shoe.biography
shoe.* is Dustin Gardner. Since 2003, Gardner has surrounded himself with a revolving roster of seasoned Detroit musicians, who have aided him in the creation of Motown inspired indie pop. Currently backed by Sean Corcoran on drums and Jamiel Dado on bass, Gardner’s newest compositions are driven by infectious melodies coupled with energetic instrumentation. The live shows are benefited by the entertaining antics and banter that Gardner so effortlessly brings to the stage.
For the past seven years, Gardner has worked to evolve and hone shoe.’s sound. His experience with players from different genres has taken him on a journey through the rich musical legacy that is Detroit entertainment. The current line up showcases the best of the city’s offerings, coupling polished pop with a touch of rock. The resulting sound is mainstream marketable, while retaining an indie sensibility.
Gardner is currently concentrating on showcasing the new incarnation of the band with a newly launched website where fans can download the new album Modern Days for free. In addition, a series of mini regional tours are in the works. With an eclectic mixture of high energy pop, and Gardner’s charismatic stage persona, these shows are not to be missed.
*No, this is not a typo, the period is part of the name
shoe.history
shoe. was formed in 2003 in Dustin Gardner’s living room. The band was going to be Dustin’s solo project, while still being able to play with different musicians, allowing the sound to grow and change. The natural fit for the first incarnation of shoe. was his former band mates from, his first band, the Fozzys ~ Chad Kushuba and Paul Loos.
They were joined by Mikey Brown and Phred Brown (no relation). The first album was recorded on pro-tools in Dustin’s house “Pack Me With Your Clothes”. The band was happy with the songs, but not with the sound quality of the recording. So in July of 2005 they decided to record the next album with Chris Koltay at High Bias Recordings in Detroit, MI. It was here they recorded “shoe.” After the initial recording Dustin ran out of money, before the album had gotten mixed or mastered, and the whole project was put on hold for a while… with fear that it would never get done.
After a few months they were able to get it finished and released it later in 2007. The album featured other local musicians as well including Pat Loos, Charlie Bongo, Dave Vaughn, Chris Koltay, Rollo, & Chris Korte. In 2008 all of the guys in the band felt it was time for them to move on. Phred and Paul went off to focus on Phredly. Mikey went on to produce Ced & Terry, an internet show, and Chad moved to Eugene, OR. to be with his love. It was at this time Dustin started playing the Wurlitzer keyboard and fell in love with it’s sound. Next he found Sean Corcoran and Jamiel Dado to fill out the sound.
Late in 2008 together again with Chris Koltay they recorded “it’s gonna be ok” at High Bias Recordings. The album also features Chad Kushuba and Mike Fiedler. The album was released for free June 2009. In July ‘09 shoe. went back to High Bias Recordings to record their 4th album. Title and release date yet to be announced.
shoe.discography
Fozzys - Example Of Reflecting
2003
Pack me with your clothes
2005
shoe.
2007
modern days
2009
Don’t Get Lost
2009
Computer
2009
Right
2009
The Speed of Life
2010
Dustin Gardner
Dustin's Role
singer, guitar, boss-goof-ball-guy
Dustin's Bio
Dustin Gardner has been performing and entertaining since he was a small child, growing up in Troy, OH. From the early days on his mother’s porch, doing a Beach Boys Lip Synch show, Dustin began to cultivate a love for performing. At the age of 15 he started singing gospel music and was in several gospel groups before moving to Detroit, MI. Shortly after arriving in Detroit he earned a Masters of Improv from The Second City. He then opened his own theater company, The Cabinet Theater, where he performed and wrote several sketch comedy shows. Dustin has also been seen on many local stages, most recently in “Cancer the Musical” and “Whack Job”. While at The Cabinet Theater Dustin met Pat Loos and Topher Owen and together they formed 3Guys Named Joe ~an all improv comedy rock band, improvising full length songs with 3 part harmonies based on audience suggestions. After 3Guys broke up Dustin & Pat went on to form the band the Fozzys and recorded “An Example of Reflecting”. Shortly after the release of the album Pat decided to go back to school to finish his degree. That’s when Dustin had an epiphany ~ that he could write and record music for the rest of his life.. and be happy. So started his solo project shoe.* He asked Chad Kushuba and Paul Loos, both band members of the Fozzys, to join shoe…. with the understanding they could continue and be partners for as long as they like, or move on whenever they felt it was necessary. Dustin is excited about the future of shoe. which are currently going back into the studio in July ’09 to begin recording their 4th album where he hopes to continue growing the sonic boundaries of shoe.
*people often ask why shoe.? Well I was sitting around one night talking about potential names for the band when I realized that no matter what the name was eventually I would end up hating it. Someone said shoes… I made it shoe. because there’s only of me & whomever wanted to partner up and make music with me could… but when that person was ready to move on I could continue forward with no interruptions in my message and brand. Then about four years after the fact I listened to an interview of The Beatles and heard John Lennon & Paul McCartney explain where they came up with the name The Beatles… They say “It means Beatles you know… That’s just a name you know like shoe. You see we could have been called the shoes for all you know.”