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» Add News | TS and the Past Haunts
After the dissolution of his long running, beloved band Piebald, Travis Shettel spent the summer of 2008 slinging Vietnamese food in Los
Angeles and playing as a touring member of The Duke Spirit. "There was definitely a sense of what's next," Shettel says about that time. He
had songs, that wasn't the issue. He just needed a way to get them out. Shettel booked some time at a studio in Laurel Canyon and with the
help of The Duke Spirit he recorded the songs he'd been working on while they were on tour. The resulting Caveman Rock EP (2011 No
Sleep Records) gave birth to TS & the P ...read more
After the dissolution of his long running, beloved band Piebald, Travis Shettel spent the summer of 2008 slinging Vietnamese food in Los
Angeles and playing as a touring member of The Duke Spirit. "There was definitely a sense of what's next," Shettel says about that time. He
had songs, that wasn't the issue. He just needed a way to get them out. Shettel booked some time at a studio in Laurel Canyon and with the
help of The Duke Spirit he recorded the songs he'd been working on while they were on tour. The resulting Caveman Rock EP (2011 No
Sleep Records) gave birth to TS & the Past Haunts and demonstrated a widening of Shettel's musical palate. The songs shared the
immediacy of Piebald songs, but were decidedly more reminiscent of 60s/70s garage and psych.
This trend continued on Gone & Goner (2012 No Sleep Records). At the time of the album's recording in the winter of 2011, Shettel had
assembled a band comprised of husband wife duo Ben Heywood (drums) and Heather Heywood (bass, vocals). All of the songs on Gone &
Goner were recorded live with the band playing together inside the cavernous space of the Hangar Studios in Sacramento. The addition of a
bombastic rhythm section allowed Shettel's guitar playing to explore the more chaotic vestiges of his songs. Lyrically, Shettel used story-
telling and allegory to examine what it means to live life in the moment. Hedonism is evident not only in the wild artwork that accompanied
the record--the three members of the Past Haunts sit around a medieval feast drinking wine and smoking weed while naked nymphs prance
around blowing trumpets--it seeped into the recording as well. "We were unapologetically wasted while we made (Gone & Goner)," Shettel
says. "We'd record late into the night and wake up the next day and decide what we could use. There was usually a point in the evening
where you could hear us pass the point of no return. It was like, okay, we gotta play that one again!"
The band spent late 2011 and all of 2012 on the road, playing CMJ, SXSW, and touring with bands like Braid and label mates Aficionado as
well as playing countless shows and parties in and around their native Los Angeles. Their live show, described as a "joyful, freeing
experience" (BlackBookMag.com), showcases a band that thrashes fiercely around the stage and often culminates in bizarre capers like
blindfolded guitar playing or drunken audience participation. "We have a poster in our tour van that has the Past Haunts motto scribbled on
it," Shettel says. "Stay Alive, Play Fearlessly, and Enjoy Every Moment. When people see us play we hope that shines through." « hide |
Similar Bands: Piebald, The Duke Spirit, Aficionado Contributors: patod92,
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