Band: SHOTMAKER
Genres: Punk / Rock / Emotional Hardcore / Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz / Grunge
Related artists: 30 Second Motion Picture, The Grey, 2 Line Filler and Three Penny Opera.
Country: Belleville, Ontario CANADA
Years Active: 1993-1996
Song: "Driver"
Album: "Mouse Ear [Forget Me Not]"
Year: 1996
For fans of: Navio Forge, Four Hundred Years, Mohinder, Ordination Of Aaron, Merel, Closure, Secret Smoker, 1.6 Band, The Exploder, Honeywell, Ethel Meserve, Hoover, Maximillian Colby, Sleepytime Trio, Milemarker, Yaphet Kotto, Tipping Canoe, (early) Rye Coalition, Cloud Mouth, Unwound, Brito, Policy Of Three, Kerosene 454, 30 Second Motion Picture, Kurt, Katja, Yage, Twelve Hour Turn, Anton Bordman, The Red Scare, Three Penny Opera, Boilermaker, Amber Inn, Still Life, Frodus, Indian Summer, Inkwell, Portraits Of Past, I Am Heaven, Clikitat Ikatowi and Lincoln.
Related artists: 30 Second Motion Picture, The Grey, 2 Line Filler and Three Penny Opera.
Country: Belleville, Ontario CANADA
Years Active: 1993-1996
Song: "Driver"
Album: "Mouse Ear [Forget Me Not]"
Year: 1996
For fans of: Navio Forge, Four Hundred Years, Mohinder, Ordination Of Aaron, Merel, Closure, Secret Smoker, 1.6 Band, The Exploder, Honeywell, Ethel Meserve, Hoover, Maximillian Colby, Sleepytime Trio, Milemarker, Yaphet Kotto, Tipping Canoe, (early) Rye Coalition, Cloud Mouth, Unwound, Brito, Policy Of Three, Kerosene 454, 30 Second Motion Picture, Kurt, Katja, Yage, Twelve Hour Turn, Anton Bordman, The Red Scare, Three Penny Opera, Boilermaker, Amber Inn, Still Life, Frodus, Indian Summer, Inkwell, Portraits Of Past, I Am Heaven, Clikitat Ikatowi and Lincoln.
Label(s): Self Released / Troubleman Unlimited / Manticore / Kung Fu Enterprises / The Great American Steak Religion / Vital Communications / Nervous Wreck Kids
Considering I didn't delve into SHOTMAKER until 20 years after their breakup speaks volumes about my ignorance. Luckily, a few years back I posted the top 20 Canadian bands that influenced this blog and a few people commented on how it lacked SHOTMAKER, which was the catalyst for me to finally check them out. And more happy about that push I could not be. This Ontario band still sounds fresh and original all these years later, with their influence being very obvious once finally listening to them. They played emotional hardcore that sometimes dipped into screamy hardcore territory, depending on who was doing vocals on said song. The three-piece incorporated all of their instruments, with bass being at the forefront (thank god) and utilizing heavy, chorded, and bouncy rhythms. The guitar used a fair amount of palm mutes and the result was a pounding, driving wall of noise that must have been a beast to behold live.
Releasing form 1993 through 1996 with a retrospective discography double cd seeing the light of day in 2000 which included a decent amount of unreleased tunes. Their early material in 1993 sounds a bit rawer and clings to much more of a punk sound than the emo/hardcore embraced the following year and, quite frankly, isn't really my thing. Once 1994 hit the band began to bathe in their own creation and their signature sound becomes much more noticeable on both 7"s released that year, but it's 'The Crayon Club' LP that is where my love for the band really blooms. The power of SHOTMAKER becomes undeniable right from the opener "Satellite Screens" and peaks with "Curve", a writhing, epic and extremely danceable song that begins gathering speed immediately but snowballs substantially at the 26-second mark, hitting full groove come 50 seconds and again at 1:40. "Security" is also worth a mention, as it swirls around like The Exploder but also reminds me of the rawness of Inkwell with a killer section that rolls in around 1:35.
The next year came their five songs on the 'Maximillian Colby split', which I enjoy but don't find as enjoyable as the releases that bookend it. That being said they are all still ballin' tracks as "The Game" has bass that'll drown you and "Archaeologist" is an unrelenting-yet-catchy tune while "Blocks and Channels" as well as "Spark Lights the Friction" are straight-up bangers.
