Shoes, the power-pop pride of northern Illinois, have been DIY since BTWWB (Before This Wolf Was Born), which in this case means 1974. Apart from a brief stint on Elektra in the late 70s and early 80s (which in 1979 netted them their only brush with the Billboard top 50) the boys from Zion have recorded mostly at home studios and released their catchy, tightly wound, and incredibly harmonious music almost exclusively on their own label, Black Vinyl. On Tue 8/14 (or Tue 7/3 through Shoes’ website) the founding trio of John Murphy, Jeff Murphy, and Gary Klebe will release Ignition, their first LP of new material in 18 years. It’s about damn time, fellas! Plus the Numero Group just announced a typically lavish reissue series of mid-70s Shoes vinyl, beginning with 1975’s One in Versailles this fall; subsequent LPs arrive every couple months.
