EDITOR'S NOTE: See, the thing is, drummer Geoff Reading - yes, of the band New American Shame - kinda sorta writes for the Volcano's Website on a regular basis. Like, he has a weekly column. With New American Shame set to reunite Sunday at Hell's Kitchen as part of the Nashville Pussy show, we called on Geoff to contribute this week's music feature, knowing damn well this would require the kind of substantial full disclosure you're reading. I mean, he's the fucking drummer. Objectivity is out the door. After about six seconds of contemplation, we said, "Screw it - let's go for it. It'll probably be fun." So there you have it.

Let's start with the backstory. The really important part of the backstory. Unlike most bands of the era, New American Shame was not dropped from its Lava/Atlantic record deal. In 2001, the band walked away. We were paid handsomely to do so. That was really the point. In the short two and a half years New American Shame existed, the band was nothing if not polarizing. Seattle's hipster press HATED us. Everyone else, it seemed, loved us.  

Jimmy Paulson (playing in The Jet City Fix) ran into Terry T (aka Terry Bratsch) at the recent Steal Panther show. Jet City Fix was opening. The two former bandmates wondered how hard it might be to get New American Shame ready to play similar gigs. That was the beginning. 

Paulson recalls the meeting: "Jet City Fix was getting all these killer support slots because a) they're a great band, but also because they were sorta the only go-to rock opener game in town. I said to Terry, ‘Why couldn't we get the Shame some of these dates? Nothing drastic. Just get the set up and tight so we'd be at least available if something came up.' It was kind of a no-brainer." 

Though he was part of the conversation that sparked New American Shame's revival, Terry has since had the good sense to steer clear of this whole "We're getting the band back together" nonsense. He'll be replaced by the venerable Marty Chandler, who also wields and axe these days for the Supersuckers.

We all have mortgages now. All except Paulson are married. Johnny Reidt and I have children. But somehow, just in the last month or so, the fog that had settled over the New American Shame landscape has burned off. 

Motives vary.  

Johnny wants his kid to get to see him throw down a rock show. 

"You know, for about ten minutes there the people who decide which bands are worthy of a multi-million dollar investment, which bands are going to leave a real mark, make a real statement, said that my band was world class. I want my kid to see what all that expectation and excitement was about ... even if it's an older, less drunk version," laughs Jonny.

Kelly Wheeler, having put out a record of his own under the moniker Acid Angels, enjoys what he's doing now, but realizes it's nearly impossible to generate a real following without the illusive hype or buzz that seemed to come so easily for New American Shame. 

"No, no, don't get me wrong, I love playing my thing with the Angels, but the Shame can go out and get good shows without having to prove anything. And it's killer rock. Shit, why NOT do it?," he says. 

Paulson, the main non-stop guy-in-a-band around town, was always up for the idea, as long as it was done right - not half-assed or poorly planned.  

For all of us, this is the one that got away. We were young(er) and it was hard to have perspective at the time. We had a good thing going. We had backing, a following and talent. And we walked away. We were a force and we were SURE there would be another record deal. For some of us there was, but not for New American Shame. 

It was 1999. No MySpace. No Facebook. No YouTube. No texting. We were lucky. Back then, you didn't look out and see cell phones recording the show. That'll be a new one for this band.  

In a room together 10 years later, the groove was immediate. Like no time had been lost. With kids and wives comes a deeper understanding of the word team. Maybe for the first time, we're all on the same team. This show will hopefully be the prototype of many. We just want to play.

New American Shame began at a time of rap-rock and post-post-grunge. The music is a throwback to a time when girls, cars, beer and parties were all you really had to worry about. It seemed to resonate with a lot of people, and, at the time, only Buckcherry and New American Shame were doing it. This band plays simple music at deafening volumes, which is a style starting to show its face in the music world again. We like to look at the success of Buckcherry's return as a sign we should do just fine with old fans and new.  

Come down on Sunday and you'll see five guys that REALLY like what they're doing. And four guys who really missed rocking out with each other.

You won‘t be alone. Thanks to Facebook we can tell there are 200 pre-sales.

New American Shame

With Nashville Pussy, Civet, Fall From Grace, Mahnhammer
Sunday, Nov. 7, 8 p.m., $8 advance at Ticketweb.com
Hell's Kitchen, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma
253.759.6003