There’s a video on the Shoobies Facebook page of singer/guitarist Jacob Ellzey ripping a mean solo while the other two band members rock out hard. It’s short, but it shows off Ellzey’s shredding skills.
“We’re not good at writing lyrics, so those are helpful devices to fill some space, I guess,” Ellzey says when I ask him about his penchant for ripping into his guitar. “Every once in a while, we come up with some good stuff, though.”
Solos aren’t the only thing at which the group excels—there is also their talent for vocal harmonies, and ’60s-inspired, danceable garage rock tunes. The group is so obsessed with capturing that raw retro sound that they even recorded their demo on a four-track.
“I don’t think we’re going to be going into a studio anytime soon. We like that lo-fi sound that we get from doing that DIY stuff,” Ellzey says.
The group formed earlier this year. Ellzey put up flyers around town and attracted bassist Alex Vareljian. Drummer Evan Hildebrand was also putting up flyers for a band he wanted to start, and listed the same influences. The trio formed and hit the ground running with their first show at Café Pergolesi in April.
Next up, the group hopes to record a seven-inch vinyl single—recorded lo-fi on Ellzey’s four-track, of course.
INFO: 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. 429-4135.