The fantastic final LP titled 'Mouse Ear [Forget Me Not]' was released in 1996 on cd and 12" and is without a doubt my favourite SHOTMAKER record. Opener "Sky" is my quintessential jam, breaking hard into screamy hardcore ground with, you guessed it, screamier vocals and a very lively instrumental section that boasts a lot more confidence and again is reminiscent of The Exploder's sassier, heavier material. "Bailer" and "Failure" are emotional rollercoasters with more incredible bass-work while closer "Driver" is instrumentally the most gripping jam SHOTMAKER ever concocted, boasting a plethora of forever memorable moments.
'The Complete Discography 1993-1996' doube cd contains a few unreleased tracks including the fantastic cut "Cut" (ha) that will have you bobbin' along in no time, likely singing, "action is needed, the target is set, set the target".
And that is that.
This post's artist is from the April 2019 Mix. This is track #6.
Considering I didn't delve into SHOTMAKER until 20 years after their breakup speaks volumes about my ignorance. Luckily, a few years back I posted the top 20 Canadian bands that influenced this blog and a few people commented on how it lacked SHOTMAKER, which was the catalyst for me to finally check them out. And more happy about that push I could not be. This Ontario band still sounds fresh and original all these years later, with their influence being very obvious once finally listening to them. They played emotional hardcore that sometimes dipped into screamy hardcore territory, depending on who was doing vocals on said song. The three-piece incorporated all of their instruments, with bass being at the forefront (thank god) and utilizing heavy, chorded, and bouncy rhythms. The guitar used a fair amount of palm mutes and the result was a pounding, driving wall of noise that must have been a beast to behold live.
Releasing form 1993 through 1996 with a retrospective discography double cd seeing the light of day in 2000 which included a decent amount of unreleased tunes. Their early material in 1993 sounds a bit rawer and clings to much more of a punk sound than the emo/hardcore embraced the following year and, quite frankly, isn't really my thing. Once 1994 hit the band began to bathe in their own creation and their signature sound becomes much more noticeable on both 7"s released that year, but it's 'The Crayon Club' LP that is where my love for the band really blooms. The power of SHOTMAKER becomes undeniable right from the opener "Satellite Screens" and peaks with "Curve", a writhing, epic and extremely danceable song that begins gathering speed immediately but snowballs substantially at the 26-second mark, hitting full groove come 50 seconds and again at 1:40. "Security" is also worth a mention, as it swirls around like The Exploder but also reminds me of the rawness of Inkwell with a killer section that rolls in around 1:35.
The next year came their five songs on the 'Maximillian Colby split', which I enjoy but don't find as enjoyable as the releases that bookend it. That being said they are all still ballin' tracks as "The Game" has bass that'll drown you and "Archaeologist" is an unrelenting-yet-catchy tune while "Blocks and Channels" as well as "Spark Lights the Friction" are straight-up bangers.
The fantastic final LP titled 'Mouse Ear [Forget Me Not]' was released in 1996 on cd and 12" and is without a doubt my favourite SHOTMAKER record. Opener "Sky" is my quintessential jam, breaking hard into screamy hardcore ground with, you guessed it, screamier vocals and a very lively instrumental section that boasts a lot more confidence and again is reminiscent of The Exploder's sassier, heavier material. "Bailer" and "Failure" are emotional rollercoasters with more incredible bass-work while closer "Driver" is instrumentally the most gripping jam SHOTMAKER ever concocted, boasting a plethora of forever memorable moments.
'The Complete Discography 1993-1996' doube cd contains a few unreleased tracks including the fantastic cut "Cut" (ha) that will have you bobbin' along in no time, likely singing, "action is needed, the target is set, set the target".
And that is that.
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1993 - Shotmaker 7"EP
1993 - Mr. Nobody split cassetteLP
1994 - The Crayon Club 12"LP
1994 - Believe In 7"EP
1994 - Watershed split 7"
1995 - Maximillian Colby split 12"EP
1996 - Mouse Ear [Forget Me Not] cd/12"LP
2000 - The Complete Discography 1993-1996 2xcd
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(2000) SHOTMAKER - "Cut" (from 'The Complete Discography')
(1996) SHOTMAKER - "Sky" (from 'Mouse Ear [Forget Me Not]')
(1996) SHOTMAKER - "Driver" (from 'Mouse Ear [Forget Me Not]')
(1996) SHOTMAKER - "Failure" (from 'Mouse Ear [Forget Me Not]')
(1995) SHOTMAKER - "The Game" (from 'Maximillian Colby' split)
(1995) SHOTMAKER - "Archaeologist" (from 'Maximillian Colby' split)
(1994) SHOTMAKER - "Curve" (from 'Crayon Club')
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SHOTMAKER out of print mp3 discography download
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