The Scowl/Militarie Gun Tour Is The Future That Was Promised

Ian Shelton was hurting. When Militarie Gun rolled through Richmond last month, Shelton’s bark sounded as commanding as ever, but he visibly struggled to summon that bark. After Dazy’s James Goodson finished singing “Pressure Cooker” with Militarie Gun, he let the crowd know that we needed to help Ian get through the set. It made me wonder how often that happens. I’ve talked to professional singers who constantly go to doctors, who take voice lessons, who trade tea concoctions and take care to rest their voice whenever possible. Maybe some hardcore singers work that hard to care for their voices, but I’m guessing that most don’t. I’ve met Ian once or twice, and he doesn’t strike me as a guy who does vocal exercises. He screams more than he sings, and when his voice isn’t acting right, he has to scream that much harder.