Shimmer. It's a floor polish. It's a dessert topping. Nope, Shimmer is a three-piece band from the dank streets of Seattle with a deep and abiding love for both full-bodied rocking and slippery booty-shaking. Where, you may be disposed to inquire, would I be likely to happen upon such a spectacle of electric sights and sounds in Spokane this weekend? At the Blue Spark, my friend, this Saturday night.
Influenced equally by tough-ass rock acts like Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones and by juicy soul masters like Prince and Al Green, Shimmer fuses well-crafted, hook-heavy songwriting and forceful, emotionally delivered vocals to a framework of sturdy, danceable beats and fluid guitar. The songwriting is direct and irony-free, while the band's performance posture is refreshingly light on the bluster and histrionics (see: Robert Plant) that frequently accompany acts operating within this fiery musical idiom.
Shimmer the band took root a couple of years ago, initially as a solo endeavor of Seattle-based guitarist and singer/songwriter Skip Peri. A Seattle scene veteran, Peri went so far as to enter the studio to record alone before hitting on a more collaborative and creative formula that now includes bassist Evan Brubaker and drummer Sean Siner.
The end result was the self-titled Shimmer debut album released last April on Cake Records (a Tacoma-based label). Fearlessly wielding big pop hooks and big rock beats, Peri utilizes his considerable vocal chops to satisfying effect -- shifting with little effort from aggressive insinuation to seductive crooning. Shimmer is currently being blasted over the national airwaves via 120 radio stations.
The band is out there supporting the new CD with a national tour that will keep them on the road through most of October, a tour that promises to bring them back to Spokane sometime in September.
Shimmer plays at the Blue Spark on Saturday, July 16, at 9:30 pm. Cover: $3. Call 838-5787.
