The big picture

Shed put it all together on Mosaic

by Michael Caito

Shed

Since their inception five years ago, the five-piece Providence-based band Shed have, in their own low-key way, made a mockery of those who deem their brand of heavy, metal-influenced rock as a simplistic, cliché-ridden arena for otnay ootay ightbray adolescents. Though it's taken five years to get an apt sound down on record (notwithstanding some shining moments on their indie demo Unashamed a few years back), the arrival of Mosaic (Sike Records) finds them in top form, led by Dave Lysik's penetrating, poetic takes on life in the '90s.

Hangin' at Fellini with lyricist / singer Lysik and drummer / promoter / webmaster Ricci Fantasia (http://shed.macross.com), Lysik's explanation of his methodology for songwriting showed an active obeisance to inspiration taken from night-time dream scenarios, from which he would often awake and scribble in a "stream-of-consciousness" style. Crystallizing by applying the editorial scalpel in a series of nips and tucks which end up as the vocal element of Shed's songs, Lysik was quick to praise producer Joe Moody (and cameo by Jeanne Batting, formerly of Spindleshanks) for bringing these nocturnal ruminations into sharp relief at Danger Studios. "If he can read my mind the way he did, as far as the feel of some of the songs and what we really wanted to get across," Lysik said, "he's a special guy."

Fantasia and Lysik concurred that the final song ordering on Mosaic lends a phased effect. "You can definitely see two sides," Lysik explained. "The first part, although it's very, very heavy, is more cerebral. The second is a little more of a hardcore style, and we put all the gripe songs at the end. We put 'Larger Than Life,'  which is about Mike Raditch [bike-driving, leather-flying, justifiably-revered Club Baby Head soundman whose premature death stunned the Providence rock 'n' roll community] and [other friends who recently died untimely deaths], but the way it came together and fit surprised us all."

Rarely afraid to test the waters of experimentalism, Shed are not averse to on-the-fly creation, and this sense of immediacy, which translates well on Mosaic, shouldn't be overlooked. One one track, Lysik mentioned that "I went home from the studio, wrote lyrics, brought them in and recorded it right then, a thing we'd never played live with the band. It worked."

So what happens if the other four instrumentalists absolutely hate what the singer's just created, and you're in the studio with the clock running?

"The template's already done and the music's there," Fantasia explained. "We're not one of those bands where the music is written afterwards and added to his lyrics. We write it, then once Dave gets inspired and comes across with the lyrics, that's it. Certain things get worked out. We'd had the music written for a coupla weeks, and had just finished the week before."

"Sometimes it's just gonna come and hit you. Whatever's good is good," Lysik explained. "The band is the jumping-off point, and I would never put something down on paper if Iwouldn't say it."

They're still proud of that last EP, and understandably Lysik downplayed any sonic sea changes between Unashamed and Mosaic. "Unashamed,""Separated," we're still proud of those songs. One of the most rewarding parts for me is when you have a kid reading the lyrics and having a completely different interpretation than what you originally had. It's still just as valid, and just as good. That's how I've always liked music, from interpreting the Doors on down. I don't like to have someone telling me in a review what it means. Some people are interested in finding out what the initial inspiration is, and when they find out it's not as cool as what they'd come up with in their own minds."

Like the movie's never being as good as the book?

"Sometimes, but songs also change for me over the years," Lysik continued, ticking off a long list of such instances.

And the band's biggest encouragements and disappointments in the past five years?

"We've had a good run," Fantasia added. "It's been slow and steady, figuring out where we are and where we're off to. It had been a while since that self-released EP, and we ended up, luckily, in New Jersey playing in front of some people from the Music Syndicate, a college radio promotion company, about a year and a half ago, who came and kinda gave us the kick we needed. That led to Sike helping with this record. They helped bring it nationwide."

"One regret I have is that there aren't as many bands as there should be in Providence," Lysik said. "Really heavy, heavy bands, as there have been in the past. Iwant kids to start bands. There are places to play, the Met, Lupo's. Randy [Hien] does great with his locals at the Living Room, and the guy from State of Corruption that works there busts his ass to get bands in there, to give them a shot, even if it's not a weekend night at first. Like Kal El . . . you have to see them."

"There needs to be more cooperation between bands, but like he said, we need more," added Fantasia. "Everyone, start a band."

In closing, we discussed the recent success of Providence's Kilgore, now on Revolution Records, who are longtime pals of Shed, with whom they've shared many a bill, and who are about to play their first European dates. "Their impact is gonna be whatever Kilgore wants it to be, whether you're talking about the impact of playing at Ozzfest or doing the Slayer tour," Lysik said. "They're obviously leaders in the community and in this town. I love the new album and think it's great, but as far as what that means locally, long-term, it's totally up to them."

"They do great numbers," concluded Fantasia, "and they always say where they're from onstage. I'm hoping that they'll show kids here or wherever they play that there is an opportunity to grab, that they're four kids from LaSalle Academy making it happen. All during the Ozzfest Marty, the bassist, was sending me e-mail, telling what was happening."

"Have you been to their website yet?" Lysik asked. "Go through ours to get to theirs and see what's going on. It's pretty rad."

Shed's all-ages CD-release parties at the Met Café are on Thanksgiving night and the next (11.26 and 27). Thursday's lineup includes FreakShow, Drained and Richard; Friday's features State of Corruption, Staind and Kal El.

STARS & BARS. Boston's Finch Family arrive at the Living Room tonight (Thurs., 11.19), with a sterling pop pedigree and a fistful of new tunes. On Friday, Delta Clutch appear at AS220 with Damon Campagna's (Gravity Engine, Laurels) new band and Mike Moore's (Pollenate) new band. On Saturday, don't miss songstress Les Sampou at Stone Soup.

It's always something: Had no problems with the large cream-colored new member of the Philharmonic on Saturday, and the wondrous Mozart they delivered before intermission was thoroughly enjoyable. But, another kvetch-22:Maestro Rachleff found it necessary to politely plead for quiet during the opening Charles Ives, another wonderful interpretation which solidified RIPO's rep as willing to tackle more contemporary and challenging works. The strings played backstage, the trumpet was perched upstairs, and four flutists alone were onstage with Rachleff. A heady performance, full of the requisite nuance essential to any Ives reckonings, which often involve lots of eternal questions and this time featured Druid-esque ethereal flavorings.

But Rachleff's earnest, pre-emptive appeal for silence was ignored, and I was ready to strangle the phlegmatic rudesters who marred the pared-down ensemble's necessarily delicate offerings. So, if you sound like a recent TB clinic grad, please don't trash the experience for your fellow patrons.It's disheartening to even have to mention this. These mini-explosions are incredibly selfish and reflect poorly on the patrons as a whole, many of whom had big problems concentrating over the steady stream of barking. The four patrons in front of me averaged maybe 80-plus years of age, and I didn't hear peep one from them. So don't be a jerk. Next time I bring weapons.