Full disclosure: Elisha and I love Shahs so much they played our wedding.
Shahs has been a
project / band since 2005, and I can't provide you with all the ins and outs that happened other than some awesome, humid, rainy day recordings are out there. The first time I saw Tom Helgerson play
was at the ZACC with 10yoGF in 2011 (I
think). He was a recent transplant from Minneapolis but had already
inserted himself firmly in Missoula's music scene. It was a simple
set with only two members at the time (I think maybe Cassandra played
along on a couple tunes), but Tom's ability to effortlessly tie the
set together piqued my interest. Then and there, I knew that we were
lucky to have him. Along with fellow transplant Colin Johnson, Tom
quickly added value and variety to our small, transient, and, at
times, homeless underground.
I experienced Shahs
for the first time without distraction at the Badlander (again, I
could be horribly mistaken, but this is the first time it hit hard).
For a duo, the level of complexity of the songs is hard to fathom.
They were definitely tinny, poppy, and quirky but there is this hard
to grasp hypnotic feel brought on by the series of loops,
calypso-influence, wide-range of samples, distorted guitar, keyboard,
and oddly soft vocals. Everything is so layered that it's hard to
single out the individual instruments until you're fully under its
spell. Once there, and I don't know why, there's the strange feeling
of isolation that runs counter to almost everything the music
accomplishes.
The newest
incarnation features Tom, Nick Ryan, Lukas Phelan, Javier Ryan, John
Sporman, and Jenny Fawcett. It's criminal for so much talent to play
together. The music is even more complex as they navigate through the
delicate waters of creative freedom and orchestration. It's pop
noise, or self-proclaimed tropical psychedelic, or corroded ambiance,
or visceral weirdo stuff, or synchronized cacophony, or ... Whatever
it is, it's some of the most fun, engaging, challenging trips that
music can take you on. There's a dreamy party vibe cutting through
each song that reflects both Tom's personality and influences as well
as each member who, to my perception, has slotted in perfectly.
Tom is one of the
most sincere, fun, reflective, kind, talented, intelligent, and warm
people whom I have the privilege of knowing. Watching Shahs develop
and continually import amazing talent into its roster is impressive
in itself. The immeasurable and intangible effects Tom has had on
Missoula is even more impressive. As musicians, their shows and recordings feel like a book that you routinely return to and discover connections and allusions that you missed the prior reads. Shahs sets a bar
against which I'm not sure it's fair to compare other bands. As
people, Shahs are unnecessarily humble. As for that creative crooner
Tom, I can listen to him laugh until the oceans dry up. He's that
good.
