The Shunting
The Shunting Story
The Shunting is a super-group that formed in 2006. The Drummer, Mitch RotchWelks had been a hermit, living in a log cabin in the canadian national forest with his drum set for four years, that and the only three books he owned where is sole entertainment and company at this time. He moved to London, Ohio to get work as a burger flipper for the largest fast food restaurant in the world, it had seven lanes. He would practice his drums in the cheap apartment he lived in and this was overheard by trumpet player Racky Thompson. Racky knocked on Mitch's door one day with his trumpet in his hand. They worked out the song 'Frolic in Dose' in it's basic form that afternoon and they decided to form a band. While getting high in the park before a practice session they encountered Trock Fenton, a violin player. Fenton was playing some freeform jazz and they invited him over to play along on their session. They hit it off right away and they played a gig at the Burn-Out Club as the Trock Fenton Trio. Things were looking well for this Trio but then Racky Thompson got arrersted for parole violation.
Now it was drummer Mitch RotchWelks and violinist Trock Fenton against the hard cruel world. Trock's middle-school buddy Lanks Shippford was a very good accoustic string bass player, and his band had just converted to Islam and kicked him out of the band for not following suit. So now it was a three-some again and they first began using the *"The Shunting" name.
- The Original Shunting line up:
- Racky Thompson-Trumpet
- Trock Fenton-Violin
- Mitch Rotch Welks-Drums
- Lanks Shippford - Upright Bass
- Bog HemsDale-Clarinet
Meanwhile in jail Racky Thompson met Bog HemsDale who was a clarinet player. Bog was in short term for numerous refusals to shave. Both of them were to be released from jail in six months time.
The first Shunting line-up was a more energetic almost punk-jazz sound, with furyous solos by Trock over fast repeating stacatto blurts from the drum and bass back-up. No recordings were ever made of these sessions and they only played live six times, once a month at The HOle in the HOle in the Wall, a tick and roach infested dive. They were just biding time while waiting for Racky to get out, and Racky had mailed them weekly raving about this Bog HemsDale who played clarinet and had a freaky mind, and who liked all the same movies as Racky.
Finally within four weeks Racky and Bog where on the street again, and jamming with the band at its full orchestral strength. So we have Racky and Bog as the piss tested once a week on probation members, they only drank beer during a practise session, if even that. Then there was Trock Fenton lighting up joint after joint and sharing them with Mitch and Lanks. Lanks was sneaking into the restroom for a line or two of cocaine during the recording sessions of they're first album, self titled, "The Shunting.
They were not usually playing as a full band at this point because Racky and Bog could not legally set foot in a bar, they had several gigs as the Shunting Trio, a few sessions where recorded and put on they're first album with Racky and Bog doing studio over-dubs for they're parts. They did some fine work during this period, and they played regular gigs at the three and a half bohemian hang out clubs had existed in this grey non-soothing town. By the time six months had passed the boys were feverishly in the studio recording the final takes of they're self titled album: The Shunting:
| 1. | Oh Shunts | ⤓ |
| 2. | Little Baby Shunting | ⤓ |
| 3. | Gone Shunting | ⤓ |
| 4. | Infictive County | ⤓ |
| 5. | Bitter Black Christmas | ⤓ |
| 5. | Strange Eons | ⤓ |
| 6. | Soda Bath |