ION INDIE MAGAZINE September 2015, Volume 16 | Page 150
Music by
STEADY SHAKEDOWN
“These Days”
STEADY SHAKEDOWN
Story and Photography by Timothy Schumann
Now if you follow me at all and my coverage of the El Paso music scene, it’s mostly Metal, Rock and Classic Rock. So it is my
sheer pleasure to bring you STEADY SHAKEDOWN! This a band that caught my attention from the very start, which was the first
time I did shoot them, last year. Being from Florida, I love the Reggae Music, which is very popular there. I consider myself
fortunate to have seen the likes of PETER TOSH and BOB MARLEY--so needless to say, I am a huge fan of this type of music.
It’s a genre that is not real popular here in the Southwest, but this does not dampen the spirits of these fine young men who
live and breathe Reggae music. When I have been contacted to cover their shows, I cannot help but just be amazed by their
performance--it is fun and extremely entertaining. No one who has attended these shows would ever argue this fact. The band
consists of RANDY VEGA (guitar), JOHN STEADY (bass), RAUL ESPINO (tenor sax), JORDAN QUINTANA (trombone), ANDREW
MENDOZA (lead guitar), BRIAN HERNANDEZ (drums) and ABLE GANDARA (alto sax). Their ages span between 23 to 30 years
old. These guys have been together for the past 5 years, with the exception of the brass section, which was incorporated into
the fold in September of 2013. John and Randy are the founding members. Major influences are BOB MARLEY, REBELUTION,
THE BEATLES, SOJA and SUBLIME…and you can hear all these influences in every song they play! Randy is your front man,
and what has always caught my attention is that he gets into character, if you will. During my phone interview with him, I asked
him about this--and according to him, he owes it to his background as an ex Metal singer. With that said, he has combined
that with the Reggae--and throw in a bit of Ska--and what he has created is quite unusual. You just have to experience it to
get a full understanding that what he brings to the table is alone is what makes this band stand out above the rest. They have
3 hours of new material and are in the studio as I write this, putting together their first full length album. There is a West Coast
tour planned supporting this new release, that will include Arizona and California.
In closing, I love these guys…they are just a breath of fresh air here in the borderland. They have a solid following and fan base
and I am proud to say, that I spearhead this following and after listening to Steady Shakedown. I hope that you too will jump
on this bandwagon. Please check them out and get on board for the time of your life!
www.facebook.com/SteadyShakedown