Virginia-based Shagwüf has bestowed their second music video in their Trilogy upon RVAMag and we’re delighted to share it with you.
Shagwüf is based out of Staunton, Virginia and consists of Sweet Pete Stallings (Vox and Guitar), Sally Rose ( Vox and Bass), Pablo Olivieri (Drums and Percussion), and Ivan Christopher Christo (Keys and Guitar). “Pete’s the front man, I run the ship, Ivan is the glam and Pablo melts everyone’s hearts” described Rose.
Rose and Stallings first met 13 years ago and continued their music profession into writing and playing together in The Sally Rose Band.
“We fell in love as kids and taught each other all the shit grownups write rock n roll songs about through adolescence, drugs and break ups,” said Rose. “Pete was always in punk bands and I was always a folky singer songwriter. We were both itching to get fuzzed out and nasty.” Olivieri and Christo joined the band shortly after, fitting perfectly into the puzzle that Shagwüf represented.
The brand new music video, “Crocodile Smile,” shows off their brand of psychedelic glam rock with a kick-ass, no nonsense attitude. “Crocodile Smile” is the second of a trilogy of videos for their new album, the first one titled “Run O’ Bad Luck.” All three music videos are produced by their proclaimed fifth member as well as dear friend Rich Tarbell.
Check out the new video below:
“I love to work with Shagwüf because they completely trust my weird visions,” said Tarbell “I’ll say, we are going to put a crocodile mask on a gorgeous girl with pink hair and she is going to find the band in outer space where you guys will be playing and dodging asteroids” or “We are going to curl Sally Rose’s hair with a bag of Cheetos” and the reply is always something to the effect of “Hell yes, what day do you want to shoot?”
The video is as compelling as the band’s sound and, for Tarbell, reflects the groups personality and presence.
“I loved the contrast between the creepy mask versus Opal’s natural grace and beauty. From there the storyline evolved from social rejection on the streets based on her freaky look to welcoming acceptance by the band in outer space” he said.
The band is very adamant about promoting safe space environments for the LGBTQ community and representing the empowerment of minorities.
“We’re all a little gay,” said Rose. “I’m a lover and a fighter, and I get off on showing that on stage, but providing respectable and inclusive shows is non-negotiable. Shagwüf is a feminist band. ‘Fight Like a Girl’ is our Riot Girl anthem.”
Speaking of fighting like a girl, Rose’s feminist stance powers through the music industry as a woman with drive and confidence in a majority male band. “I think part of being a feminist and a solid role model is not just protesting about what’s wrong, but pairing that with kicking ass and hustling from the ground up. Proving that we’re all on the same playing field” said Rose.
The track sits nice and pretty in the middle of their new record ¡Salvaje! That drops later this month. “On the road we got hooked on Pablo’s use of the word ‘Salvaje’, which means savage or wild,” said Rose. “We wanted to make a record that would bring out the inner animal in people.” The full length album was recorded at Montrose Recording Studios in RVA with producer Adrian Olsen of Avers. It encompasses a complexity of sound that has just the right balance of hard blues and punk-adelic vibes with a slight bit of twang.
After coming off of a month-long tour up and down the East Coast, the band churned out the record in, well, record time. “It was pretty fast and furious. We clocked 36 hours of tracking into 36 minutes on tape,” Rose said. “We were super tired and ready to lay it down.”
The band will debut ¡Salvaje! On Friday, November 25 at The Southern Cafe & Music Hall in Charlottesville, Virginia. You can snag tickets here!
The band will also be delighting us here in Richmond with their new album on November 26 at Hardwood Craft Brewery with The Trillions, The Mirrors & Gull.
You can stay updated with all of Shagwüf’s events at www.shagwuf.com.
