The sound of catawampus Americana music will fill the Union this Thursday when J Shogren Shanghai’d takes on the Gardens in the basement of the Wyoming Union.
J Shogren Shanghai’d is a musical group that started off as Jason Shogren and his left-hand man Jascha Herdt, until Shogren was asked by local music promoter Jeff Duloz, to perform as part of the Mid-Winter Meltdown. Shogren decided that for this performance he would form a bigger band and thus Shogren “Shanghai’d” local musicians to be a part of this experience.
“I was very touched that he thought of me,” said John Wilhelm, one of the three guitar players and a stage technician for the University of Wyoming. “I knew that if he wanted me to be in his band, that he was looking for something a little more full-throttle rock ‘n’ roll to fill out his sound.”
J Shogren Shanghai’d is a unique mixture of several different types of music, from folk to rockabilly and everything in between, according to the band’s website. The website describes the group’s sound as being, “…a lot like old dancehall music filtered through a contemporary dissonant transmitter.”
“I think it brings the idea that all of this music making is a vital part of community,” said Jascha Herdt, another of the guitar players. “In our group we’ve had so many different lineups, and through it all, I’ve made lifelong friendships with people, while also getting to hone my craft or trade of playing an instrument with others in front of an audience.”
Herdt said that there is enough flexibility in the songwriting for the songs to become more of a blank canvas for all of the members of the group.
“You have to keep your focus and your ears open, but you also get the chance to experiment and take risks sometimes, which is really a great part of playing the music,” said Herdt.
J Shogren Shanghai’d is playing The Gardens as part of the weekly concerts in the Union. Every week Studio WYO brings in local artists to play The Gardens in order to incorporate local music into the campus community.
“Studio WYO is an event that means so much to me and to this community,” Wilhelm said. “Making music in places like Laramie isn’t always easy, and places like the Gardens and people like the folks at ASTEC and Studio WYO go out of their way to grow a music scene.”
Shogren said that the Gardens has always been a venue that has supported live music in Laramie and that “we all need to support the Gardens.” All students of the University of Wyoming are welcome to join J Shogren Shanghai’d in the Gardens.
“There will be some pretty songs and some bluesy songs and some weird songs and at least one country song, that is not so secretly my favorite,” Wilhelm said. “And you can expect some funny stories about J growing up in the Pine Barrens and me to sweat…like a lot.”
J Shogren Shanghai’d is in the process of demoing songs for a new album called “Why So Blue, Bird?” and are set to appear at this summer’s High Water Hoedown in Saratoga and WhatFest in Riverside. Shogren puts on his own daylong music extravaganza called the Up-Town Break-Down in Centennial in late summer.
J Shogren Shanghai’d will be performing in the Gardens this Thursday at 7 p.m. along with local band What Not.
