Shark Week

Shark Week are still putting the finishing touches on their upcoming LP Beach Fuzz, but the Washington, D.C. surf-punk band was kind enough to give CMJ an exclusive taste of what’s to come. Here’s what the band had to say about the album’s lead cut, Desire.

This is one of the first songs we wrote together, but we didn’t get around to recording it until this year. That ended up being a good thing. The tune evolved a lot, from a fairly straight-ahead garage-y romper to what it is now.

Desire is a sprawling spaghetti western of a tune that alternates between a frantic minor surf jam and a brooding, slower verse with nervy, Richard Hell-ish vocals. Stir in some cool, ghoulish backing vocals, a blistering garage guitar solo and infectious hook and you’ve got a song fit to soundtrack a Tarantino movie. It’s one heck of a reason to check out these guys when they swing by CMJ Music Marathon next week. Check out those dates and the tune below. - CMJ.com

As we get closer and closer to beach season (sorry, East Coast), it’s time to start thinking about shaking last year’s sand out of your shoes, and prepping a new summer playlist designed to be played with the windows down. Here to help with that are the Washington, D.C.–based surf/garage band Shark Week, who have shared the track “Why Did I Let You Go?” from their upcoming full-length debut Beach Fuzz.

It’s a nifty, sprawled-out number that features equal slices of Tom Petty and New York Dolls into the (pizza) pie of their sound, with maybe a dash of Spacemen 3 seasoning on top. Goes nice with a Tecate and a day off (or maybe a “sick day” if necessary). Remember, guys: live every week like it’s shark week.

Beach Fuzz is out May 19 on PaperCup Music. - FLOOD Magazine

Washington, D.C.’s Shark Week just released their debut album, Beach Fuzz, from PaperCup Music, and we present the premiere of the Daisy Heroin animated video collage for, “Waste of Time”. The oblique ennui of occupied moments lost illustrated by the four piece Ryan, Danielle, Dan, and Alberto are adorned by the cosmic magazine cut-outs that are displayed in both forward, reverse, and inverted orders of presentation. Finishing a tour with Crocodiles now that commences June 7 in New York, Shark Week will be attending Brooklyn’s Northside Festival June 11-12, Baltimore June 18 and in Toronto, for NXNE on June 19. But now you are invited to lose yourself to the D.C. band’s time stopping single, and the rustic American primitive visuals that accompany the song’s high spirited resolve to life’s idle pleasures.

Shark Week’s sound bridges the native capital to the western shore waters, where Ryan Hunter Mitchell delivers an honest and uninhibited delivery, joined by Alberto Pacheco’s resounding registry of riffs, propelled by the rhythm section of Danielle Vu’s bass, and Dan Newhauser’s drums. “Waste of Time” visualized runs through a pastiche of doilies, stop watches, butterflies, optical illusions, eyeballs, mouths, statues, bricks, and forests that depict shark headed edits of the human anatomy springing out of the tube of vintage televisions.

The sequence of visuals, and patterns are presented in different orders, and arrangements on various tv screens, with new images of everything from fire, water, land, to hands with an eyeball in the palm. The video of animated collage work adds an aestheticized angle to the notions of time grabbed and gone forever, that is forever reaffirmed by the rhetorical questions in the chorus that politely inquires, “all this time we’ve been chasing, what’s life not for wasting?” While images of diamonds, angels, vintage film stars, and head twisting visual patterns run quick before your very eyes, the question of time’s genuine value ponders the relevance if time well spent is indeed time wasted at all. Ryan Hunter Mitchell described to us how they discovered Daisy Heroin to provide visuals for “Waste of Time”:

“We kept seeing this Instagram user DaisyHeroin and his video style was unreal. We asked him if he would like to animate a video for us and he fell for it. For us, with Beach Fuzz it’s easy to get used to seeing the album in a certain context that we’ve gotten used to, but with the video we didn’t want to meddle with the artistic process, we just wanted to see what Daisy Heroin got from the song and let him do his thing and it seemed to work out. Definitely check out www.daisyheroin.com“ - Impose Magazine

