Shellac

Shellac is an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois, composed of Steve Albini (guitar and vocals), Bob Weston (bass guitar and vocals) and Todd Trainer (drums and vocals) and formed in 1992. Shellac has a distinctive, minimalist sound based on asymmetric time signatures, repetitive heavy rhythms, an angular guitar sound, and both Albini's and Weston's surreal, bitingly sarcastic lyrics. Songs typically do not have traditional verse/chorus/verse structure and the arrangements are sparse, to the point where some describe them as "amelodic".

Shellac's signature sound is often associated with their enthusiasm for vintage Travis Bean guitars, a rare brand of aluminium-based instruments, and the Interfax "Harmonic Percolator" distortion pedal. Albini is also known to use copper plectrums and unusual guitar straps that fit around the waist rather than over the shoulder. The band prefers the intimacy of smaller clubs and live appearances are sporadic.

Links To Peel
As a fan of Big Black, Peel was interested in Albini's projects including Rapeman and Shellac. The band did two sessions for Peel's show, first in 1994 and the second in 2004 just after Peel's death, but this time presented by Rob Da Bank for the Peel Show.

In an interview with the Exclaim site, Steve Albini mentioned that doing the session after Peel's death was about his appreciation of the man and not just wanting to be on the radio:


 * "Well, when we played "The End of Radio” at a John Peel session for the John Peel program shortly after he died, we kind of wanted to make a point of saying that we were there because we appreciated John Peel and not just because we wanted to be on the radio."

Festive Fifty Entries
Peel Post-Peel
 * 1994 Festive Fifty: The Dog & Pony Show #24
 * 1994 Festive Fifty: Crow #18
 * 2000 Festive Fifty: Prayer To God #19
 * 2014 Festive Fifty: Dude Incredible #19
 * 2014 Festive Fifty: Riding Bikes #14

Sessions
The first session can be found on the 1994 Peel Sessions (1995, vinyl 7", Not On Label)

1. Recorded: 1994-07-14. Broadcast: 22 July 1994. Repeated: 11 August 1995 2. Recorded: 2004-12-01. Broadcast: 02 December 2004 (Rob Da Bank)
 * Spoke / Canada / Crow / Disgrace
 * Ghosts / The End of Radio / Canada / Paco / Steady As She Goes / Billiard Player Song / Dog and Pony Show / Il Porno Star

Live
Recorded at All Tomorrow's Parties Festival: 2002-04-19/21. Broadcast: 23 April 2002
 * 1) The Guy Who Invented Fire
 * 2) The Ramblers Song
 * 3) Canada
 * 4) Mama Gina
 * 5) Song Of The Minerals
 * 6) The Dog And Pony Show
 * 7) The Watch Song

Other Shows Played
1994
 * 01 January 1994: 'The Guy Who Invented Fire (7"-The Rude Gesture (A Pictorial History))' (Touch And Go)
 * 01 January 1994: 'Doris (7"-Uranus)' (Touch And Go)
 * 07 January 1994: ‘Rambler Song (7 inch - The Rude Gesture (A Pictorial History))’ (Touch And Go)
 * 15 January 1994 (BFBS): Billiard Player Song (EP - The Rude Gesture (A Pictorial History)) Touch And Go
 * 15 January 1994 (BFBS): Doris (7" - Uranus) Touch And Go
 * 21 January 1994: ‘Billiard Player Song (7 inch EP - The Rude Gesture (A Pictorial History))’ (Touch And Go)


 * January 1994 (2) (BBC World Service): Billiard Player Song (7" EP - The Rude Gesture (A Pictorial History)) Touch And Go
 * January 1994 (3) (BBC World Service): Rambler Song (EP - The Rude Gesture (A Pictorial History)) Touch And Go
 * 05 February 1994: ‘Doris (7 inch - Uranus)’ (Touch And Go)
 * 25 March 1994: ‘Doris (7 inch – Uranus)’ (Touch And Go)
 * 09 April 1994 (BFBS): Doris (7" - Uranus) Touch And Go
 * 23 July 1994 (BBC World Service): Rambler Song (7" - The Rude Gesture (A Pictorial History)) Touch And Go
 * 30 July 1994 (BFBS): Billiard Player Song (7" EP - The Rude Gesture (A Pictorial History)) Touch And Go


 * 01 August 1994 (Ö3): 'The Guy Who Invented Fire (7"-The Rude Gesture (A Pictorial History))' (Touch & Go)
 * 03 September 1994: The Admiral (7" The Bird Is The Most Popular Finger) (Drag City) (JP: "The LP will be in the shops during the week and I'll be able to play it to you next week because, well at least Steve Albini if not the rest of the band don't really approve of promotional copies of records going out. I don't entirely disapprove of that philosophy myself I must say, although it would be very expensive if everybody did it.")
 * 10 September 1994: Dog And Pony Show / Boche's Dick (LP - Shellac at Action Park) Touch & Go
 * 17 September 1994 (BFBS): The Admiral / Dog And Pony Show (album - At Action Park) Touch And Go
 * 23 September 1994: A Minute (LP - At Action Park) Touch And Go

1996 1998
 * 24 September 1994 (BFBS): Crow / unknown (album - At Action Park) Touch And Go
 * 30 September 1994 (BFBS): 'A Minute (LP-At Action Park)' (Touch And Go)
 * 08 October 1994: Dog And Pony Show (LP: At Action Park) Touch And Go
 * 15 October 1994 (BBC World Service): Song Of The Minerals (album - At Action Park) Touch And Go
 * 29 October 1994: ‘Il Porno Star (LP - At Action Park )’ Touch And Go
 * 23 December 1994: 'Dog And Pony Show (CD-At Action Park)' (Touch And Go) FF #24
 * 23 December 1994: 'Crow (CD-At Action Park)' (Touch And Go) FF #18
 * 04 May 1996 (BFBS): 'Killers (Compilation CD-The Lounge Ax Defense Relocation Compact Disc)' (Touch And Go)
 * 15 June 1996: ’95 Jailbreak (Various Artists 2x7 – Sides 1-4 )’ Skin Graft Records
 * 24 February 1998: Rush Job (album - Terraform) Touch And Go

2000
 * 04 March 1998: Copper (LP – Terraform ) Touch And Go
 * 08 August 2000: 'Squirrel Song' (LP '1000 Hurts') Touch & Go


 * 09 August 2000: 'Mama Gina' (LP '1000 Hurts') Touch & Go


 * 10 August 2000: 'Q R J' (LP '1000 Hurts') Touch & Go
 * 15 August 2000: 'Ghosts' (LP '1000 Hurts') Touch & Go

2002 2004
 * 16 August 2000: 'Song Against Itself' (LP '1000 Hurts') Touch & Go
 * 22 August 2000: 'Canaveral' (LP '1000 Hurts') Touch & Go
 * 24 August 2000: 'Shoe Song' (LP '1000 Hurts') Touch & Go
 * 30 August 2000: Watch Song (CD – 1000 Hurts) Touch And Go
 * 28 December 2000: 'Prayer To God (CD-Touch To God)' (Touch & Go) FF #19
 * 16 January 2002: 'Ghost' (Touch & Go)
 * 01 December 2004 (Rob Da Bank): Watch Song (LP - All Tomorrow's Parties 2.0) (ATP)