After having warmed the stage for such a distinguished and varied group of acts such as Outkast, Ben Kweller, L L Cool J, My Morning Jacket, Ludacris, Green Day and Blink 182 with his previous band, multi-instrumentalist Shank Bone Mystic decided he needed a project. He’d had videos on TRL, and performed on HBO but he had never had his very own rock band. So he got some of his favorite musicians together and SBMP was born. Since they’ve been together the band has self-released an LP to a packed house at CBGB’s, headlined an international music festival in Guatemala and performed at both CMJ and The Brooklyn New Music Festival.
"The vocal and melody lines delivered by front man, Shank, give The Shank Bone Mystic Project the necessary edge to stand out among all the other indie rock bands out there today" - Peter Kakouriotis (The Aquarian 2/16/05)
"[they] can sing rather well, as band member Shank Bone demonstrates. – Barry Walters (Rolling Stone 876 - 8/30/01)
Bio
At some point around the turn of the millennium Shank Bone Mystic was in a band (Little T and One Track Mike). That band was signed to a major label, had a video in the top 10 on MTV’s TRL and was consistently supporting national acts, such as Outkast, Green Day, Blink-182, Ben Kweller, My Morning Jacket, Ludacris, Xzibit, L.L. Cool J, and Long Beach Dub All-Stars, to name a few. They played feel good party music, and the people danced.
On Sept. 11 2001, the band was poised to launch their debut record with an in studio appearance on TRL. Clearly, the appearance was cancelled as life in NYC was forever changed. The album was released as planned but party music was not in high demand. The band, along with the country tried to pick up the pieces and move on, but it seemed like their moment had passed and it was time to forge a new path.
The band members went their separate ways, but Shank Bone Mystic was far from throwing in the towel. Over the years he had penned some great songs and had played numerous shows with a phenomenal NJ band called The Tokyo. The Tokyo were three NJ natives who had been playing together since they were 15 and to Shank represented everything he adored about Rock, with none of what he found so frustrating about many of the other bands he'd shared the stage with.
Soon enough, Shank and The Tokyo teamed up to form The Shank Bone Mystic Project and immediately began gigging in NYC and NJ. The result was an explosive rock sound unlike anything else happening in the city, but was catchy and familiar enough to wow every audience they performed for. Positive press began rolling in, and The Project thought it was time to self-release a debut record. 12 songs and a packed CD release show at CBGB's later, "…from within the walls" was released. And it was good.
2005 saw The Project reach new heights, including a life-altering trip to Central America, where they headlined the Jamtigua Music and Arts Festival (which took place on May 8th in beautiful Antigua, Guatemala) and played a string of incredibly inspired shows in Antigua, San Pedro, and the surrounding area. In September they played a monster showcase set, debuting a batch of new songs as part of both the Brooklyn New Music Festival (www.seedsandbones.com) and the CMJ Music Marathon (www.cmj.com/marathon).
Undoubtedly, The Shank Bone Mystic Project's future is bright. With a constant stream of new songs and an ever-evolving sound, they bode well for the future of NYC rock. It's time this great city rocked, again!
Press:
"The vocal and melody lines delivered by front man, Shank, give The Shank Bone Mystic Project the necessary edge to stand out among all the other indie rock bands out there today" - Peter Kakouriotis of The Aquarian. 2/16/05
"[they] can sing rather well, as band member Shank Bone demonstrates. – Barry Walters (Rolling Stone 876 - August 30, 2001)
"At times reminiscent to everything from the classic soul of Blind Melon to the atypical pop of The Shins, the SBMP boast a novel take on traditional rock n' roll. From the quirky rap interlude of "My My My" to the rural lo-fidelity of “Arizona,” this music is strikingly mature and solid. "
– Shut Eye 12/04