Foxy Shazam

Foxy Shazam was an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio (composed of lead vocalist Eric Nally, guitarist Loren Turner, pianist Sky White, bassist Daisy Caplan, trumpeter and back-up vocalist Alex Nauth, and drummer Aaron McVeigh). They were formed in 2004. The band released their debut album The Flamingo Trigger independently before signing with Ferret Music, under which they recorded their second album, Introducing.^[1][2] The following year, the band recorded its first major label record with producer John Feldmann. Foxy Shazam signed with Sire Records and released its self-titled major label debut in 2010. The band's fourth studio album, The Church of Rock and Roll, was released in January 2012. Gonzo, the band's fifth album, was released April 2, 2014.^[3] They announced in October 2014 they were disbanding for an unknown length of time.

Biography

2003-2004: Train of Thought and the formation of the Foxy Shazam!

In 2003, the original members of Foxy Shazam were naming the group and chose "Train of Thought". At the time, they were creating a much heavier sound for their unofficial debut independent album, called The Flamingo Trigger. They later released a small portion of their first self-released extended play (EP), which were consisted of solely two songs. In 2004, they had decided to change the name of the band to "Foxy Shazam!". On June 15, 2005, the band released their official debut album, titled The Flamingo Trigger. In support of their debut album, the band toured all across the country from 2006 to 2007, where they had been presenting with much more aggressive post-hardcore sounds than their later materials.

2008–09: Signing to Ferret Music and Introducing

After the band's debut tour, the group announced that they signed a record deal to Ferret Music. On January 22, 2008, they released their second album, titled Introducing. The album was supported by their lead single: "A Dangerous Man". In 2008, they were named as one of the "100 Bands You Need to Know" by Alternative Press, which led the band earning their spots on tours with bands such as The Darkness, The Strokes, The Sounds, The Fall of Troy, Hole, Portugal. The Man, Tub Ring, The Dear Hunter, Tera Melos, Free Energy, Bad Rabbits, Panic! at the Disco and The Young Veins, to support for their second studio release.

2010: Signing to Sire Records and self-titled album

Lead vocalist Eric Nally in 2010

In 2010, Foxy Shazam was included on the Spin list of "Ten Bands You Need To Know". The lead vocalist from the band, Eric Sean Nally wrote songs for Meat Loaf's album Hang Cool, Teddy Bear. The band announced that they signed a deal to Sire Records. On February 7, 2010, the band performed their single "Unstoppable" at the Super Bowl XLIV.^[4] The track was featured on the NHL 11 video game and it was included on the Cartoon Network's second live-action show Tower Prep as a theme song. The song was also included in a trailer of the movie Your Highness, and the song was featured in a series of the commercials for MLB Network. On April 13, 2010, they released their self-titled third album, Foxy Shazam. The band then performed at Lollapalooza festival. They appeared in many magazines such as Alternative Press and Spin to support the album. The band played a 3-song set on Fuel.tv's The Daily Habit,, a 5-song set on shockhound.com, as well as performing an acoustic 3-song set for Spin Magazine.^[5] In July 2010, the band visited the Chicago's JBTV,^[6] where they were interviewed and then they performed live and premiered their exclusive version of "Oh, Lord" to the music discovery app, titled Shazam. The band was later named as the spotlight band for the 2011's Warped Tour.

2011–13: Signing to IRS Records and The Church of Rock and Roll

On December 5, 2011, Foxy Shazam announced the title to their fourth album, The Church of Rock and Roll, revealed the album's final track listing, along with a cover artwork and the release date for January 2012. On January 24, 2012, they released the album.^[7] It included three singles: "I Like It", "Holy Touch" and "Welcome to the Church of Rock and Roll". After the band toured, serving as the opening act for The Darkness. Foxy Shazam announced that they would be embarking on a headlining tour starting in April 2012.^[8] They then toured as the opening act for Slash on his North American tour dates from September 4 to October 4, 2012.^[9]

2014-present: Gonzo and hiatus

On March 12, 2014, it was announced via 96ROCK that the band had completed work on their latest LP and that it would be released on the same month. The album's title was announced and it was indicated to be a concept album. On April 2, 2014, the band released Gonzo online for free through Bandcamp. Gonzo is the band's first self-released album since 2005's The Flamingo Trigger. The band recorded the album together live in one room with producer Steve Albini. The band has released a music video for the single "Tragic Thrill".^[10] On October 27, 2014, Foxy Shazam announced on their Facebook page^[11] that they were temporarily disbanding, 4 days before embarking on the second US leg of their Gonzo tour. The band stated that they intend to get back together for the unknown future date. In 2015, the former lead vocalist Eric Nally was featured on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' song "Downtown", the first single from their upcoming second album. Other band members have remained in Cincinnati and have gone on to have considerable local and regional success since the hiatus began. In 2015 trumpet player Alex Nauth formed The Skulx with ex-members of Cincinnati bands The Killtones and Cadaver Dogs.^[12] The band was nominated for a Cincinnati Entertainment Award for New Artist of the Year in late 2015.^[13] In late 2014 bassist Daisy Caplan founded Cincinnati-based band Babe Rage.^[14] The group disbanded in 2015. In 2016, Caplan began playing drums for Lung, an experimental rock duo, with electric cellist Kate Wakefield.^[15] Guitarist Loren Turner is currently performing with The Trxlleydxdgers (pronounced "trolley dodgers").^[16] Keyboardist Sky White performs with the Jay Dorsey Band and founded the Wendigo Tea Company in 2015.^[17]

Music style and influences

Many media outlets compare the band to Queen and Meat Loaf because of its use of theatrics and over-the-top lyrics. One live review stated, "If Noel Fielding and Freddie Mercury had a love child it would be Foxy Shazam vocalist Eric Sean Nally."^[18] The magazine Alternative Press compared the band to bands like Queen, My Chemical Romance, and The Darkness, while also believing that the band has a unique sound that should best be seen live.^[19] Lead singer of punk rock band The Squids Joey Spatafora has declared Foxy Shazam "The 2nd greatest rock and roll band of all time behind only The Beatles", and predicted Foxy Shazam would be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame the very second that they are eligible in 2029.

Origin of their name

The band name was claimed to have originated from a slang phrase used by students at vocalist Eric Sean Nally's high school. "Foxy shazams" meant 'cool shoes'. (e.g. "Damn, those are some foxy shazams!").^[4] In a Rockline radio interview in March 2012, Nally stated that this was not the case by saying that the truth is not as interesting as real life. He had been lying about it for 5 years and it just stuck. This was later confirmed by Alex Nauth and Aaron McVeigh in an interview with Norse Media in July 2012.^[20]

Members

Current members

• Eric Sean Nally – vocals
• Loren Daniel Turner – guitars
• Daisy Caplan – bass
• Schuyler Vaughn White – keyboards
• Alex Nauth – horns/backing vocals
• Aaron McVeigh – drums

Former Members

• Joseph Allen Halberstadt – drums
• Elijah Rust – drums
• Jamison Pack – drums
• Patricio Gutierrez – drums
• Teddy Aitkins – drums
• John Sims – drums
• Skylyn Ohlenkamp – bass
• Dustin Weddle – guitar
• Trevor Erb – bass (tour fill-in)
• Ryan Hogle – guitar (tour fill-in)
• Baron Walker – bass, keyboards (tour fill-in)
• Donnie Moore – keyboards

Timeline

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Singles

Music videos

Other appearances

References

External links

• Official website