The Shivers (Austin, Texas)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1989 in Austin, Texas, United States |
| Founder | Carey Kemper, Kelly Bell |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon and Minneapolis, Minnesota , United States |
| Products | Music albums |
The Shivers emerged as an American alternative country ensemble founded in 1989 in Austin, Texas by Carey Kemper and Kelly Bell. They issued two albums internationally through Restless Records in the United States and Glitterhouse Records in Europe during 1994 and 1996. Although their origins trace back to Austin, the group primarily operated out of Portland, Oregon and Minneapolis, Minnesota on a rotating basis. In 1994, they obtained trademark registration for The Shivers name.
Critics highly praised The Shivers, receiving notable recognition from Rolling Stone and media outlets throughout Europe. Their initial release, The Shivers (1994), was met with favorable critiques in both the US and UK markets. Their sophomore effort, The Buried Life (Restless 72915–2, 1996), earned significant acclaim within the global alternative country scene. It was ranked among the Top-10 Albums of 1996 by Country Guitar magazine and received commendations from New Country, Mojo, and Alternative Press. Both projects were engineered by Tom Herbers at Third Ear Studios in Minneapolis and Dead Aunt Thelma's Studio located in Portland.
History
As early innovators in alt-country music, the band toured extensively across the United States, performing at prominent events such as SXSW between 1994 and 1996, the New Music Seminar in 1995, Northwest Independent Music Conference in 1996, and NXNW in 1997.
The founding members—Carey Kemper (guitarist, vocalist, songwriter), Kelly Bell (bassist, vocalist, acoustic guitarist, songwriter), and Barry Haney (drummer)—crafted two major albums along with earlier recordings including a self-titled cassette and the 7" single "Almost Gone" b/w "Love Other Gone" released in 1992.
Kelly Bell earned a bachelor's degree in Linguistics from UT Austin and serves as Founder and CTO of Gotham City Drupal, a cooperative specializing in Drupal CMS development.
In early 1997, the band was released from their contract with Restless Records. Following their performance at the inaugural NXNW Conference in October 1997, The Shivers disbanded. Their final project was an independently produced CD titled "v3.5," recorded by Joash Gallagher in Portland.
The Shivers
The Shivers CD (Restless UPC:018777277723)
Track listing
- Silver City Train
- Rivers
- Almost Gone
- Never Leave Nevada
- Love Other Gone
- When I Fall
- Good As Things Are
- Things Change
- Gentle
- Red Cats
- Heart Of Texas Blues
- Dreamtime With A Wanted Man
Details
- Producers: The Shivers and Tom Herbers
- Distributed by: Ryko Distribution
- Recording environment: Studio sessions
- Audio format: Stereo
Album notes
- The Shivers lineup consisted of Carey Kemper (vocals, guitar, violin), Kelly Bell (vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar), and Christopher Wolff (drums, percussion).
- Additional musicians featured Barry Haney and Diesel Tucker on drums.
- Recording engineers included Tom Herbers (tracks 1-2, 4, 6-12) and Jason Orris (tracks 3, 5).
- All compositions were created by members of The Shivers except for "Never Leave Nevada" and "Gentle," which were written by E. Ann Powell.