Prisonshake

Prisonshake approaches rock with an ethos loosely akin to that of Fugazi, placing the music itself above any concern for sales, videos, radio exposure, or visual appeal. Their release schedule, however, diverges sharply, limited to a pair of full-length albums, a handful of singles, and scattered compilation appearances, while live shows remain rare. The duo creates strictly for its own satisfaction, treating outside approval as incidental rather than essential.

The band formed in 1987 and soon began touring and composing, stockpiling close to one hundred songs across the next six years. By the end of 1992 most members had stepped away to pursue steadier non-musical professions that could support their families. In 1993 the primary songwriters—guitarist Robert Griffin, who also runs Scat Records, and singer Douglas Enkler—reconvened. Having issued only singles up to that point, they decided to attempt a complete album with outside production from ex-Dictator Andrew Shernoff. The raunchy, Replacements-styled result, titled The Roaring Third, appeared on Scat. A few U.S. tours followed with substitute players, but unstable rhythm sections eventually brought activity to a halt. Griffin and Enkler relocated to St. Louis in 1994, where they kept writing and cutting demos. Their second album, Failed to Menace, surfaced on Matador in 1995. Additional records or concerts could still happen whenever the pair chooses.