“For The Shivas, the show has always been the thing. That thing being a bombastic, explosive and thoroughly communal live rock and roll experience where barriers between the performers and their audience seem to dissolve into the sweat and sound. The band just released its fifth album, Dark Thoughts (Tender Loving Empire), but it’s the stage—or the basement, or the living room—that’s The Shivas’ true element. It’s their raison d’etre. It’s the show that keeps them coming back after over 1,000 performances spread over 25 countries in 13 years.
In those 13 years, The Shivas have grown tight-knit as a group. Guitarist/singer Jared Molyneux, bassist Eric Shanafelt and drummer/singer Kristin Leonard have all been with the band since its earliest days; guitarist Jeff Boyardee joined in 2017. Together they’ve learned to thread a seemingly impossible needle: They’ve honed and tightened their performances without sacrificing the element of surprise that makes each show special.”