Shaky Stage

An eclectic mix of Rock, Punk, Country and occasionally Folk music to delight and defile your earholes.

Shaky Stage rose from the ashes of what had been an extraordinary but short lived Buffalo original punk band, "Ouch". Ouch wrote many songs and produced a 4 song demo tape that was received with confusing reviews. Kevin Hosey wrote "this is either pure genius or pure bullshit...". Ouch made the final round of "Buffalo's Best Unsigned Band contest in autumn of 1993 at Blind Melons but their flamboyant lead singer, Kendal Kelly didn't inspire judges Robbie Takak (Goo Goo Dolls) or Jessie (D.J. - The Fox radio) as much as he inspired the crowds. A few weeks later Kendal was stabbed nine times by a jealous ex-lover who then ate a shotgun in an airport hotel. Luckily Kendal survived but Ouch did not. Bass player Jassen Otto fell away from the music scene for a few years. Lead guitarist Jeff Bunk and drummer Mike Best went on to form the Gnarlbats.

Then in 96 Jassen got a call from friend and flutist Chris MacDonald. "I'm putting the band back together, man" So in fine Blues Brothers style, Jeff, Jassen and Mike were reunited with Chris playing flute and trumpet and began to create all new original material.

Not long after this strange name stuck like gum to a shoe, they were joined by guitarists Dave Crouse and Paul O'keefe and the creative energy began to congeal. Developing harmonies akin to folk and riffs inspired by rock, country and punk, a unique sound began to emerge.

In the fall of 1999 having successfully amassed a small fortune in unreturned empties, Shaky Stage headed for Watchmen Studios to record a five song demo called, It Is Decidedly So. With songs entitled "Dead Boy in Cornfield" and "Bottom of the Bottle", It Is Decidedly So tells the tall tales of small towns across America, while playfully making fun of the harsh realities of life at the end of the 20th century.

Continuing studio work thru ‘01, more material emerged revealing a darker side of the Shaky Stage experience. While staying true to the stomping rhythms the band had come to be known for, songs like "Give it Up" and "75-15-10" seem to have found the formula that would bring to life issues that deal with the murky, emotive and explosive world of interpersonal relationships. Recorded at the AudioWorks home studio of Ron Gardner, Demo-lishion never saw the light of day, and soon after Shaky Stage had new challenges to overcome.

Confronting the loss of Drummer Mike Best in '02, they found talent in young Scott Passarella. Scott brought complexity and depth to old Shaky material and became integral in their creative process. In the summer of 03 they appeared as musical guests on Adelphia Cable's community news show Crossroads and a few months later opened for classic rock artists Rick Derringer and Pat Travers at the Canal Concert series in North Tonawanda.

Frustrated by limited funds for studio time Shaky Stage began building their own studio and recording their first 10 song LP. As Paul stepped up to engineer and the team came together to produce, their sound became more refined. It was in the middle of this project in '04 that Scott left and Drummer Ken Pruchnicki signed on. Ken helped complete the album which was to be dubbed "Pulled from our Collective Association". The band has been planning for a year and a half a Summer 07 release.

Shaky Stage has been playing all over the Western New York region. Annual music festivals like Woodstick, Mattfest and Lobsterfest, as well as Buffalo bars like CPG, Pearl Street Grill, The Cobblestone, VFW posts in Hamburg and Lackawana, Nietzsche's, The Continental, Route 66, Mowhawk Place and others. They have been an integral part of 6 years of Beautiful Maladies, a Buffalo Tribute to the songs of Tom Waits. They have played Alfred NY at Pollywogg Holler and Waterstreet Landing in Lewiston.