The Shellbacks

This article is about the band. For the nautical tradition involving Shellbacks, see line-crossing ceremony

The Shellbacks are an American rock band formed by musician Danny Kohnen in 2006. The group is named after the naval line-crossing ceremony in which a sailor becomes a "Shellback" after crossing the equator for the first time.

The band has generated a substantial following due to their use of the Internet as their primary means of distributing music. Their music has appeared in several short films and animated productions, including the upcoming cartoon series, "Beaves"

History
Early Days
Danny Kohnen and Bill Rusk met as students at Dubuque Senior High School in the late '90's, but did not begin playing music together until late 2002. Ironically, Kohnen purchased his first guitar after being inspired by Rusk's band Blue Cream which also featured Sam Degree, Noah Brennan, and David Colyer. Kohnen maintained close ties with Blue Cream as each member educated him with knowledge of guitar playing and musicianship. Eventually, the International House of Rock (IHOR) formed with Brennan on bass, Kohnen on guitar and lead vocals, and Rusk on drums and back-up vocals. IHOR made three albums and several EP's, but are currently on hiatus.

Formation and Debut Album
The Shellbacks formed in 2006 after recording of what was meant to be IHOR's fourth album Hewowver. The album featured several outside musicians but notably lacked the presence of Noah Brennan who had moved to Japan. Danny Kohnen made the decision to release the new record under the name "The Shellbacks" and Crossing The Line became the album's new title. Crossing The Line's songs were released individually via the Internet over the course of four months in the summer of 2007. After some initial confusion among IHOR's core fanbase over the name change, Crossing The Line became popular through social networking sites such as Facebook. The Shellbacks gained additional momentum through the online independent music community GarageBand.com where the song "Delusions of Grandeur" experienced a tremendous rise in the charts in a short period of time.

Oneironaut
Before the completion of Crossing The Line, Kohnen began working on a series of recording experiments that eventually became the second Shellbacks album, Oneironaut. Due to the electronic nature of the album, Bill Rusk appeared on just three of the 10 tracks. The album was released on October 10, 2007 but did not generate the same level of success as Crossing The Line. Despite the relative lack of notoriety, Oneironaut drew the attention of fans outside of the original Shellback fan base such as Matt Cesaretti who used the song "Planet Ultradian" in a short animated film. According to a posting on The Shellbacks Facebook group on December 23, 2007, Kohnen indicated that he may produce a remix of Oneironaut in the future.

From Plank to Your Shallow Waters
The Shellbacks have confirmed that the next album will be called From Plank to Your Shallow Waters. Although the official release date is unknown, Kohnen expects the album will be released early in 2008.

Discography
* Crossing The Line (2007)
* Oneironaut (2007)
* From Plank to Your Shallow Waters (2008)

Band members
Current members
*Danny Kohnen - lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, beats, production
*Bill Rusk - drums, guitars

Contributing members (Pollywogs)
*Noah Brennan - production
*Keith Caton - vocals
*Sam Degree - guitar
*Lee Dingman - vocals
*Sarah Goldberger - handclaps
*Sara Hofer - vocals
*Dave Kohnen - vocals
*Karl Kohnen - piano, keyboards
*Mike Kohnen - drums
*Migs Recalde - vocals, guitar
*Laura Stanner - vocals

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu