Nominated for Independent Rock Artist of the Year – 13th Annual LA Music Awards
Recently voted Best Independent Rock Artist at the 2003 LA Music Awards, Shadrack follows in the footsteps of other Northern California hard rock acts like the deftones, Papa Roach and Fingertight. After evolving in the Sacramento area, gaining a solid following along the way, Shadrack left their families, friends, jobs and history behind to make the gutsy move and start clean in Los Angeles.
Once in Los Angeles, Shadrack found themselves one of a thousand bands also looking for the big break. Although establishing a local following in the big city has been difficult, in their short time here they have managed to establish good relationships with several club owners. Driven to make a name for themselves, Shadrack also booked a small tour of the southwest United States, teasingly dubbed the LA Sux Tour, where they were able to bring their talent to small clubs in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.
The highlight of their career as a band came in the fall of 2003 when, barely over a year in Los Angeles and still freshmen to the area, Shadrack was awarded Best Independent Rock Artist of 2003 at the LA Music Awards.
With the arrival of 2004, Shadrack has locked themselves in the studio to record their first professionally produced album, which is expected to be released in early spring. The band is hoping to expand their fan base at home and spread the love out to a larger audience through more extensive tours of the United States
STOCKTON – Daniel Ryan works in Stockton, but he plays in Southern California.
The 1995 Bear Creek High School graduate works for his family’s drywall business to pay for residences in Sacramento and Los Angeles, where he pursues a career as a rock singer-songwriter. He’ll perform with his band The Players in a rare local show Saturday at the Stockton-Waterloo Gun and Bocci Club in support of his new CD, “300 Miles from Nowhere.” The show will kick off a Northwest tour.
Ryan, 28, said he has a love-hate relationship with his hometown. “For some reason, I’m comfortable here; this is a great town,” he said. “(But) whenever I come back to Stockton, it’s a feeling of being unsuccessful (in music). I have to go back to make money.”
After graduating from Bear Creek in the late 1990s, Ryan moved to Sacramento in part to join that city’s music scene, which has spawned nationally known bands such as Cake and the Deftones. His band, Shadrack, performed regularly and opened for L.A.-based musicians.
One of those musicians, bassist James Book, was impressed by Ryan and invited him to Los Angeles in 2001 to help write a record. Ryan brought Shadrack with him to Southern California, and in 2003, the band won a Los Angeles Music Award for independent rock artist of the year.
But that success couldn’t keep the band together, and Shadrack later broke up. Ryan moved to Salt Lake City, where he began to write music as a solo artist. His work drew the attention of independent label SIS Records, which signed Ryan and is releasing “300 Miles from Nowhere.” The album was recorded in Hollywood.
Contact reporter Ian Hill at (209) 943-8571 or ihill@recordnet.com