Shotgun Elvis aims to please
Saturday, April 28, 2007 12:14 AM CDT

BY TOM LOUNGES
Times Correspondent

Shotgun Elvis is loaded with attitude, armed with great songs and prone to incite a good deal of slam-dancing and pogo-ing wherever the group performs.

And tonight it just happens to be in its hometown of Valparaiso.

Shotgun Elvis proudly carries on the tradition of punk's previous generational forbearers like The Clash, Rancid and Social Distortion.

While those bands admirably carried the punk rock torch from the late-1970s through the early 1990s, the latest "Hot Topic" generation of bands like Good Charlotte have opted to sugar-coat it with trendy pop-flavorings and focus more on fashion than musical substance.

Fortunately for the genre, bands like Shotgun Elvis are ensuring that true punk will survive the invasion of prefabricated poseurs.

This powerful trio -- guitarist/vocalist Fro Leetz, bassist Sammy Carlson and drummer Bobby Shaw -- bust out songs fueled by pounding three-chord sonic assaults and rife with catchy lyrics about temptations, bad romances and other shady aspects of life gone awry.

The current Shotgun Elvis live show is carried out with wild abandon and unstoppable energy. The set list includes most of the selections featured on its outstanding debut CD, "Somewhere In Chicago," along with several of the newer tunes earmarked for the band's forthcoming sophomore album, "Vale Of Paradise."

"Things are going well for us in regards to the new album," said Leetz of the songs laid down at Beartracks Recording Studio in Valparaiso.

"The sound is going to be fantastic, and the songs are killer. We sort of rushed through our first CD, like many bands who are eager to get something out there, so we have taken our time with this one, and I am very excited with what we have done."

Marc Nelson has been working with the band as producer and engineer on "Vale Of Paradise."

"With Marc's help, we have been able to focus on letting the songs develop much more in the studio. We've added a lot of depth to our sound this time around. It's just been a great experience and a lot of fun," Leetz said.

Formed by Leetz and Carlson in late 2001, Shotgun Elvis has performed shows at many of Chicagoland's most prestigious venues during their half-dozen years in existence, including The Metro, The House Of Blues and Star Plaza Theatre.

A heavy-duty slammer, Shaw previously had beat his skins for area hard rock band Monkey Cocktail, before joining Shotgun Elvis about two years ago.

Leetz said Shaw proved to be the missing piece of the puzzle. He believes the band has finally hit its stride, given the strong chemistry that Carlson and Shaw have developed and the energy they create behind him on stage.

"Shotgun Elvis is high energy," Leetz said.

"We have a terrific fan base and we have a fun and exciting stage show. We get people going!"

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at beatboss@aol.com.