Biography

This is the Shona Biography as told by James Eastwood. Written in 2002 it documents the initial stages of the band. Not really particularly relevant this long after written but after reading it when creating the new site decided that its quite endearing even just for my own reminiscence. Hense the inclusion

Introduction

Well for all of you out there who believe that the Shona you hear today is the same as the Shona that started back in September 2001 then you are very much mistaken.

Lets take a trek back to late summer of 2000. Our application to host the World Cup was turned down. The waste of space called the Millennium Dome was about to be closed down and for the first time in eight years the Tories were ahead of Labour in the polls.

In early 2000 James started to talk to Matt Schaffer about guitars and used to lend each other guitar magazines at college (of which I have still got one of today). This new acquired friendship paved the way to asking Matt to join the next of James musical ventures. James also knew Matt Young an old school friend which played in a band with James called All Change all the way back in those good old days of 1997. This band however was no ordinary band! It was a bloody useless band sounding more like Kratwerk on Helium (My voice hadn't broken yet) with Matt playing one of his battered old keyboards which he got one Christmas with an Orange and a pair of handkerchiefs in his Christmas stocking.

The Beginning

In September 2000 James finally split up Spiral Blew (an Indie band with a small following but really lacking any direction) and decided it was time to build the next "Eastwood Empire" like when Columbus sailed the ocean blue. James was straight on the phone to an old colleague of his who had probably had a lung transplant, had gotten four teenage girls pregnant and been caught in an indecent sex act at Banham Zoo since I had last seen him. The man's name was Matthew Young, that Bon Jovi loving, blues widdiling fanatic who should have been born in Mississippi rather than Maternity ward at Colchester Hospital.

I spoke to Matt about the possibility of him playing Bass for the band. Matt is technically the best musician I have ever worked with and for me the foundations had to be laid with him. That's the great thing with this band you've got Matthew Schaffer the most intelligent and intellectual musician I have ever worked with, John the most musically tight and Rhythmic composer I have ever worked with ( Where the hell did you get the idea of putting the verse in When The Rivers Run Red to ¾) and Matthew Young the best technical musician. Me I just have to put up with but too me it's a solid foundation.

A few days before hand I had seen Matt Schaffer on a lunch break and he had said to me he was trying to get a band together but with no luck. I said I was in a band at the moment ( Spiral Blew) but if I hear of any other musicians then I would let him know. Within a space of a week however I was the one needing the musicians and the first idea that came to mind as a potential lead guitarist was Matthew Schaffer. Matt was kind of like the intelligent, academic one out of the group. He has an extensive interest in computer though more on the adult literature side and has a massive addiction to battery operated machinery. Unfortunately for any future wife, Matt's collection of battery operated machinery tends to lean more to the E bow and a box that sounds like a game of space invaders rather than anything you can order out of the back of Razzle. However I liked the fact that Matt had always expressed an interest in alternative guitar playing and if you listen to stuff like Closure and Disarm you can see that Matt has become one of the best in his field, certainly the best I have ever seen. Now with Matt on board I had a full band because I had my old drummer from Spiral Blew as the drummer.

Johnny Joins

The first practice was set in a church hall which Matt couldn't attend because he couldn't afford to pay the fees so Matt left without even playing and we were going to go ahead as a three piece. However within a week or so it wasn't working so I spoke to Matt Schaffer on the phone and we arranged to have a practice. I went round there for a practice and Johnny decided to come out and have a jam with us. Within no time I had decided that Johnny was the right man for the job and had to call it off with my old drummer. Simon was a great drummer for his age, he was only fourteen and I feel that if he carries on the way he is going he will be an outstanding musician.

Johnny is a great drummer and is a cross between the drummer from Gorillaz when he has his baseball cap and the Milky bar Kid ( The creamiest milk, the whitest bar is only good enough for Johnny).

Last but not least after taking the piss out of everyone else there me. A tall, dark haired handsome man, hung like a baboon and the Chairman of the Right Hand Entertainments industry. Aka Sleazy James has woken up to many a Art Mag which has been bought when drunk the night before only to try and find a safe place to hide from mother. Although she always does the hovering on that day.

The First Practice

So with the line up all intact we were ready for the first practice. I remember Johnny looking like something out of Gorillaz with his baseball cap back to front. Matthew Schaffer had some Heavy metal T shirt on, I looked like something coming out of the sixties with a Beatles style haircut and Matt Young looked like a classic rocker with long black hair and ripped jeans. I remember thinking to myself do you really think this is going to work. The first song we practiced was an acoustic Ballard called "I Can't Be Someone The I'm Not" which I had written in the summer and which had attracted Matt Young to coming and playing in this band. However for some reason the song just wasn't working so we decided to go into a more heavier number called All The Way. We also did the first version of Falling Away at the first practice.

Within a few weeks Song 6 was starting to take shape and some early jams of a track called "Turn Me In" started to come about. Other early songs included "Waiting For" , "While I Sleep" (This was an acoustic track which we think we jammed at once I don't think the others will remember it).

Splitting Up (The best thing we ever done?)

It wasn't until about November when I left the band for a day and wrote Leaving (only to come back a day later and say to the band of I got this classic new song we need to work on it) did the band really start moving forward.

