Shawn James & The Shapeshifters: These Howling Hellhounds Hit The Moon Room Thursday

By: Hannah Oreskovich

We’ve been hitting the rock scene hard lately (see “My Weekend with The Yawpers and Blackfoot Gypsies” and “Rock and Roll Revival”), and we’ve got another one on the books for you Colorado! This Thursday, Arkansas’ rockin’ five-piece Shawn James & The Shapeshifters play Summit Music Hall’s Moon Room. With elements of bluegrass, folk, and metal intertwined into their rock roots, this show is bound to be a heavy-hitter with Colorado music fans.

Shawn James.

Shawn James.

This July, the band will release their newest album, On The Shoulders of Giants, with presales beginning May 7th. SJATS recently dropped their first single from the album, the roaring, guitar-heavy “Hellhound”. It’s a perfect showcase of James’ strong baritone vocals, howled over subtle percussion, catchy guitar riffs, and a droning violin. The track is a powerful introduction to On The Shoulders of Giants, an album full of swampy beats, banjos, slide guitars, bluesy melodies, and James’ captivating vocals.

Listen to Shawn James & The Shapeshifters’ “Hellhound”:

Shawn James is no stranger to these parts either. Not long ago, he filmed the music video below at the Colorado Springs Wolf Sanctuary. The howling artist had no problem making furry friends:

Denver’s dark folk/punk four-piece Champagne Charlie will share the stage Thursday night, along with Littleton’s blues outfit Sea of Teeth, a solid lineup put together by Soda Jerk Presents.

Listen to Champagne Charlie’s wild “Devil Bone Crazy”:

So roll with us to the Moon Room this Thursday 05.05 (yes it's Cinco de Mayo kids)! We’ll be there covering press and tickets are only $10 in advance; doors at 7PM. See you there for a night of rock!

-Hannah

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All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured.