REANIMATION is the vision of Michael Shanahan. This solo project's official roots were planted in 2006, but it began to grow much earlier, during Shanahan's downtime between other music-world commitments. Since 1985, the music of REANIMATION and its forebears has resisted easy categorization by combining elements of psychedelia with progressive, experimental, alternative and pop rock.
Shanahan most recently made a small ripple in the indie world in 2011 with the REANIMATION debut GIANTS HIDE AMONG US. The self-produced album contained eight compositions (three instrumental) and owed much to its experimental ancestors, with sometimes-eerie progressions and cyclical percussion themes. For GIANTS, Shanahan created texture by layering mostly analog instruments with synths and assorted sound-producing devices.
Shanahan has most recently collaborated on recordings with Washington, DC's Blue Sausage Infant (Flight of the Solstice Queens, 2010); Negative Space, 2011). Before REANIMATION, Shanahan co-founded the Chicago-based alt-rock trio Every Part of the Animal (EPOTA) in 1988, with bassist/vocalist Brad Allen and guitarist/vocalist Bob Bartodziej. EPOTA eventually became a duo (Shanahan/Allen) and released two CDs, Life Imitates Art (1993) and Civilization [Spirit] (1999). Before EPOTA, Shanahan also co-founded Quixotic, with Mark Watson, in 1985. That partnership produced several cassette releases and one CD release, Leap of Faith (1996). With REANIMATION, Shanahan melds these influences into a unique experience based on groove, space, atmospherics and tension. The quietly prickly sound builds on repetitive structures with vocals, drums and percussion, guitars, bass, synthesizers, violin and other instruments, occasionally revisiting the verse/chorus textbook.
Shanahan most recently made a small ripple in the indie world in 2011 with the REANIMATION debut GIANTS HIDE AMONG US. The self-produced album contained eight compositions (three instrumental) and owed much to its experimental ancestors, with sometimes-eerie progressions and cyclical percussion themes. For GIANTS, Shanahan created texture by layering mostly analog instruments with synths and assorted sound-producing devices.
Shanahan has most recently collaborated on recordings with Washington, DC's Blue Sausage Infant (Flight of the Solstice Queens, 2010); Negative Space, 2011). Before REANIMATION, Shanahan co-founded the Chicago-based alt-rock trio Every Part of the Animal (EPOTA) in 1988, with bassist/vocalist Brad Allen and guitarist/vocalist Bob Bartodziej. EPOTA eventually became a duo (Shanahan/Allen) and released two CDs, Life Imitates Art (1993) and Civilization [Spirit] (1999). Before EPOTA, Shanahan also co-founded Quixotic, with Mark Watson, in 1985. That partnership produced several cassette releases and one CD release, Leap of Faith (1996). With REANIMATION, Shanahan melds these influences into a unique experience based on groove, space, atmospherics and tension. The quietly prickly sound builds on repetitive structures with vocals, drums and percussion, guitars, bass, synthesizers, violin and other instruments, occasionally revisiting the verse/chorus textbook.
