read about. Here's one I experienced firsthand.

Chris Shaffer plays Fifth Avenue Billiards in Detroit, 3/14/03: The Chris Shaffer live experience as of late was really something to behold. This was during the time that the "Chris Shaffer" album was being written and recorded, and anybody that was around back then might remember that from about January - April of 2003, it seemed like Chris was bringing out a new song at almost every show, it was great stuff: Gypsies, Book On The Shelf, Just Over You, I Know Where The Love Goes, I remember seeing all of those performed for the first time back then. Kenny Taylor had been in the band for several months by now, and things were really taking shape, with Charlie Bushor on drums and Rob Calder on bass.

The show started out well, but after the second set it quickly spiraled downward. I think Chris had been partying a little too hard before the show, and by set 3 the music was a mess. At one point, Chris had taken off his 12-string to play harmonica. The acoustic was leaning up against his mic stand and during one of the more intense moments of "Sleepy Train", he knocked it over and just let it lay there for a long time. I took a picture of it laying there face down on the ground; it totally sums up what that night was about (see above). By the end of the night, "Father" was a complete train wreck. Charlie and the other guys are exchanging angry glances with each other, and I really felt their pain.

When things are great, the music is stellar; but when it's bad, it can be really bad. The bad usually isn't from lack of talent or passion, it's almost always due to "substance abuse" (for lack of a better term). That's rock and roll for you.

Best and worst

2007-03-31T06:05:00.000-07:00

Canada's blog

I think my best TWS moment was when I had back stage to the (1st) final TWS show at the Vogue. The energy and emotion was unbelievable and they "let me in" to experience that with them. I will never forget standing on that stage looking out at the crowd as the boys just let it rip! Charlie put me on as his "drum tech", so I was there from load in to load out. Unfortunately, I almost got arrested in the parking lot (somebody was smoking pot near me....haha) immediately following the show so I missed the actual loading of the gear. John McConnell was ready to kill me as he had instructed me to be there to load the gear as that was part of my "job". Sorry Johnny! Awesome show and the end of a great run. I don't think they ever really achived that type of chemistry with the exception of the first reunion show at Pierre's, since then.

My worst TWS/CSB moment was probably when I got on stage at the CSB New Year's show at Zanie's Too. I don't remember it really, but Ive heard it on dvd and I suck. It was during Blanket Inside and I thought we needed a little more "ooh!ooh!ooh!". So much for respect huh! I felt terrible and apologized to Chris as soon as I saw him next. He handled it extremely well as we all know he doesn't really care for that kind of thing. I am sorry my worst moment was about me, but I really don't think I have a bad memory of either band. Thanks for the blog 1da!!!

Jeff Canada

Welcome to the CSB blog

2007-03-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

Some chatter on the Archive board about starting a blog piqued my interest, so I set this thing up. We'll see if it gets any action.

I'll start with an interesting question: (My answers below)

1. What's your greatest TWS/CSB experience?

2. What's the biggest fuck up moment of TWS/CSB you've experienced?

1da Answers:

1. a(Tie-is that legal?)-TWS rocking Here I Go at Pierre's in Ft. Wayne on the 1st reunion. Unfreakingbelievable.....I think I had guessed working as the opener, Here I Go was poetic...Vowed I'd never do this again, but here I go........A wonderful (or is that 1daful??) moment of recapturing some of the best feelings from the old days for us fans, and for the band. I was able to be in the room upstairs before the show, and they were stoked.

1. b(wifey would say this should be 1. a) Shaffer at Zanies Too. Shaffer solo dedicated When I'm with you to me and Holly shortly after we were engaged. The cool part is that I taped it, and we used it at the wedding as our first song. Gay???? Probably.... Cool???? I thought so.

2 Too many to list, but I'll pick one-TWS at House of Blues-Shaf totally shitfaced trying to get the band to play Yoshimi. Brutal!!!!! It was a sour note on an otherwise fun night.

There it is, let the opinions flow. If you want to allow anyone else to author, just email me at wondanewman@sbcglobal.net, and I'll send 'em the invitation, which will let them author.

Peace!