The Shockers
Behold the almighty power of The Shockers. The Shockers are rockers.
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
The Shockers started as a mere dream of guitarist David Means who desired to start a jam band. He later teamed up with drummer and songwriter Curtis Watkins. Together, they contemplated the intricacies of starting a band and realized they needed to start assembling a crew. Guitarist Ted Klorczyk was quickly acquired. These three individuals made up the original band lineup. After several gigs, a bass player was temporarily added, and the band jokingly picked the name of The Shockers when playing on television. The original trio continued searching for a permanent bass player, and soon found refuge in David Means' childhood friend, Paul Korns. The present lineup comprised of Means, Watkins, Klorczyk, and Korns has no intention of changing anytime soon. These four individuals intend to keep playing music and are bound determined to be rock stars. As a whole, they gather strength. Divided, no one individual stands out.
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
We love and live to play live. We will play anywhere, anytime, for anyone, and under any circumstances. Some of our fondest memories include playing on the bed of a flatbed at Youghstock, playing in the lobby of a movie theater, playing for two mother & daughter banquets, and playing on television twice for a high school quiz show. More recently, we played at a pro-life rally at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa.
Your musical influences
The Shockers are very much into ripping off nasty guitar solos and grooving to relentless jamming. However, they can play a more structured set, and they pattern themselves after a lot of classic rock such as: Eric Clapton, Robin Trower, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, old Aerosmith, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin, and the Allman Brothers Band. They also have modern influences such as: Joe Bonamassa, Three Doors Down, Stone Temple Pilots, and Nirvana. Along with electric music, The Shockers also have an acoustic side in which they bring in more complex song structure and harmony.
What equipment do you use?
David Means uses a custom built Stratocaster, a Fender Telecaster, and a Les Paul Classic through a Peavey Classic 50 to shred eardrums or a Hughes and Kettner amplifier to annihilate cochleas. Ted Klorczyk uses a Fender Stratocaster and a Schecter Jazz 6 through a Fender Blues Jr. with a Keeley Java Boost to literally light his amplifier on fire. Paul Korns uses an Warwick 5 string bass through a Carvin Pro Bass 200 to get the low frequency juices flowing. Curtis Watkins plays a Ludwig set with Istanbul and Zildjian cymbals and uses Vic Firth sticks.
