midwestern working-class music

shugE is a force of nature from Minneapolis (Minnesota) who writes songs and cuts his heart out & leaves it on stages in front of audiences.

shugE played shows, released a bunch of solo albums from 2004-20013, & toured the country as a solo artist sharing stages with touring friends including Screaming Females, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Neutral Milk Hotel, Pat the Bunny (Johnny Hobo & the Freight Trains, Wingnut Dishwashers Union, & Ramshackle Glory all at different times), & many other friends who would often host shows in their regions while shugE would always organize & perform at shows with them when they toured through Minnesota,....mixed in with that was his time as the front person of the band Hayduke Lives! (putting out one album and touring the country in 2008)-- followed by a handful of years as the front person for SORRY OK (releasing two albums & touring the country twice & while running the Minneapolis DIY record label Anti-Civ Records from 2005 until 2013)....then shugE hung up the guitar in 2013 to fight personal legal battles (a long long custody battle for his son).

shugE played his first show out of hiatus in July of 2016, but still never really returned to regular performing....until 2022.

During the COVID pandemic shugE prepared to really return to the stage, took the leap & performed in public on May Day of 2022 for the first time in over four years (& after only a small handful of random performances in over a decade), & is not looking back.

As part of shugE’s 2022 “comeback”, the latest solo album “first winter” finally got a proper release & is stream-able on all major streaming platforms.

Since then a new 6-song live EP, “I’ll be in love with you until the day I die” was released last year (4/13/23).

After releasing “I’ll be in love with you until the day I die”, shugE started assembling a new band for the first time since before hiatus… first recruiting Mike Watson who shugE had been playing music with off & on since 2004. ShugE & Mike were soon joined by Rio Mississippi (shugE’s son) on drums & recorded a new album of songs written by shugE.

In February of 2024 released a new full-length album “DARK WINTER” as the culmination of songs he had been working on ever since going on his far too long hiatus.

After releasing DARK WINTER & touring some, the band recruited a bass player & got to work on the next album.

ShugE & the bandmates hunkered down for many sessions in a recoring studio during 2024 & 2025, resulting in what we like to refer to as our
“Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” in our newest full length album:
“I pick flowers in the spring & light fires in the fall”.

“I pick flowers in the spring & light fires in the fall” will be fully released on October 1st, 2025, with a release show in Minneapolis on October 25th. Several songs have been released as “advance singles” on all streaming services.

…enjoy, & we’ll see you at the shows!