Bands to Watch: Shadows Force

Which type of classic-rock music lurks in the heart of Shadows Force?

Only the Shadow knows -- Shawn "The Shadow" Brinker, that is. He grew up listening to the commercial-radio giants of the 1970s. By the time he was ready to rock, he decided to write music in the vein of the bands he loved.

"We want to do the Journey and Styx and Boston and REO Speedwagon -- that's the stuff we all grew up on," Brinker said. "We can do the cover tunes that people up here haven't heard from bands in a while. We only do covers that complement what our original style is, so when we throw them in, it's not a big change in musical styles."

Brinker, 33, remembers banging on a toy piano when he was 3. By 5, he had his first guitar and began teaching himself. By the late 1970s, he was heavily into Boston, REO, and especially Journey. Later, he liked some of the hair bands and also Guns 'n Roses.

But in 1991, music died as far as he's concerned. He blames it on Seattle and grunge.

"It takes three elements to make a tune," Brinker said. "You need a melody, a harmony, and a rhythm. There's nothing out there today that has a harmony anymore. We're competing against all that. We still hold true to our hearts what we believe is rock and roll. It's what we grew up on."

He says music should lift you up, not toss you into a dumpster.

"We play what I call feel-good rock and roll. Anything that's got a good beat and makes people feel good and is danceable and gets them up and moving," he said.

Brinker has completed two original CDs, but did them on older equipment. He plans to re-record them with Shadows Force on his own 24-track digital studio. He talked about the band with Showcase.

BAND MEMBERS
Shawn "The Shadow" Brinker (Thirst 'n Howl), lead vocals, drums; Tony Roussos (XL, Rehab, Mad Hatters), guitars, vocals, keyboards; Matt Rider (Tall, Hammerd), lead, rhythm guitar; Fred Marmolejo (Fore Play), keyboards, vocals; Mike Bidwell (Rehab and currently Orion's Eye), bass.

THE INSPIRATION
Brinker started putting Shadows Force together after he moved from Pittsburgh to Erie in 1998. In Pittsburgh, he played in a popular band, High 5. He incorporates much of that material and newer songs into Shadows Force, which started playing out in summer 2004.

"After High 5 called it quits, I started pondering," Brinker said. "I thought I needed to get away from the big city. Just being out of the rat race down there gave me the space I needed."

IN THE SET LIST
Shadows Force currently plays about 80 percent covers, 20 percent original. They play such songs as "Hold On Loosely" by 38 Special, "Roll with the Changes" by REO Speedwagon, "Come Sail Away"by Styx, "Raise a Little Hell" by Trooper, and "Separate Ways" by Journey.

FIRST CONCERT Y0U EVER SAW
"Ozzy Osbourne and Anthrax. It was at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh,"Brinker said. "It was great. That was the first time I actually saw a real, true-to-life guitar solo. Zakk Wylde had just come in with them; he's my guitar idol. He did like a five-, six-minute solo and he blew me away."

LAST GOOD CONCERT YOU SAW
"Probably Scorpions and Great White, that was around 1992," said Brinker. Nothing since then? "That's when the Seattle sound came in, and music lost what it's all about -- harmony."

LAST GREAT BAND THAT MATTERS
"That's hard. All of us like what we listened to back in the day. Probably Guns 'n Roses."

WHAT'S IN YOUR CD PLAYER NOW
Journey's "Greatest Hits," said Brinker.

HOW HE BECAME 'THE SHADOW
"It's a thing that started in Pittsburgh. I was the one who always watched everyone's back. I was always there. That's how I got the nickname."

CDS
"Night of the Shadow" and "The Second Coming" are completed, but the band plans to re-record them for a later release. A third CD is also in the works.

WEB SITE
www.shadowsforce.com