Local Band Shapiro Needs Room To Grow

By Broadside Staff Reporter and Columnist Andy Minor
Photo by Broadside Photography Editor Courtney Erland

Shapiro is a little indie rock outfit from Harrisonburg, Va., and according to their Web site, they want to be your friend. As far as friends go, you can do a lot worse than Shapiro. At the same time, you can do a lot better.

Their new EP, You Are Alone, is a five-song overview with a bonus track that seems to be a very solid showcase of Shapiro's sound and songwriting ability. While the EP has several strong moments and plenty of catchy riffs, the overall feeling I had when I finished listening was that somehow Shapiro has a more room to grow.

I say this because these six songs did nothing but constantly remind me of two excellent, already established musical acts: Ben Folds and the Postal Service. The music is almost too piano driven and the later songs all contain a percussive synthesizer setting that can only remind one of “Such Great Heights.” The CDs that these guys listen to are far too evident on their CD and for the time being, it might be better to go straight to the source and skip this underdeveloped middleman.

At the same time, however, it's important to note that I haven't given up on these guys yet. All of those influences, as unrefined as they are on these tracks, start to come together at several points on the album. “Jesse's Song” has a great bass-driven breakdown in the last minute or so that I might find myself humming in the next few days.

“I Do” has plenty of string orchestration, which shows these guys are actually legit musicians. They execute the sometimes difficult task of putting full strings behind a rock set up, which doesn't always turn out so well. “If I'd Known” even begins with a syncopated rhythm on the piano that hints of Latin flavor and has some horns thrown in as well. There are plenty instances on this album where the songwriting really comes together, but the problem is that when it's not together, it shows.

Apart from the songwriting, the band plays quite well together and they clearly have an idea about what kind of sound they want to produce. The lyrics aren't the best, but they certainly aren't the worst. For any local band, lyrics can often be a fatal trap. I think that these guys have enough together to really become successful one day, and if I turn on the radio in five years and hear them, I'll be nothing but pleased. Until then, it should be an interesting ride for these guys and I'll probably keep in touch with them on the way. Don't rush out and buy Shapiro’s EP right away, but definitely save the idea for a rainy day when you just need to hear something new.