Creation and destruction, the elements for all things human, are perfectly encapsulated in Shiva, the head of Hindu gods. Shiva is also the god of: yoga, dance, time and art, and is a destroyer of evil. The fact that this deity is invoked by the Shivas is a testament to their band’s creed that they “just want people to forget that they have to work in the morning.”
While the mythology doesn’t explicitly state that Shiva is the god of fun, it would be hard to imagine them taking exception to the association claimed by this group of Oregonians, who spent the last several years on the house party circuit. Fun is what these Portland natives are going for. The group’s new album, Dark Thoughts, is, in their own words, “a sweet and sinister album about confronting your demons and the growth that comes from fearless self-examination.”
The band plays decent rock ’n’ roll through the lens of garage rock. It’s not psych, it’s not shoegaze, it’s pure rock ’n’ roll. That’s pretty refreshing these days, when everyone is trying to find an angle; how about originality? Dark Thoughts is a fun romp through the psyche of a band learning to trust each other and growing up in the process. According to drummer and vocalist, Kristin Leonard, “We’re starting to talk a lot more philosophically about why we do what we do. Some of my favorite music came from people needing to find a space. Music is just such a visceral place to find a release.”
The band has existed in different forms for 13 years making their bones across the world, playing house shows and basically any place that would have them. In 2017 they acquired guitarist Jeff Boyardee rounding out the line-up of Leonard, Jared Molyneux, and Eric Shanafelt. The band has been hitting the road pretty hard and boasts having played over 1,000 shows in their time; an impressive feat for any band, but par for the course for any group that’s been racking up frequent flyer miles like these guys have.
The Shivas with Electric Supply Company, Vagnauts play an 18+ show 11:30pm Friday February 7 at Voltaire in West Palm Beach. theshivas.org ~ Tim Moffatt ADVANCE TICKETS ONLY $5!
