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Trying to describe shallowater's
music is nearly impossible. While the band usually settles with the
catch-all phrase "rock," it's not quite that simple. Influences in
the band include everything from punk to folk to metal, and as the band
continues to write more songs, they choose to expand the boundaries that
define them rather than hone a certain sound. Their shows can include
10 minute tribal jams, 2 minute pop songs, and even mellow, acoustic tunes.
Whether heavy or mellow, slow or fast, the diverse material is bonded by
its ability to please the ear and remain in the brain, and that seems to
be the factor that keeps people coming to the shows.
shallowater began in April of 1994 in New Braunfels, Texas. When vocalist/guitarist Vernon Effenberger and guitarist Vince Koegle's previous project Head Train fell through, Vernon called Dave Dierksen, a drummer he had played with in junior high. Dave, depressed to be sitting idle in a small town with very little original rock music, jumped at the opportunity. Together, the three began writing songs influenced by the rock music they had grown up listening to. After searching long and hard for a bassist, former Head Train bassist Mike Taylor returned to the fold to complete the ensemble. After a slow year of getting used to each other, the band recorded a 5 song demo in 1995 that landed them briefly on the Steamboat 1874 (Austin) roster in early 1996. Several uncomfortable live shows taught the band that they still needed more experience in song writing and on the stage before returning to Austin. Over the summer and fall of '96, the band really broadened its horizons in the song writing field, breaking out of the "hard rock" mold they had placed upon themselves. In addition, numerous local shows gave them the live experience they needed to return to the big cities. In early '97, shallowater returned to the Steamboat and remained on the roster throughout the year, opening for big local acts such as Pushmonkey, M.C. Overlord, and Breedlove. That year, shallowater got its first Saturday night gigs. The band took another break at the end of 1997, broadening its horizons even more by adding an auxillary percussionist, Jaime Alvarez-Calderon. The band set its sights on recording a CD, and after the first half was recorded at the beginning of 1998, the band returned to the Steamboat with an intense live show, packed with songs of various styles, volumes, and tempos. The band even received the opportunity to open for Sunflower at one of their reunion shows. With the release of the CD "searching for Bauer" in September, 1998, the band has also begun playing in San Antonio at the White Rabbit in addition to its regular returns to its home base at the Steamboat. The band hopes that the CD will let them travel to other parts of Texas as well. |