What happens when you put Willie Nelson in a room with Rockabillies and Punks and force them all to get along? Shark Week is probably the closest you’ll ever get to finding out. This four piece from Washington DC rocked the Bovine Sex Club to it’s very core for an explosive NXNE set. The humidity of the venue and sweatiness of the crowd only added to the group’s energetic set. The boundary between audience and band melted away thanks to lead singer/guitarists Ryan Mitchell’s charismatic stage presence. The music couldn’t be tighter, with members the perfect mix to create a sound unlike anything you’ve ever heard. Keep your ears open, Shark Week is a band on the rise, and once they get going there will be no stopping them. - Spill Magazine

Shark Week was love at first listen. Their performance was in your face and captivating. Shark Week is a surf-garage band from Washington. Their drummer Dan was currently drumming with one arm after an unfortunate bone break, but that didn’t seem to slow the band down any. The lead singer jumped around stage with more energy than a young Iggy Pop. - London Fuse

Washington-based band Shark Week tends to find inspiration through ‘60s surf music – a common trend in indie music and a theme for a lot of bands playing at this particular venue. They’re definitely rougher with their execution of this style, setting them apart from other indie bands that take on this style.

They deserve a hell of a lot of credit, especially the drummer: on account of his broken arm, he played the set one-handed. The play had a rocky start with a few technical difficulties, but they soon showed why they’re worth sticking around for. The surf wave music was layered with modern rock, making for a very interesting combination of the two. It hits you harshly, but once you ease into it, it’s not hard to love the sharks. It’s fun – above all, it’s fun to get lost into. Shark Week will sneak up on you for sure: by the name, we assume it’s some cute ploy. It’s a legitimate performance here though, and people can’t seem to get close enough to the stage. Even though there’s a funny Bollywood zombie movie on one of the screens behind the bar, people have their eyes and ears on what’s on stage. - Razmataz Magazine

SHARK WEEK
C’mon!. Aren’t you curious about a band with that name? And their album is called Beach Fuzz? That’s all i needed to hear. - Do416

Washington D.C.’s Shark Week joined us in the patio of Macri Park bar to play versions of “Waste of Time” and “Gone”. Despite a recent injury, drummer Dan joined singer Ryan for the performance. Enjoy watching bar patrons continue to smoke cigars as the brand croons away. - Brooklyn Magazine

As their name would suggest, Washington D.C.’s Shark Week have a decidedly beach-y vibe, cut through with a tone more menacing than carefree. It’s that sense of dread at what might be lurking just out of sight that informs their lyrics of heartache and regret, all shrouded in a highly stylized form of surf-informed garage rock. While their sound apes the spirit of the beach, its punk noir and spaghetti western underpinnings help make this more than a reductive exercise in genre experimentation. It’s a hybridization that largely feels more natural than forced.

But not everything works. On the slow “Scratching Post”, with its intro a clear approximation of “Heroin”, vocalist Ryan Hunter Mitchell does his best poor man’s Lou Reed. Clearly set up as an affecting moment, his clunky non-sequitors and basic rhyme scheme construction cause the song to fall flat. Fortunately, the majority of the album favors the band’s strong suit in faster, more punk-informed tracks that rely more on aggression than lyrical nuance. “Weekend” in particular is a standout, sounding like Richard Hell fronting a surf combo. Far from perfect, Beach Fuzz is an enjoyable release from a band who’s clearly having a good time having a bad time. - Pop Matters

Frenchkiss highlighted its roster and band crushes with bright-eyed sets from French Style Furs, The Bright Light Social Hour, Strange Names, The Suits and Shark Week. The crowd left feeling more than a little smitten. - CMJ.com

Shark Week sounded great back home when I saw them in D.C., but sound even better in less-charted waters. As the group's name implies, Shark Week is a fierce, surfy rock band with a lot of charisma. -Bob Boilen

