Shai Hulud worms its way into Fort

By Shondiin Silversmith
Navajo Times

WINDOW ROCK, July 18, 2013

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N o matter the size of the venue or crowd, hardcore punk band Shai Hulud of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. will rock the house. Band members are currently packing their bags for a show next Monday in little Fort Defiance.

"A smaller venue never brothers me, I am always happy to crawl down into a basement and play for 50 kids or 50 adults," said Shai Hulud Guitarist Matt Fox. "What I always want is people up front in our faces, screaming every word even if they know the words or not."

Randall Hoskie of Rancid Savage Production said Shai Hulud is a band he's wanted to bring out the reservation for a while, and this will be the first time they're playing on the Navajo Nation.

Hoskie said he was originally thinking of having Shai Hulud in Gallup, but then thought of the Fort Defiance Chapter House because "there is a hardcore scene here."

Shai Hulud is a metallic hardcore band that draws from their influences in the punk world and metal world as they mesh those inspirations into a sound that will leave people banging their heads.

"It's often misspelled and we've been dealing with that since we started back in 1995," Fox added of their band name, which comes from the giant sandworms in the Frank Herbert novel "Dune."

"The band's name was born of a misunderstanding," Fox added because the creature the band members originally thought was Shai Hulud ended up being something else.

Fox explained that the goal of the band is to replicate the feelings for their audience that they got while listening to their own favorite bands.



"Never had the aspiration of being a big band, and never had any aspiration but to recreate the feelings in our music that we got from our favorite bands," he said.

"The roots are hardcore and we're just an aggressive band that's conveying deep emotion," Fox said.

"Our band is just five guys getting on stage pouring their insides out," he added. "I really hope in this day and age that it's enough, because it's definitely enough for me when I see a band that can effectively convey their thoughts and emotions in a genuine sincere manner."

Shai Hulud's most recent album "Reach Beyond the Sun" was released in February and produced by Chad Gilbert, who also provided vocal talent for the record because at that time they didn't have a permanent singer.

"Him returning to Shai Hulud and screaming was really a cool event," Fox said, explaining that Gilbert has been a singer for Shai Hulud in the past. "That was a really special event to us. It was a return to something we haven't done in many years. We all agree that it's our best record so far."

Shai Hulud is set to perform at Fort Defiance Chapter house on July 22. Doors open at 6. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

Tickets can be purchased at www.holdmyticket.com, Day Customs, Teezin' & Pleezin', Enchanted Ink or Q&A Billiards.

Contact Shondiin Silversmith at 928-871-1138 or editor@navajotimes.com.