Shotgun Party ~ Music that'll Put a Smile on Your Face

Words and Photos by Joe Koch

Don't waste your money on the new Britney Spears CD. Be brave and explore the unknown. Myspace provides endless satisfaction in discovering new artists and providing access to bands that you may otherwise never hear. This time around though, I found out about Shotgun Party the old fashion way — on a flyer in the window of the corner store. One click to Myspace and voila, I was greeted by a sweet euphonious voice complimented by the dulcet sounds of a fiddle. "I'm going to conquer something in my living room, Gladiola, Gladiola," she sang. Try and imagine Patsy Cline meets Bjork.

Shotgun Party is a trio from Austin, Texas featuring Jenny Parrott (vocals and guitar,) Katy Rose Cox (fiddle, vocals) and Christopher Crepps (upright bass and vocals,) formerly with the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash. For this last Northeastern tour they recruited Jared Engle (upright bass and vocals,) who has most notably played with David Grisman and Stephane Wrembel. Christopher is not always able to hit the road for long periods due to family obligations, so Jared is the perfect replacement.

Jenny is originally from New Haven, Conn. but moved to in search of a better match of musicians. "I was playing with some guys that weren't all that good and I didn't see myself going anywhere with them. So I packed my bags and headed to Austin, where there's a happenin' scene," she says. While playing at numerous open jams, Katy instantly picked up on Jenny's unique voice and the band was formed.

Although based in Austin, touring is a necessity and that's not always easy. "Without the support of a record label or a promoter, it's hard to be on the road for a long period of time," says Katy. "We do everything ourselves." When they're not worrying about money, they sometimes worry about where the car keys ended up.

"Oh my god, last night in Pittsburgh, a drunk guy wanted us to sign his CD. So I used my car keys to help him open the CD. Well, one thing led to another and he left with my keys. Luckily we remembered that he lived next door to the bar and we had to break into his house and grab my keys," says Katy. "Those stories are only funny when it's somebody else's keys!"

The band's western swing sound is to not be confused as something that is dated, although seeing them in a small club gave me the vibe of Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys performing at The Eagles Nest in Memphis around 1954. Jenny's voice delivers a sweetness packed with a punch, Katy's strings wail with precise conviction and Chris lays down the rhythm like a slap in the face that moves your ass.

For more info go to: www.shotgunfiesta.com