Band Bio: As founding fathers of Shadyside Allstars, Blair Ping and Chris Moore performed as SoulKing14. This precursor group was an experiment in all things obnoxious. With a generously poor catalog of original material and enough comically botched covers to depress Weird Al, Soulking14 parted ways quickly.
Formed originally in late 2002 under the name Northbound Train, the future Allstars blended the sounds of keys, percussion, acoustic & electric guitars, bass and drums. Shortly before the completion of their first independent studio release, What's The Skinny?, the Allstars slimmed their lineup to five musicians. After release of their first studio project, Shadyside relentlessly toured the local Midwest. Performing in bars, venues and festivals, the Allstars began creating a local buzz attested by a representative fan base.
Working hard to make a name for themselves, they sought a new song writing direction. In early 2004, Aaron Manka joined Shadyside as full-time lead guitar (sixth member, third guitarist). The group was determined to create musical arrangements that offered more than backing tracks to vocals, catchy hooks or stereotypical arrangements. The approach to composition was heavily influenced by their belief that music should live and breathe. Live performances often assisted the evolution of a song's original structure. For example, Espacio, an original instrumental composition, continues to morph from its initial arrangement.
But as change always persists, Shadyside recruited the musical ability and devilishly handsome good looks of Will Spice. Will brings his formal education of music to the Allstar composition round table. As a stellar musician, he has been touted as "the only person whom I know that truly loves all types of music and performs them well." This fierce foursome is taking the live music scene by storm. Be sure to catch the next Allstars live performance by visiting their schedule. Thanks for your continued support.
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