SHYLOCKE BAND INFORMATION

The Goal                                                                          

This TEXAS-based quartet is striving to change the way the rest of the world thinks about Texas.  We don't ride horses to work.  We don't all wear big, goofy cowboy hats and drive gargantuan SUVs.  And we especially don't sing with some thick, hick accent.  We're just a group of modest 20-somethings with an indisputable desire to rock people's balls off!  We don't want some fancy record deal.  We don't want our own clothing line.  We just want to write some songs and see if they can't enhance at least one of your miserable lives.

The Name                                                                         

A Shylocke is a ruthless moneylender, or loan shark.  The word's origin can be traced back to The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare.  Shylock is a more common way of spelling it, but we thought the 'e' on the end looked cool, and the domain www.shylocke.com was open... so yeah! 

We understand that the word Shylocke may have a derogatory meaning.  In American History X, Ed Norton's character, Derek, uses the word to slander his mother's Jewish boyfriend; However, in Get Shorty, John Travolta plays a pretty bad ass Shylocke.  This is where I (Dusty) first heard the word, and is why I suggested it when we were going through the arduous task of conjuring up band names.  At the time I was unaware that the word had any negative connotations, and besides... Zach's Jewish.  At least our name doesn't start with The, and we didn't settle on Raspberry Cunt.

The Guys                                                                           

We'll start with Zach, the auspicious drummer.  Zachary Aaron Kurzweil (ZAK) is the guy you love to have around... especially at parties.  He'll strive to make sure everyone is equally fucked up and having a good time.  Zach has been drumming for 6 years and is considered the back-bone and official motivator of Shylocke.

Wade Ryan's name is synonymous with musically adept.  When Shylocke first formed he was on drums, then he switched to bass/vocals when Zach joined, then when Shylocke broke up, Wade formed his own band where he tackled guitar and lead vocals.  Hopefully, this recent Shylocke reunion won't inhibit his mad, funked-out skillz.

Travis Hagan, the guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist/sound pioneer, my brother and closest friend, is without a doubt one of the most musically passionate souls on the face of the earth.  Yeah.

Then there's me, Dusty.  Ever since Shylocke broke up I've been exploiting my alter ego under the moniker, Mr. Cricket.  Mr. Cricket is self-proclaimed Music's Worst Nightmare.  In my spare time, I like to put together web sites like the one you're brave enough to be currently reading.  Testify!