ARTIST Is Shepherd

We like pop songs, and we like rock songs, but we don’t think that the answer lies there. There must be more: more sounds to make, more experiments to try, more surprises to uncover. There’s a message to get across, and the message is that things can be better if we make them better. We don’t have to settle for what we’ve already heard or what we’ve already got. We can break new ground for new sounds and a better life. We work with the tools at our disposal, which at first was a melodic rock trio. We’ve added extra vocals, melodica, violin, synths, drum loops, mandolin. Sometimes we swap instruments; sometimes we stop playing and bash bits of percussion. We get bored with the usual approaches and want to try new stuff. We’re sometimes quiet and sometimes very loud; sometimes we’re contemplative, sometimes we’re angry, sometimes we just want to dance. Is Shepherd has been a band for around three years now, comprises Ben Trenerry, Bob Douglass and John Pope. So far has recorded one record and played many gigs. We mix soulful music with alternative rock, ‘e(c)lectronica’, and a bit of folk if necessary. We’re based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and we love the north-east of England. The Music is the Shepherd. Some reviews of 'Ascendez Vous': “Is Shepherd's style is never easy to nail down, as on the five tracks on this release, they run through a whole range of sounds. The production is excellent, never more so than on the killer track, Stretcher Bearer, which is saved for the final cut. A very promising debut indeed.” Sandman Magazine “’Time’ and ‘Waitress’ both have an uplifting quality about them and there is an overwhelming sense of optimism about the whole CD.… ‘Ascendez-Vous’ then, a collection of 5 classic songs expertly committed to CD.” Tasty Fanzine “Is Shepherd are one of those bands who are familiar, and yet completely new all on their own… Waitess is a brilliantly accessible song, and could easily be one of the “I-recognise-that-it’s-off-an-advert” tunes which start off as an underground hit but six months later if you haven’t heard it, your friends no longer know you.” Pennyblackmusic.com