Shotwell started life in the Mission District of San Francisco by Jimmy, Aaron Cometbus, Paul Curran in 1994. They made their name playing guerrilla street shows at venues such as 24th Street BART (Subway) Station, Dolores Park and abandoned construction sites around San Francisco and Oakland. They managed to replicate these venues across the US and Canada. No booking agents, no hotels, no dressing rooms no bottled water, just mad batches of two minute melodic punk songs cleverly skewing government, state sponsored terrorism and your basic societal hypocrisy. Twenty-five years, and as many band members later, Shotwell releases a self titled album of 21 well recorded two minute melodic punk songs in the vein of Stiff Little Fingers, Rancid or I dare say, The Gits. It has the same fury of the early Shotwell singles and albums but this album is different. It’s meant to be Shotwell’s London Calling. Drummer Steve Moriarty (The Gits, Joan Jett,etc), who initially took over for Aron Cometbus for a U.S. tour in 1995, has rejoined Jimmy to produce and arrange.. The East Bay ska punk movement of the late eighties Gilman Street regulars like Jawbreaker, Green Day Pansy Division and Op Ivy comes to mind. This is Shotwell’s most mature, listenable and powerful album to date. The lyrics are the worth reading of the small print. A tour of the midwestern states could result in controversy, even combat with the midwestern Christian MAGA set. But that is nothing new to Shotwell after all the years, tours and fiery direct action, politically unrepentant and always full of urgency heart, and conviction on and off stage. Recorded at Get Reel in San Francisco by Rob Preston. Limited to 200 copies. Lets Pretend Records.