theSHIFT at the Shaskeen Pub – Manchester, NH

Photos and Review by Eric Pennell

Show photos HERE

theSHIFT are a hard rock trio from New York consisting of John Shannon (vocals and guitar), Ben Geis (bass guitar) and MJ Lambert (drums). This being the second time I have seen them at The Shaskeen Pub in Manchester, NH, I made sure I had my camera this time.

Individually theSHIFT are superb musicians with extensive professional careers. Together they are a live rock act that should not be missed. Their sound is a mix of all the best rock stuff from the 70s to the 90s, with a modern energy that shapes invigorating melodies around shredding guitar leads; including Shannon’s well-suited use of fret tapping and a plethora of pedal board effects. (If you are a weekend guitar warrior, like myself, you need to see John Shannon live). The songs are dense with passion and the vocals, pensive and meditative then explosive and enthralling. They seamlessly progress through various tempos and intensities with a dynamic range that is not found in typical hard rock acts.

Ben Geis must have calluses on his calluses from the intensity and speed at which he plays; providing a flawless canvas for Shannon to embellish. When Shannon is nailing the leads Ben is driving the rhythm hard. MJ Lambert’s drumming is intricate and tight with obvious hip hop, jazz and rock influences. He plays a minimal kit and wrings every ounce of pulsing pounding percussion out of it.

That 70s-80s rock influence showed up as theSHIFT put their own touches on ‘Bring On The Night’ by The Police. The song fit so well into the rest of their set, like it was one of their own, that Shannon felt he needed to ensure the crowd knew it was cover by stating it twice when it concluded (with a look on his face like the cat that just ate the canary).

The moment you thought they had run through their bag of tricks they invited a guest rapper on stage who wowed the crowd with lyrics that complemented theSHIFT energy perfectly. The music became so intense that Shannon busted a string. With the guitar down for repairs Lambert was allowed to besiege the crowd with a 10 minute drum solo that ran through a multitude of percussive styles.

On stage and off theSHIFT is energetic and engaging. In between sets they wandered the pub, shaking hands and telling us about their recent trip to Peru; connecting with their fans through real conversation.

Their current EP, 7th Direction is out now and based on some new music we heard, a new album is on the way. According to Shannon, “We’re working on it.”

Check out more on their website www.theshiftofficial.com

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