Making Progress

As our first major gig draws near, we are busy-busy writing new music! Lyrics, melodies, killer-riffs, drum rolls...

To keep the creativity juices flowing, a few members of The Shrike went to see Zepparella, an all female Led Zeppelin tribute band. Great talent and classic tunes inspired some new effects and stage presence ideas for us.

We are working on getting demo versions of a couple new tunes out to our fans soon. Please stay tuned... Rock~n~Roll!

*Photos from Zepparella performance at Dante's in Portland, Oregon

Meet The Band - We are The Shrike

Photo by Lucas Swick

We are The Shrike.

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Photo by Lucas Swick

Darren "Pitbull" Linder - Drums
Darren played piano as a child, but as a teenager he switched to playing drums so he could rock out. Many an evening was spent listening to Led Zeppelin and Van Halen records on headphones. Always interested in music, he was a radio DJ in both high school and college and an avid concert-goer. A native Oregonian, he fully embraced the grunge music explosion of the 90’s and started playing in rock bands. Bands like Gruntruck, Alice in Chains, Faith No More, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Kyuss influence his drumming and approach to songwriting.

Darren played in the bands Sarcasm, Sleepy Hollow, and Brother Heathen for a total of eleven years before taking a break from music in 2002. He spent a decade exploring other interests which included moving out to the country, snowboarding, running a dog rescue, writing, and traveling to the desert. But nothing ever could replace the joy of performing live, or the collaboration which comes from being in a band with friends. 

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Photo by Lucas Swick

Steven "The Craw" Hall - Lead Guitar
The Craw wrote his first song at the age of 10, a short ode to the Northern Lights. He spent his teen years in Connecticut jamming with a band of friends while in high school, playing bass on songs by The Who, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, and other 70's fare.

The 80s found The Craw in Philadelphia, where he acquired his first 4-track, and proceeded to spend the next 15 years playing in his studio, not really playing with others, as he shunned most forms of musical expression. The 90s brought The Craw face to face with Porcupine Tree, a band that resurrected his faith in hard rock, and he began to play guitar in earnest, seeking to achieve similar levels of craftsmanship and songmanshipness, as it is sometimes called.

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Photo by Lucas Swick

Matt Sipes - Bass
Matt was born in the bleak suburbs of Detroit and moved to the sunny beaches of California at age 13. That's where he learned to surf and picked up a guitar for the first time. In high school, Matt was introduced to the power of heavy metal through bands like Slayer, Metallica and Motorhead. His love for music that is hard, fast and loud has not diminished but his tastes and influences have expanded to include classical, simple folk music and experimental electronic. 

In the late 90's, Matt would get together with his friend DJ Red to swap instruments and jam. That is when he began messing around with the bass and acquired one of his own. He still plays both bass and guitar to this day and works with Darren to anchor the songs and provide a launching point for Jamie and The Craw to experiment sonically.

Photo by Lucas Swick

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Jamie Lynn Summerfield - Lead Vocals & Violin

As a child, Jamie Lynn was obsessed with music and singing. She would serenade the family at holiday gatherings, perform in school talent shows and she made good use of the karaoke machine Santa gave her in 2^nd grade. Her vocal inspirations include Ann Wilson, Pat Benatar, Freddy Mercury, Robert Plant and Stevie Nicks. Although singing was her passion, she never enjoyed choirs. Too many people and not the kind of music she wanted to sing. 

Seeking a musical outlet, Jamie Lynn picked up the violin at age nine and performed in numerous ensembles, chamber groups and orchestras throughout school. The violin was always her second favorite instrument next to the cello, but she embraced it entirely and was quoted at her senior solo recital saying, "I can't imagine my life without music and my violin". 

Late night college jam bands, violin techno dance parties and endless karaoke nights carried her through the years and brought her to where she stands today.

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In the beginning...

In the beginning, there were three. Three friends. Three musicians. Three creatively ambitious minds in search of an outlet. Steven "The Craw" Hall, Darren "Pitbull" Linder and Jamie Lynn Summerfield teamed up to form, The Shrike.

Talks of starting a band began in late 2012. All three band members had different musical talents and thought their combined skills would create a unique sound. The Craw plays guitar, Darren plays the drums and Jamie Lynn sings and plays electric violin. The band met numerous times to listen to music and discuss influences, likes, dislikes, and really get a feel for how the three worked together. It was decided - the band was a solid go.

A big motivator was the idea of performing at the annual Burning Man art festival.

We are all seasoned burners and thought performing 

live shows on the playa would be a great way 

to give back to the Black Rock City community. 

The band also agreed that, although playing at Burning Man is going to happen, it is not their end goal or their only performance destination by any means.

In January 2013, The Shrike was armed with instruments, equipment and a studio space.

And so it began...