Shudder to Think was one of only two bands to ever make the jump from local indie stalwart Dischord Records to a major label. In the mid-1990s they signed with Epic, and released Pony Express Record, still one of the finest pieces of art-damaged post-punk ever produced by a band in this town. It was an odd record for a major label, deeply complex, with shifting time signatures and singer Craig Wedren’s distinctive falsetto taking center stage. While the band’s previous output hadn’t necessarily been conventional, one imagines the folks at Epic were scratching their heads over what to do with a record that was so relentlessly original and like little else in the post-Nirvana soundscape. The record became a cult hit though, and the video for “X-French T-Shirt” could actually be seen pretty frequently on MTV in the summer of ’95, while the “Hit Liquor” video even managed to attain that most auspicious of ’90s honors, being skewered by metal-head delinquents Beavis and Butthead.
The next couple of years found the band working on two soundtrack records—their eclectic, guest-laden soundtrack to First Love, Last Rites is well worth looking for, though sadly out of print—and their last official album, 50,000 B.C. which was not received with quite the enthusiasm of Pony Express or their excellent Dischord work. The band played their last D.C. show in 1998, a bittersweet farewell to an enthusiastic sold-out crowd who welcomed the band, which had long ago left for NYC, back like conquering heroes. And that was it for nearly ten years, until the reunion mentioned as a possibility by Craig Wedren when he talked to DCist a year ago became a reality earlier this year with one-off festival performances. That’s now turned into a full fledged tour, and tomorrow night Shudder to Think will take the 9:30 Club stage for their first D.C. show in a decade. It’s sure to be a rocking nostalgia trip, particularly for those who remember when “Red House” was an instantly recognizable song to just about anyone who hung out regularly at the old 9:30. Tickets are still available. Guitarist Nathan Larson answered a few questions for DCist on the band’s homecoming.
Tell me about how the band decided to get back together.
We were offered a series of shows, and had been discussing doing this casually for a while. The opportunity presented itself in a pressure-less context and it seemed a good time to do it.
What are the biggest differences you’ve seen in playing together this time around as opposed to 10 years ago?
We’re “older and wiser” in the sense that we recognize our bullshit and our negative impulses, and in this sense can try (not always successfully, but the intention is there) to avoid them. Plus our priorities are scattered, we have other lives, so it’s no longer a do-or-die type of thing. Thus a decrease in pressure, this crushing press to succeed at all costs.
