Welcome the feature where we ask musicians or bands five really tough questions about music! Today I speak to the band Shower Beers who have released the EP “Miracle on 34th & 3rd” wherever you stream music! Today I find out a little bit more about them.

What is the hardest lyric you have ever had to write and why?

For “Afterglow,” I spent a lot of time crafting the 2^nd verse. It’s full of self-referencing literary devices, a bunch of overlapping rhyme structures, and overall some very cool lines. For example, the lyrics go: “I found God on the back of your tongue Been blessed cause I got your breath on me It’s whiskey neat With a splash of coke And the lies that you speak yeah I’m drunk off the words that you spun Like threads left on read you sent to me At 2:03 I let ferment then I bent Text back ‘wanna meet?‘”

We start just with a cool line about God on the back of a tongue, which sets the tone of the verse nicely. From there we have similar sounds with blessed/breathe, followed by multiple “ee” similar sounds with me, whiskey, neat, lies, and speak. While we’re doing this, we’re still playing around with the “breathe,” saying it smells of whiskey and coke. We add a sort of double entendre via the line “splash of coke and the lies,” as typically the drink is coke and lime. The similar sounds there work nicely with each other. Continuing off of lies, we change the theme a bit saying we’re “drunk off the words that you spun,” since you can spin a web of lies. We further that analogy saying “threads left on read,” which again has a duel-meaning. You can “spin” a thread while sewing, but “threads” also could be a long chain of texts which is how we’re using it in this line. We’re also again including micro-rhymes in drunk/spun and threads/read.

We then jump back to that “ee” sound with sent to me/2:03/wanna meet?, while in-between those rhyming ferment (as we’ve been making a ton of alcohol references) and bent. It’s a lot of thought for what I think is a silly song.

What is the weirdest gift or compliment a fan has given you? 

It’s still weird to me when folks want to hang out in real life after discovering us from our music. I love it when people respond to our songs, so I have definitely hung out with a ton of “fans” who happen to be in town. I’ve gone to concerts, bars, parties, and festivals with random people I’ve met through music which has got to be one of the most rewarding parts of this whole experience. 

Who is the best band or musician you have had the pleasure to share the stage with?

I’m a huge We Demand Parachutes fan, who are on another of our songs off of “Miracle on 34^th & 3^rd.” So whenever we get the chance to hang, that’s always a good time. They’re mostly based in NYC now too which is great so whenever we need some thoughts on songwriting or whatever, I make sure to loop those guys in.

What one of your songs has been the most difficult to rehearse for a live audience?

The newest track “Afterglow” is tough due to the odd format of our bridge breakdown. Eventually we get it down though. We also just finished recording a track where we change the time signature’s accent midway through which gives it a bit of a funky feel – that’s been fun to lock down as well. Essentially the majority of the song is in 4/4 with the natural accent on the 2, but in the bridge we change it up and start counting in groups of 12 while moving the accent back to the 3. It’s easy to listen to but takes a bit to get down practice-wise.

Dream Collaborashowertion and why ? 

The 2003 grammy nominated band Bowling For Soup. Their music, vibe, and overall ethos matches Shower Beers very well. And I think the green room/after party would be a ton of fun.