Living the dream: Members bring life experiences to band

View larger image Ian Moon, left, and Gary Denick are members of Shortness of Breath, a rock band in Front Royal that recently released its second CD, “Dirty Job.” Shortness of Breath Shortness of Breath will play on Sunday at Cristina's Cafe, at 219 W. King St. in Strasburg, and on April 9 at The Lucky Star Lounge, at 205 E. Main St. in Front Royal. The band will also close the 25th Annual Virginia Wine and Craft Festival on May 21 in Front Royal. Their CDs are available at performances or through their website, www.ThisSOBRocks.com. Recommend This Print This Get E-mail News Alerts Buy Photos/Page Reprints * Breaking News If local news is breaking and you know about it: * Call Us: 800-296-5137 * E-mail Us * Upload Your Photos View larger image The band’s latest CD, released in February, is called “Dirty Job.” Rich Cooley/Daily

By Josette Keelor-jkeelor@nvdaily.com

FRONT ROYAL - When they began following their rock 'n' roll dreams many years ago, the members of Shortness of Breath never imagined which directions their lives would take. Only in their teens and 20s at the time, they had dreams of stardom, but soon other life responsibilities took priority.

It wasn't until a few years ago that they began pursuing their musical aspirations again.
Having recently welcomed their second CD, "Dirty Job," the three rockers are happy with how the last few years have turned out.

"I think when you're writing songs, you're writing songs where you're at at that time [in your life]," says lead singer, Ian Moon, 50. "They're not the happiest songs."

That's not to say they don't do happy.

"I like to call it dark blues rock," Moon says. "We try to stick with formulas that will go over well [with audiences]."

"Inspiration can come from a bunch of different things," says Gary Denick, 59. His song "Last Dollar" was inspired by economic troubles.

"The night I wrecked my daddy's car," is another event he says inspired a song.
Moon wrote nine of the songs on the new CD, which came out in February. Denick, a guitarist, bassist and vocalist, wrote three.

"I don't know that the song-writing process has changed much [since the first CD]," Denick says.

They put a lot of thought into the songs, he says. They have fun with the songs and want the audience to have fun too.

"We take a lot of pride in our stage act," Moon says. "We're workin' up songs that we think will work in that [environment.]"

They perform mostly at local venues -- in particular the Horseshoe Curve Restaurant in Pine Grove, The Lucky Star Lounge in Front Royal and Cristina's Cafe in Strasburg.
They've tried to branch out geographically. Still, they prefer the valley, and the valley, it seems, prefers them.

Loyal fans show up to see them each time they play the same location, evidenced by the crowd of regulars that turned up at the Horseshoe Curve for the band's CD release party on Feb. 4.

"Our ultimate goal is just to have fun," says Moon, a software developer. Denick, who's retired from the U.S. House of Representatives, where he worked for the house recording studio, and third band member, drummer and vocalist Tedd Steele, 49, a network engineer for Dulles Airport, share a similar past with Moon. All were in former bands in their youth. Each pushed music to the side, pursuing their craft as more of a hobby, as family matters took the reins in their lives.

Then, a few years ago, Moon, now an empty-nester, decided to start a band. Steele and Denick were the only percussionist and bassist to answer his newspaper ad.

"It felt right from the get-go," Moon says.

Having been through the CD-writing experience once already, the band members felt secure taking on more of the roles for the second time around, designing the cover art, recording the music and producing the CD themselves.

They used National Media in Front Royal to print the CD, though the first time they did everything in reverse -- printing the CD themselves, but relying on Dove Studios in Culpeper to record the music and produce the record.

"It's a local product," Moon says of the new CD.

The name Shortness of Breath means a lot of things to them, the three say, but, perhaps most satisfying is how it describes their physical response to playing.

"The reality is, it's how I feel every night, at the end of the gig," Moon says.

They might not be able to rock into the early morning hours, he says, but they put everything they've got into each performance.

"A five-hour energy drink will only get you so far," Denick says. The band tries to start playing around 9-9:30 in the evening, so they can finish around midnight.

"We try to start a little bit later so we can actually make it through the evening," Moon says.
If fans are confused by the band's name or sense of humor, they certainly don't let their opinions cloud their appreciation for the music.

"We're really one of the most entertaining live acts in the valley," Moon says. "All the local musicians show up, which is great. We love it when the local musicians show up. Nothing better than playing for your peers."

"That's the great thing," he says. "That's kind of kept us from branching out too much."
Denick agrees: "It's kind of a fraternity."

They play a mix of their own music and covers of hits, mainly from the '90s, on, like Kings of Leon.

"We've even played country music venues," Moon says, but he stresses that rock is at their core. "It's gonna sound like a rock band playing a country song."

Though Moon and Denick write the songs, they credit Steele with the band's sound.
"Really it's the drums that make a rock band a rock band," Moon says. "He's one of the reasons we're getting to where we're getting to, because of him."

Of course, their audience also makes a difference.

One song they adopted as a mainstay is "Rocky Top," which they played first for a birthday party for a fan from Tennessee.

"It's out of our genre," Moon says, but it went over so well, they've played it at every gig since.

"It's good, inexpensive fun," says Moon. "That's how we see it, it just a bunch of folks coming together and having a good time."