I had decided to leave because I felt slightly disillusioned with the whole band and I didn't feel that people believed in me. A feeling of insecurity nearly destroyed the whole band but by the Sunday when we went back for our first practice the whole band talked a lot of things through and started to allow people to believe in each other and proved to me that there were no egos in this band, just people who enjoyed making music.

Leaving was written and composed on the day that I announced to everyone I was going to leave. However when we got back together and started working on it you can't help but slightly take the song as a joke just for the irony of it.

Matt Schaffer then wrote his classic guitar solo and Johnny really let out on the drum fills at the end, it was then we realised it was started to come together.

Other track that came about that time were Longer, Teenage Whore and the track that really changed everything was When The Rivers Run Red. Matt Schaffer beautiful E Bow into and beautiful Octave melodies on the breakdown, Matthew Young's perfect will articulated bass line that drives a long the song. Jonathan Schaffer's clever ¾ drum beat and my sweeping arpeggios that track just a brilliant musical collaboration individually and collectively. It was from then on that Shona would start to gather momentum with the first gig at my house and the famous first gig at the crab and would start to write more collective and accurate musical songs. It was the first time Matt started to do what we all know him best for now and that using the guitar in an innovative and articulate way. It was also the first time the band had good dynamics with a decent song, although I know some would debate Song 6. Johnny's drumming was also taking on a different dimension becoming more relaxed and intricate. Matt Young was also coming with some of his best bass work.

The New Year

So then we get to the start of 2001. The Millennium has now completed its first official year and Christmas is a distant memory. There have been rumours in the press that Arsenal could line up a swoop for Ipswich’s Richard Wright and the Tractor Boy’s are well on target for a top five finish (What a difference a year makes).

The start of 2001 for Shona to many of you seemed irrelevant. However behind the scenes the plans for March’s official debut gig were already underway. However there was a first chance for a few to see Shona before their official first gig. It was to be a private function around James Eastwood’s house.  This was the first time Shona’s songs were exposed to the world (Vicarage Garden’s anyway) and was a reasonable performance. However the actual event was somehow was more distracted by the amount of alcohol drunk before hand (nowhere near as much as the first Crab gig) and the nerves of first live performance.

If you look at the set list at the time you can see how much the band have moved on. The band opened on Falling Away and then moved into Teenage Whore and Longer. Supersonic was put in midway through the set to spilt the set up a bit and then the final three originals were played which were Song 6, When The River’s Run Red and Leaving. For you train spotters out there, Leaving, When The River’s Run Red and Supersonic have been played at every gig up until 20/11/01. 

That first gig for me was very important. Although it wasn’t the first public gig, it gave us the chance to test the material in front of a live audience at that is very important. It also taught as a few lessons about preparation and most importantly the importance of a decent sound check, which we still haven’t got the hang of.

Crab Gig One

However by the time we got to the first gig proper that was the least of the band’s worries. Just being able to stand up straight was challenging enough for Matt Young and my speech at the best of times was basically blurred.  I can always remember the anticipation building up before the gig as more and more people turned up getting ready to either laugh us off the stage or genuinely appreciate what we were doing. I think the response was half and half that night but we made it entertaining and we were asked back. It is still my favourite gig to a point because I have never played a gig where the crowd were participating for such a long period of the time. I however was really happy with it even if the performance wasn’t the greatest seen to man. 

Crab Gig Two

The next time we were asked back to the Crab we made sure that we performed a lot better. That was quite a good gig and the crowd seemed to be with us most of the gig. The turnout however wasn’t as big as the last time we played there. The main problem for that gig was that the set was too long. We played seventeen songs that night without a break and we made it hard to keep the crowd involved although the encore was good. I think me and Matt Young played a lot better that night and Matt Schaffer and Johnny were there usual tight self.  We played everything we had got that night and that backfired on us.

Crab Gig Three

This was my favourite overall for the Crab gigs because I personally felt that we played well (although I know Matt Schaffer wasn’t too happy with his performance that night) and the crowd were really good as well. We played a slightly longer set than the first Crab gig but made dramatic reductions after the second gig. We played the best of the material we had that night with Everything For Nothing being dropped with Song 6 and Falling Away.

We owe a lot to the Crab because it got us on our feet and slightly known around the area. I personally am looking forward to the return at the Crab and Pumpkin.  Of the three gig’s we have done there the first was my favourite for the crowd and the third was my favourite for overall balance of a good performance and a good crowd.

Clacton Social Club

By the time of the Clacton Social Club for some we had exhausted some of are old material. It was the wrong venue to play, as it was more of a family orientated venue, which obviously most Social Club’s are. However we made the best of it and got a reasonably good turn out down there. I think for many there were a few surprises in the set list. There was no Longer, Teenage Whore, Song 6 or Coming Round To You.

We decided that night to go for a heavier set and to shorten the set down. This is probably are worst gig we have done. The performance wasn’t that bad, but the crowd just never really responded to us.

End Of The Summer 2001

By the end of the summer 2001 the priority was to go back and write new material. It would be another four months before Shona played to the public in Clacton again and the autumn would be spent trying to conquer new territory and write new material. By now the band seemed to be getting bored with the old set and felt they needed something fresh.