SONIC OC: Find Out What Local Rockers 'The Shys' Have Been up to

EDITOR'S NOTE: May 1 in our Sonic OC feature (back when it was still Sonic San Clemente), we posed the question Here's the answer.

For over two years, one of San Clemente’s most successful and loved rock bands have been separated and pursuing new musical and entrepreneurial directions.

Many people in San Clemente have fond memories of seeing The Shys perform, and some may even remember them back in the days of The Gun Shys. They performed at places like The Street Fiesta, , , and vacant houses in Forster Ranch.  

A lot of locals feel a sense of pride in knowing that such a talented group of local musicians were a raw and pure product of San Clemente.

Today, The Shys are permanently separated and have no plans for future performances or a reunion. All members say they are still good friends, and some still perform and write music with each other regularly.  

The R&B Brotherhood is a post-Shys project which encompasses a nostalgic sound of oldies and Motown hits. The Brotherhood gets together about once every six months, and the best chances of seeing them would be if you stumble into The Shys' favorite local bar, Molly Blooms, around the holidays, or book them for a private event. The Brotherhood has been in existence for roughly a year, and local members are Alex Kweskin, Riley Stephenson, Chris Wolf (all from The Shys) and Kelly Winrich of the Delta Spirit.

Wolf said The R&B brotherhood is just a fun, side project that scarcely plays because the members are focused on higher priority projects.

Wulff and The Shys' drummer Tony Cupito are currently working on a project called The Get Back Sons. The two have been diligently working in Los Angeles with an acclaimed producer by the name of Matt Squire. Squire has experience working with acts like Katy Perry, Fall Out Boy, Panic At The Disco, and The Used.

Wulff and Cupito say their new project is unlike anything they have done before.

“Were kinda' getting out of our comfort zone with The Get Back Sons,” Cupito said.

He also added that people should be on the lookout for shows in late June and early July.

Wulff is also working on an electronic project called Collection with a friend named Ben Adams. Wulff said Collection is reminiscent of indie pop rock bands like MGMT and Passion Pit.  

As for keyboardist Stephenson, he is currently working in the financial analyst business with his father and plays keys in the R&B Brotherhood when they get together.

The Shys front man Kyle Krone has recorded a promising sound on a new solo album entitled “For Those Who Think Young” and is spending lots of time with his family. Krone has been promoting the album online. He said it focuses on the youthful exuberance that attracted him to music in the first place. An exact release date for the album has not been publicized, but Krone hopes to be performing his latest tunes sometime this summer.

Kweskin has been touring across Europe for roughly 22 months with singer-songwriter Robert Francis. Francis is a musician from Los Angeles who has experienced celebrity status in Europe, especially in France.

“It was completely insane, there were lots of ups and downs” Kweskin said.

He also commented about how fortunate he felt to get paid to see nearly all of western Europe. 

Kweskin is also a bit of an entrepreneur; he’s ventured into the L.A gourmet food cart craze. He has lifted a friends hot dog cart from it’s purgatory and now calls it Big Ed’s Gourmet Hot Dogs in honor of his dad, a huge hot dog enthusiast.

Big Ed’s operates in Los Angeles at various events, like children’s diabetes events and VH1 save the music. Big Ed’s also made an appearance at the San Clemente Street Fiesta last year and plans to be there this year as well. Kweskin’s gourmet hot dog cart is available to work private events.

Kweskin is also going to school. He plans to either attend California State University Los Angles or UCLA.

Even though The Shys have broken up, their music has been more successful than ever. Call In The Calvery from the “Astoria” album was recently picked up by the LaBatt Brewing company of Ontario Canada for several commercial and radio campaigns. Call In The Calvery has also seen success on TV shows like Newport Harbor and several motion pictures.

“It’s cool because Call In The Calvery was recorded back in 2005, and now it shows there is still a life to the band,” Wulff said. 

The latest work from The Shys is a six-track EP released in November of last year on iTunes. The EP was partially recorded by Jourdan Tag, a professional recording engineer and musician who resides in San Clemente. 

Many San Clemente locals must miss The Shys on some level. Their albums are stashed in many locals' CD collections, and there was a time when you could hear their tunes on blasting from iPods and car stereos on the way to the beach. 

As of now, however, members say there are no plans to reunite.

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