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Street Sounds by Aubrey McInnis Despite Pete Link’s (lead singer and guitarist for The Shinolas) recent move to Seattle – where he vows to eat a disgusting amount of meat and start a Tad cover band – his current band plans to continue to rock ’n’ roll. Over the years, the trio has carved their niche in the Calgary scene by endlessly sticking-to-it – a charming quality most readily illustrated by their dedication to the cassette format. Only this month have The Shinolas finally released their debut digital recording, The Radio Beasts, an album featuring old hits and new material. "They tricked me into it, these guys," jokes Pete, a vinyl and tape aficionado, about his bandmates Tom Atkinson (drums) and Conrad Montana (bass). "I’m a firm believer in A side and B side, and CDs just have one long side. They have to invent a CD that you have to flip, I guess. (But) it wasn’t as painful as I thought it was gonna be." Tom (who also drums for The Ex-Boyfriends) says the decision to move to the CD format came after releasing five different tapes and receiving the same feedback: their cassettes were treasured little gems, but nobody listens to tapes anymore. Another motivating factor was to offer a higher fidelity reproduction of their songs (and maybe to stop giving disc-jockeys at CJSW headaches from trying to cue one of their spunky cassettes). The Radio Beasts is an excellent sampler of what the eclectic group has achieved over the years. Slow and steady, they’ve spent more time creating than performing. From the uppity hit "Look Out Below" to the rocker "Craterface" to the slow-tempo "Paradise is Sinking," the album sounds like anything but a conclusion. "You should hear the new stuff," says Pete. "We’ll be back to have the CD release in Conrad or Tom’s basement next year. The music just keeps coming fast and furious. I think I wrote four songs on the way down in the truck going, ‘Wow, can’t wait to record these.’" "We’re used to this furious pace of delivery from Pete," laughs Tom. "The next thing for us is to get these recordings finished that are currently half done... and then just package up the next album – which will almost certainly be a CD – and get that out. It’s not like it’s the end of the line for The Shinolas, just the local aspect of it, I guess. We’ve gone international." "We’ll still practise the same amount as we ever did," deadpans Pete to the laughter of his bandmates. **** This year like the last, the Calgary contingent at the DV8 festival is a good one again led by smarmy faves Chixdiggit. Also scheduled to play during the weekend alongside acts such as Sloan, treble charger, Rahzel and Jet Set Satellite are Field Day – hot off their Vans Warped Tour experience – and the winners of the DV8 local band challenge, The Neckers.

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