Courtesy Whiskey Shivers
Born from a Craigslist ad in 2009, this bluegrass-with-a-twist Austin band, Whiskey Shivers, packs a sound and energy that is everything but resistible.
“We all just like to get up there and have a good time,” said Billy Fitzgerald, fiddler and vocalist for the band. “No matter how stressful things are, we get up there on stage and play together — it’s kind of a selfish act.”
The band began in 2009 when Fitzgerald answered what he called a hilarious ad on Craigslist by Andrew VanVoorhees, who plays bass and provides vocals for the Whiskey Shivers.
“I absolutely had to follow up on it,” Fitzgerald said. “And I guess I email like an old man because when I did meet Andrew, he was surprised that I wasn’t, like, a 60-year-old man or something.”
From that point on, Fitzgerald said everything fell into place, as the rest of the band members just found each other — everyone came together out of happenstance. The group is currently comprised of Fitzgerald, VanVoorhees, Joe Deuce on the washboard, Jeff “Horti” Hortillosa singing vocals and playing guitar and James Bookert on the banjo.
The band’s 2011 hit song, “Gimme All Your Lovin,’” created what Fitzgerald described as a “cult” fan base that has steadily grown since that time.
“I’m a total prima donna now,” Fitzgerald joked. “I require a foot massage before every show. We’re a different beast now.”
Whiskey Shivers is currently on tour promoting their self-titled LP produced by Robert Ellis. Fitzgerald said the group is especially excited to be promoting this new album because he feels it really captures the spirit of the band.
“Before, we were struggling to try and capture that element of live sound, which is our strongest weapon,” Fitzgerald said. “In this one, Robert put forth a lot of time and effort into making the album feel like a concert. There was lots of work put into the songwriting, and we are really proud of it.”
While the bluegrass sound may not normally appeal to every taste in music, the punk-infused hybrid “trash-grass” sound of the Whiskey Shivers, in combination with the famous Austin vibe, come together to create a fun sound in the newest album.
“We’re all here to have a good time,” Fitzgerald said. “We draw off the energy in the room onstage, and at the end of the day, we just love to get up there and play with each other. It’s why we do what we do.”
Fitzgerald said in the future, the band is looking to recording a more traditional album but, for now, they are just excited for the opportunity to play in Oxford.
“Everyone here is so supportive. There’s a lot of encouragement that you don’t find in a lot of other towns. It’s a great crowd,” Fitzgerald said. “And, you know, it might be a nice place to set up a cell for our little cult of Austin.”
