Shane Bertrand
I play guitar for The Christopher Walken Overdrive, and I write and record music for Shane Bertrands' Squirt Gun... that is music made with my hands. It's called Manualism. Find more info on Manualism at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manualism_(hand_music) or http://www13.pair.com/handman/hands.htm
As far as I know I'm the only performing Manualist in Fargo-Moorhead. I've had the Squirt Page up on Myspace for about 5 months. In that time I haven't met anybody else recording there Manualism talents. Lately I've been performing with Pat Lipsiea and the PLX. We jammed at the Aquarium in Fargo on March 22nd of 2007. The whole place was rollin! Check out the Squirt Page for all of the Squirt info and music at:
http://myspace.com/shanebertrands39squirtgun
The Christopher Wallken Overdrive has finally kicked it into Overdrive. Last Friday(March 30) we jammed at the Nestor with Battlefields. We went under the name "The Eric Clapton Underdrive" in honor of him playing the Fargodome that same night. We finally have T-Shirts! Come and get one for 10 bucks when we play the Aquarium April 14th. We're finally gonna play Minneapolis! Come and support us at the Red Sea Bar on April 16th. For all of the CWO music and info go to: http://www.myspace.com/thecwo
SHANE BERTRAND
MESSAGE WRITTEN - 4/1/07
Bands
- Shane Bertrands' Squirt Gun(ongoing project)
- Below(1996-99)
- Christopher Walken Overdrive(current band)
- Dirty Moon Frank(2001-03)
- Dr. Moon Larry(1999-2000)
- King Friday(1993-94)
- Owen Coffin(2002)
- Noyz(1990-92)
Highlights
- My first real band was called "Noyz". My brother(Joe Bertrand) and I along with our cousin Scott Fugleberg played garage rock from 1990 through 1993. We also had Harry Smith from Portland, ND on Bass and our good friend Arden Rux on lead vocals. You'll be able to hear some of those songs on my new myspace page called Pastprojects at myspace.com/pastprojects We played a total of about 8 shows in those 3 years. "Noyz" ended up changing into "King Friday" in 1993 because of a lineup change. We hired Mike Holtz from Breckenridge, MN to replace Arden Rux. He was only 16 at the time, but he could sing his ass off. Hear his new band "Carmen the Cactus" at: http://www.carmenthecactus.com We played one show at The Ridge in Breckenridge in 1994. Shortly after that show Mike had to leave the band, and we recorded some tunes with a local rocker Kelly Cordahl. Hear his new band at: http://www.myspace.com/identity5band We also hired local drummer Scott Kronchnobel to play one show at the Frisky Goat in Fargo in 1995-ish. That one was caught on video!
- My brother and I moved to Fargo at the end of 1995. That is when I decided to go out on my own and find myself a band. I ended up joining a Heavy Metal/Doom band called "Below" in 1996. Band members were: Chad Heille-bass(currently playing drums with his band Thundersaw), Nathan Pehler-Lead Guitar(currently playing guitar for Necktie Suicide), Dave Johnson on drums(currently playing drums for Sons of Posiden and Denied By Christ), and Myself-Lead Vocals, and Rhythm Guitar. I was hired to do lead vocals. Since I didn't have any real metal vocal expeiriance I ended up losing my voice every band practice for 3 months. 1997 came around, and we had to kick out our guitar player, so I stared doing both vocals and rhythm guitar. We played a bunch of shows between 1996 and 1999. We opened for bands including: Coal Chamber, Life of Agony, Skinlab, Pist-On(with Johnny Kelly of Type O Negative on drums), and Stuck Mojo. Dave left the band to play drums for Sons of Posiden, and Below broke up. Chad and I have done some recording since then under the name "Owen Coffin". He still has those recordings, but they have yet to be released.
- Shortly after Below broke up my brother and I got back together to form "Dr. Moon Larry". Dr. Moon Larry was a project we had between 1999 and 2001. We recorded songs including: In The Tub, The Sauce Is Always Hot, Walkin With My Lady Blues, and Rollin Lefse. After we recorded those songs, we had the urge to get a band together and we were lucky to find a guy named Shane Block from Fargo, ND. Shane is a practiced jazz drummer, and he was exactly what we were looking for. The three of us: Joe Bertrand-Lead Vocals and Rhythm Guitar, Shane Block on Drums, and myself on Bass and Backup vocals wrote songs, and practiced our asses off until we found our guitar player Jason "Pooey" Poohalla from Hawley, MN. We called ourselves "Dirty Moon Frank". We played funk. The four of us recorded a 5 song EP(which is available by contacting me) and we played a bunch of shows around Fargo between 2001 and 2004. That band should have done a lot more that it did, but because of "life schedules" getting to heavy, everyone didn't have time to do it, but the music lasts.
- During this whole time of being in bands between 1990 and 2004 I practiced "Manualism". I know, it sounds bad, but it's music played with my hands. See more info at: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Manualism_%28hand_music%29 I've been honing this talent since 1983. Shane Bertands' Squirt Gun http://myspace.com/shanebertrands39squirtgun started coming to life in 2005 when I purchased my computer from my good friend Joe Dunningan. He installed a home studio in there for me, and I then had the means to record hand Squirt Music! I started by recording my song "Flashlight" with guest Squirts by Jason "Flashy T" Thykeson. "Flashlight" has been played on radio shows including The Awful Show, The Boneyard, and The Lex and Terry Show. Over the last two years I've been recording Hand squirt music, and I'll be recording Squirt music till I croke.
- Right now I record and occasionally perform my Manualism talent and I play Lead Guitar in The Christopher Walken Overdrive http://www.myspace.com/thecwo I've been in The CWO between 2005 and now. We continue to play shows in and out of Fargo and we're gearing up to record some tunes very soon. We finally made T-shirts. This is only the 2nd band that I've been in that have had t-shirts! The other one was Below.
SHANE BERTRAND