Album: Santurce
Song: Baby Maybe

...Every fall, hundreds of bands flock to New York City for the annual CMJ Music Marathon, a large festival where independent, new and emerging musicians hope to be discovered. All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen was among the countless journalists, bloggers, college radio DJs, record label reps and others who attempted to navigate the sea of live performances, hoping to find new music to love and share. - NPR: All Songs Considered

I haven’t seen them have an off night yet, and their sets are always fun with no dull moments. Shark Week does their absolute best to entertain their fans, and it really comes through in their stage performance. My personal favorite part of Saturday’s events was the band’s cover of ”Skulls” by The Misfits. I would like to personally thank singer Ryan Mitchell for doing an incredible job on Danzig’s vocal part for their cover.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a show like the one I attended last Saturday night on H Street. The good people at the Rock and Roll Hotel served up a triple dose of mischievous antics from bands near and far. I could blame Saturday evening’s happenings on the full moon hovering a little too close to the club that night, or I could just chalk it up as the last weekend before All Hollow’s Eve, when the powers of the strange and unusual are in full swing.

Anyhow, whatever the reason may be, I believe that without a doubt, we need more shows like this in DC. It reminded me of the old days when hardcore shows were not only fun and emotional, but they were an experience you would walk away from and still remember, which is rare these days. - The Vinyl District

Local music fans are buzzing about Shark Week, and it has nothing to do with TV. - WTOP

When the name Shark Week started appearing on bills for local shows our initial thoughts were, "Great band name or greatest band name?" - DCist

Shark Week has earned its buzz the old-fashioned way: through live shows—and wild stage antics. Mitchell in particular is garnering a reputation for swinging from things, like Montserrat House’s rafters (“those were pretty high, fun to climb”) or the now closed Gold Leaf Studios’ pull-up bar (a moment memorialized on the EP’s cover). "If there’s something climbable around and I’m drunk enough to think it’s safe," says Mitchell, "I will climb it." - Washington City Paper

I immediately fell in love with Shark Week. Their EP is full of high energy and surfy rock songs. It’s absolutely perfect for these final weeks of summer. Shark Week are made for long summer nights complete with endless amounts of beer, bonfires and lusty stares. - Dingus

From the moment that descending guitar intro unloads, the drums and rhythm guitar enter swinging in a full-on galloping stride with frontman Ryan Hunter Mitchell delivering fits of howling rasp, attitude, and heart-riddled scorn.

Fans of Johnny Thunders, The New York Dolls, and good ole fashioned raucously bluesy and bruising rock n roll, take notice: Shark Week is the real deal. - Everybody Taste

An invigorating edge drives this bluesy sound, spearheaded by lead singer Ryan Mitchell’s bold and soulful tone. Crunchy, sometimes surfy guitars drive with tight, springy bass lines holding down the rhythm. This sound offers just the right amount of lo-fi fuzz, making for an authentic 60s twang. - The Styrofoam Drone

I think a lot of bands get too comfortable with the music they're playing and forget to actually do something interesting. It's easy to call Shark Week a garage rock band. It's easy to say "drrp drrp Replacements Brian Jonestown Eric Burdon" and throw up a link. For a minute I thought of just calling this a Strokes record that doesn't make you want to fucking shoot yourself. Shark Week deserves better than that though; Shark Week is really fucking interesting. - Ongakubaka

It's a bit like a great white chewed up the Cramps, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Mighty Stef and the New York Dolls, swished them in his mouth, and spit them in a blender. But that's not the end of this cocktail. From there, the contents of the blender were mixed with beer and a lot of gasoline before being blended and poured over a beachside bonfire. The resulting explosion would equal the rock-ability of Shark Week. - About.com Punk Music

Bands like Shark Week are what make “lo-fi” a true musical style, not just a technical term. The foursome’s new 7” is a duo of songs—“Go West” and “Baby Maybe,” both of which ebb and flow like the ocean tide, never overwhelming the listener with shiny, soaring choruses or overproduction. “Not like everybody else,” indeed. Listen to Santurce below: - DC Music Download

The whole thing does feel very Wild West, and listening to it conjures images of gun fights and riding horses off into the sunset – but, you know, in a modern way. Santurce as a whole, has a devil-may-care attitude in its delivery that makes it irresistibly cool.

