Sullen

Sullen was a twin-guitar outfit out of St. Louis led by the dueling instruments and vocals of Justin Slazinik and Shanna Kiel. Friends since high school, Slazinik and Kiel began playing live in 1999, featuring a Spinal Tap-like revolving door of drummers and bass players. Gigging in St. Louis and throughout the Midwest, the band self-released two cassette singles before recording a ten-song demo and, later, another five-song demo. The grimy, overdriven punk of Nirvana's early work was a notable influence, but mostly Kiel and Slazinik blasted out wobbling bursts of Midwestern rock that suggested Sonic Youth's early forays into traditional song structure, albeit without the overriding twist of the avant-garde. In May 2003, Sullen's debut full-length was released by Chicago indie Thick. Paint the Moon showed off Sullen's road-hardened prowess in the harmony department and concentrated on the quiet/loud dynamic between the two vocalists. It included Scott Freeman on drums and Tommy Schmitz on bass, and alternated re-recorded versions of older demo tracks with new material.