Boochie Shepherd: Press/Reviews

Let me just say, Boochie Shepherd put on a killer concert!

My favorite songs of the evening, as well as on the new CD, are "All the King's Horses" and "Pull my String"! Both showed off the band's awesome and commanding stage presence as Brandon Mc took center stage and took the delicate "All the King's Horses" and started it off, with the Brandon Denton on lead guitar, Jeff Hubbard on bass, and Heath Hood on drums, lifting the song up to all its glory. It was an awesome time. "Pull my String" finished the set with everyone being on the same page ready to rock! A good time indeed! Just two of the brilliant songs that could be heard and performed by a band that any record label should be happy to have. But why stop at just two songs you ask...because a Boochie Shepherd concert needs to be experienced, and I wouldn't want to spoil it for you.

Bottom line, if you are ever any where near a place where they are playing, you owe it to yourself to go. Yes they are all over the place and that's a good thing! They have the stage presence that the "most polished" bands only wish they had and again they are real. Brandon Mc does the vocals and the back-up guitar, acoustic guitar which he rocks on, even when he is not plugged in (see the Birmingham concert). Heath Hood, drummer to drummer....dude, that solo was cooooooooooool, anyone needing to pack a trailor to take to a gig or pack to move, see Heath.

If you are possibly reading this and debating on whether to hire these guys for anything you have, contact them. They are great. The concert they provide is excellent. And they are great guys besides.

Another Thursday in Memphis means another concert and all the fun that goes with it at The Show... Tonight's performance featured two musical acts, along with all the stunts, skits, and other entertainment that is part of The Show. I'll give up my views of The American Radio sometime later, but this time around, I'm talking about Boochie Shepherd.

Boochie Shepherd is a four member band claiming Decatur, Alabama as home. They are fronted by Brandon McCaghren who provides vocals and plays guitar. Brandon Denton offers his talent for lead guitar, and Jeff Hubbard plays bass. Heath Hood fills out the group on drums.

Taking their name randomly from a yearbook, Boochie Shepherd has come together to be anything but ad hoc. They play as a band with intention and purpose. Relying on interesting arrangements that highlight the talents of the band members, Boochie Shepherd creates a sound that departs from the typical KLOVE standard. They have a modern, fresh feel that compares very nicely to a lot of contemporary trends in music. They also demonstrated stylistic range that was impressive, from acoustic to "rockin'" (I obtained permission from a seventeen year old to say "rockin'" by the way).

Their lyrics, too, depart from the normal contemporary Christian approach. While they clearly perform from a Christian world view, their songs are not always specifically about God or humanity's relationship with God. Some of their songs are just songs grounded in Christian principles. (Sounds like a good idea, to me!)

While their sound is all their own, I did find, at times, that Brandon's vocals reminded me of the vocals from some Blues Traveler songs. Sans harmonica, though. I'd caution readers to hear me say doubly that I am only comparing vocals--Boochie's arrangements are generally very different from Blues Traveler.

In its current form, Boochie Shepherd has been around about three years. This longevity is apparent in their stage presence and overall showmanship. Bottom line, these guys can play! Hey, just go to their MySpace and listen for yourself (downloads available)!

More information about Boochie Shepherd is on their MySpace and their website:

www.myspace.com/boochieshepherd
www.boochieshepherd.com

My final recommendations

This is a great, fresh band with interesting lyrics, interesting arrangements, and the talent to pull it all together. Boochie Shepherd definitely deserves a place on your iPod. Buy their first album from iTunes or Amazon!

For whom is Boochie Shepherd suitable?

If you like contemporary music and can do with some wholesome, at times obviously Christian, songs, Boochie Shepherd is a great choice for you!