When you compare Santurce to Shark Week’s debut EP from August of last year, not only is the sound much cleaner, but there’s also a more clearly-defined style. If you enjoy the 7”, the EP is definitely worth checking out, but it’s very clear which release came out most recently, and that’s encouraging news. When Shark Week does release their first full-length album, it’s almost guaranteed to be a knock-out; until then, ‘Maybe Baby’ and ‘Go West’ are two outstanding tracks from a band that’s stylish, bluesy, and impossibly charismatic… 10/10 - Violent Success

There's an effortless jangle to the tune and an unmistakable pioneer mentality, a forward-moving momentum that is spurred on by sharpened tambourines and crisp, vintage guitar lines as thoroughly western as your oldest cowboy boots. - Impose Magazine

When frontman Ryan Hunter Mitchell and bassist Danielle Vu set out in the spring of 2011 to find members for their new band, Shark Week, there were only two criteria: “You had to own an instrument and be into the Stooges,” says Mitchell. The band never made goals to change the world or get rich—they just came to rock.

While Shark Week are undeniably psychedelic surfer rock, the band’s roots give things a little twist. “At the end of the day,” says Mitchell, "We grew up in punk bands, and it’s gonna veer toward rowdy garage rock." - Alternative Press

For the first time in decades, the nation's capital is full of interesting, vibrant music.While most D.C. artists lean toward electronic or indie-pop music, Shark Week has cornered the market on garage-rock.

Santurce is about as satisfying as a two-track release can be. The band has managed to push its boundaries musically without losing its identity and that is an admirable quality in this creative climate. It will be interesting to see where Shark Week goes from here. - Washington Examiner

Washington DC's Shark Week look like Strokes-come-latelies, but their sound is rooted deep in vintage blues and soul. - NME Magazine

The galloping track confidently strides over gruff percussion, fatalist lyrics, and taut guitar licks that wouldn't be out of place in a Sergio Leone pastiche piece. - Spin Magazine

Presented by the DC Party Action Committee Council, some of DC’s most beloved bands graced the 9:30 Club stage for a raucous Saturday night, celebrating records and saying joyful goodbyes.

Masters of atmospheric, encompassing rock, headliner Black Clouds was joined by a bill of local favorites, including Shark Week, Warchild, Typefighter, True Head, and Highway Cross, with the Blackout DJs keeping the momentum going between sets. Black Clouds, whom we interviewed in advance of the show, debuted the vinyl release of their full-length, Everything Is Not Going To Be OK, released last year by Australopithecus Records. It was also the record release party for garage-punk surf-rockers Shark Week‘s 7? “Santurce,” recorded during their recent trip to Puerto Rico.

Additionally, DC was able to bid one final adieu to metal gods Warchild, complete with girls dancing on stage with water guns, during their last performance ever. Along with indie rock mainstays Typefighter, we were able to snap photos of these bands to commemorate this very special night of talented local musicianship. - The Vinyl District

Besides having one of the best band names, Shark Week is also a very good psychadelic art rock three, sometimes four, piece. For fans of Brian Jonestown Massacre and Pavement, if Pavement had a little more fun. - Huffington Post

DC’s own, radically named, Shark Week have dropped their debut self-titled EP today. To mark the occasion, tonight the band is throwing a blow-out, EP release party at Monserrat House (RSVP and details HERE). The tracks are solid and all carry a lo-fi, garage rock vibe that I very much love. Pay what you want and grab the EP HERE. - Newdust