INSIDE CONNECTION Interview - July 2002
Soul Shake

Barbara Bales

"Without trying to overhype Soul Shake, the momentum of the last two months has been out of control!" So begins the band's manager, Scott Lustrow. "The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame show went incredibly well," he proudly announces. Soul Shake -- who opened for The Smithereens that evening -- "got about four minutes of national television exposure on MSNBC and NBC Channel 3, Ohio, and believe it or not, quadrupled the merchandise sales of The Smithereens!" according to Scott.

Soul Shake's founding member Warren Von Kruck (lead vocals/guitars) describes the group's reaction upon learning that they would perform at the world-renowned venue: "When we got the word we'd be playing the Hall of Fame, we were all together, recording some new material...and the entire band screamed at the top of our lungs like a bunch of high school girls! We just couldn't believe it," he says, sounding star-struck. Once they arrived at the Hall of Fame, the guys were given, as Warren puts it, "the full rock star treatment, with a security detail leading us from our dressing room to the stage. The M.C. announced us, and we hit the stage like it was our last show; the high was amazing. When we were done, we were bombarded with autograph requests, and made a killing selling CD's and t-shirts. Cleveland rocks!!" As for sharing the bill with a prominent band like The Smithereens, Warren says, "The Smithereens were a really cool bunch of guys, and tight as hell -- but we primed the hell out of the crowd. We have to give props to our sponsors, Guitar Center and Jagermeister for hiring us. We love you guys!"

The Long Island-based, self-proclaimed "poor, white trash bunch of brothers" want nothing more than for "rock and roll to feel good again" by exposing the world to their brand of rock, flavored with blues and funk. Signed to Babylon Records, Soul Shake has one release to date, called "Revolution". (It can be purchased anywhere CD's are sold, with a special five-dollar discount offer when purchased via the band's website: www.soulshake.com.) A second album, titled, "Monkey Business", is slated for a Thanksgiving 2002 release.

Warren Von Kruck is joined by Ray Schneller (guitar/vocals), Chris Campione (keyboards/acoustic guitar/vocals), Kato Peragine (drums/vocals) and Joe "Mama" Higgins (bass/vocals). Each member is an accomplished musician, having had a respectable career long before Soul Shake was formed just three years ago....And the band has been in demand ever since. Some of their...if you will pardon the statement...high-profile performances include: The High Times "Legalize It" rally on The White House lawn; the 30th Annual Woodstock reunion; both the 2001 and the 2002 NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Conventions; and, by the time this article goes to print, the band will have added to the list a performance at Madison Square Garden Theatre! They have also been featured in major music magazines and have acquired national endorsements (for instruments and equipment) along the way.

How did they meet one another and was it their intention to take the show on the road? Warren explains. "The band was formed in 1999, and has gone through three member changes since then. We set our goals on a classic rock sound, and finding players that wanted to commit EVERYTHING to a band and who had the chops this band needed was a tall order to fill. Some of the past members just couldn't handle the commitment. Soul Shake as it is today, is by far one of the finest rock and roll units there is. We met through 'musician wanted' ads in local papers, and through mutual friendships. We absolutely expected to take this act on the road. People from all over dig real rock and roll. We've converted people from Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Texas, New York, etc. into Soul Shakers. The feeling you get when you roll into a town you're not familiar with, and there's 700 people waiting to see you, is the best feeling in the world."

Soul Shake is one of very few local acts whom I have interviewed, who can actually boast of "playing in Madison Square Garden!" Needless to say, Warren and his bandmates are totally freaked out at the mere thought of it: "This is the moment that we have dreamed about all our lives...MSG!!!! Oh My GOD. We were doing a segment on Q104.3's The Radio Chick Show, with whom we have become very good friends, as well as their official party band, and Chuck Nice, the comedian who is on the show, expressed an interest in working with us. When he said Madison Square Garden, we were like, 'Um... can we paint your house, do the laundry, mow the yard..whom do we have to sleep with to sign on?' So we worked out the arrangement, and we'll be opening the show with a 20-minute set, then play a song with Chuck during his show, and close with another 20-minute set. It will be the same for both shows, one at 8:00pm and one at 10:30pm on June 8th, and yes, we're scared to death... but we'll be back, we have no doubt about it."

Regarding the quintet's plans for the rest of 2002, as well as what the guys foresee in the years to come, Warren says, "Up until this year, we just expected to do the whole record-play-and-shop-the-CD routine. But lately, it all keeps coming to us at a very fast pace, so actually making plans has been a daily battle. We were asked to do a 16-city tour of Hard Rock Café's, and play at Biketoberfest down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We're also showcasing for some labels, which has us all a little nervous. I think we plan on riding the waves and do our best to bring rock and roll back into the mainstream this year. That's a tough enough order to fill. Soul Shake will definitely be a chart topper. We have every intention of doing whatever we have to do to sell out. Any band that says they won't is a liar, and living in a pipe dream. The world needs a new hero; just show us where to put our capes on."

Since they are from the Island, what is their opinion about the music scene here...and what do they think could be done to improve it? "The Long Island Music Scene has gotten better in the last couple of months," according to Warren. "There are showcases being held all over the place, but, there is still so much more room for improvement.
The local papers need to provide more space writing about us, because we're the folks reading these papers, and we're the ones playing the local bars that advertise in them, and the ones trying to support each other. The radio stations need to push local talent on prime time airplay. It worked in Florida for Creed, and in Atlanta for Collective Soul. Really, these program directors need to grow a set of balls, and stop letting the south sign all these bands. The original bands need to throw a cover song or two into their set. People want to be familiar with something, so why not win them over with a song they can actually sing along too? It's always worked well for us because it makes the crowd even more receptive to your originals, and they'll buy more CD's, too. We're all a little to blame for the Long Island Scene, so you have to ask yourself: 'Am I doing everything I can, as a band, a club, an entertainment paper to make this scene happen?' If you're not, then stop complaining."

Who have been their musical influences, and which artists/bands would they eventually like to share a bill with? Warren replies, "It's funny, we each have different influences, from Lenny Kravitz, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ozzy, Hendrix, The Beach Boys, Led Zepplin, Aerosmith, to The Average White Band to name a few, but somehow, we all connect on the same level, and our music just comes out like Soul Shake. You can pick out our influences in our music...they're all there, in every song. We are not going to rest until we share the bill with Aerosmith and Lenny Kravitz. Then, and only then, might we even mildly decide to call it quits...but it better happen soon; we ain't getting any younger."

The band collaborates on the songwriting and share a singular mindset overall. "We pretty much write everything together," says Warren. "One of us will come in with a riff, or melody, and the whole band takes it, and makes it a song. There are no individuals in this band, we share everything when it comes to songwriting, money, exposure. There are no Gene Simmons here. Every one spills a little blood, everyone shares in the rewards."

...And judging by the band's photos, it is apparent that the members of Soul Shake also share a wicked sense of humor. "You really have no idea...come spend a day or two with us, and you will not be the same ever again," Warren confesses. "We're like a poor white trash bunch of brothers. We enjoy juvenile things, like mooning people on the road from our tour bus, playing golf in the hall ways of our hotels, in a drunken stupor at 3am. We just love being together, and when we are, we feed off of each other. Joe 'Mama' is the clown of the group; he usually gets us going. Warren is the wiseass, he usually gets us in trouble. Ray and Kato are the mooners..and that's a lot of ASS. And Chris is the Diva of the band..we just call him Christopher Spice...."

Check out the websites: www.soulshake.com and www.katodrums.com
Contact: AGK Music, Inc. (631) 654-5680