Biography
Milwaukee power pop outfit the Shivvers originated from In a Hot Coma, a local act that united bassist Scott Krueger with drummer Jim Richardson; Krueger’s girlfriend, aspiring singer/songwriter Jill Kossoris, joined the lineup on keyboards during its closing phase. When In a Hot Coma disbanded in 1978, Krueger launched the Orbits and Richardson joined local punk unit the Lubricants, while Kossoris and guitarist Mike Pyle established the Shivvers. Once those projects ended, Krueger and Richardson entered the Shivvers fold, and guitarist Jim Eannelli finalized the roster. The band refined a selection of well-known and lesser-known pop classics, with Kossoris’ own compositions completing the performances, then cut her “Teen Line” for the Fliptop label in 1980. Live dates alongside the Romantics and Iggy Pop followed, along with praise from a key influence, ex-Raspberries frontman Eric Carmen, who offered to produce the group’s intended album. After Eannelli departed, former Orbits guitarist Breck Burns took his place; Milwaukee Journal readers subsequently voted the Shivvers the city’s top band of 1982. The members considered relocating to a bigger scene such as New York or Los Angeles before choosing Boston. Following several last hometown shows, Pyle and Richardson moved, yet Kossoris encountered health problems; when Krueger joined L.A. combo the Wigs, the Shivvers dissolved. Kossoris, Krueger, Richardson and Burns reconvened in 1989 to cut the single “Remember Tonight”; shortly afterward Burns received a leukemia diagnosis and died from the illness in 1993. Kossoris later settled in Nashville as a songwriter and released the solo album Invisible in 2001. In 2003 the Hyped to Death label compiled the Shivvers retrospective Til the Word Gets Out.
Albums
