Shotgun Sawyer: 'Thunderchief' reissue

HOTGUN SAWYER was originally formed under the moniker "Thunderchief" in January of 2015. Childhood friends, Brett and Dylan began playing music together in high school. They only just started to consider pursuing their first formal project together when Brett asked experienced local musician David Lee to sit in with them during a jam session. The result was so explosive, the trio began to book shows that very same week. Over the next year and a half, Thunderchief became a local sensation in the rural Gold Country towns they played, appearing at several community events, playing sold-out bar shows, and receiving glowing reviews from the local press for their energetically charged live performances. While it became clear in 2016 that the name Thunderchief would need to be scrapped to avoid confusion with other up-and-coming musical acts, the debut album they recorded that year, "Thunderchief," pays homage to those excited, early days. The album consists of the very first songs Brett and Dylan ever wrote together, along with the rest of the originals that made up the band's ever-expanding live set.

Having settled on their new name, SHOTGUN SAWYER began to broaden its scope and reach on the West Coast. The band evolved musically as well, maturing in their sound, and becoming something more than the sum of their inspirations; something their own. Appearing at festivals like GremFest and Off Beat in Reno or First Festival in Sacramento, by the summer of 2018, Brett, Dylan, and David felt ready for a new challenge: Europe. SHOTGUN SAWYER signed a deal with Ripple Music, and "Bury The Hatchet" was released in 2019 to rave reviews, topping charts and breaking records for units sold. As the year closed, everything was in motion for Shotgun Sawyer's return to Europe, with hints at breaking into Japan and South America shortly after.

Shutdowns of venues and travel endemic to Covid-19 restrictions ground that momentum to a virtual standstill, but the band has been hard at work utilizing the time behind closed doors. With 20 new songs under their belts, and bookings in the US and Europe opening again, the band is poised to continue its ascent. 2021 will see the first-ever vinyl release of their debut, "Thunderchief," on Ripple Music, with a ramp-up in live performances, and time in the recording studio to boot. With any luck, by the time the band tours Europe again in 2022, it will be in support of their third full-length album.

TRACKLIST:

1. Skinwalker

2. Sudden Death in the Flesh

3. Lawman

4. That's the Working Man

5. I'm a Bad Man

6. Gravedigger Dan

7. Nothing Left to Lose

8. Soldier Song

9. Left for Dead

10. New Meat

11. Strawberry Jam

12. Skinwalker (Live at Doublewide Studios)

13. Strawberry Jam (Live at Earth Tone Studios)

SHOTGUN SAWYER 'Thunderchief (Anniversary Edition)'

Out August 20th on vinyl via Ripple Music