Old friends, new sound, different name for Bangor power trio One Shot Nothing

What’s in a name? Well, lots, though Justin Chamberlain from the Bangor-based band One Shot Nothing could tell you that.

I last wrote about guitarist-vocalist Chamberlain and bassist Brendon Bouchard nearly three years ago, when they were one-half of the Ellsworth-based band Entropy, fresh out of high school. Shortly after that story ran, they changed their name to Panic Test. Last year, they settled on the name One Shot Nothing, a name that they’re pretty sure is going to stick — and they added drummer Nate Hart.

“It’s not the same band. Brendon may be my lifelong best friend and we’ve been playing music together since we were really young, but it’s not the same band,” said Chamberlain, now 22. “I was pretty naive. I didn’t pay attention to music other than what I knew I liked. That was all I cared about. I’ve learned so much.”

Where Entropy traded in classic rock-style loudness — they loved them some AC/DC — One Shot Nothing is more mature, more dynamic, and a lot more prolific. Though Chamberlain still professes his love for the Foo Fighters and the work of Dave Grohl in general, he and his bandmates have added much more to their musical purview.

“I started going backwards. You listen to Nirvana, you have to listen to hardcore and older punk. I still love Led Zeppelin, so of course I’ll listen to Queens of the Stone Age,” said Chamberlain. “It all starts to connect. Nate has always been really encouraging of me, too. He really pushed me to be the lead singer and write my own material after Panic Test ended.”

The band has already released one EP, “On & On,” which came out in August of this year and was recorded by Hart and Chamberlain and a few friends in their Bangor apartment. It’s accessible but heavy rock, with an appeal for those who like the Kings of Leon, the Killers, or, yes, the Foo Fighters. They’re also exploring the appeal of being a power trio, with all the raw energy that entails.

The trio are getting ready to record a new album in early 2014; a Kickstarter campaign to fund the recording of it is planned for the coming weeks. Chamberlain said his band is already pushing forward into new directions, into some more electronic-pop influenced alternative like Imagine Dragons, just four months after they put out the last album.

“We’re already headed in a new direction,” he said. “It’s hard to slow down once you’ve started. We don’t want to have just one sound.”

One Shot Nothing will play an acoustic show at the Big Easy at the Charles Inn on Friday, Nov. 22.

Emily Burnham

About Emily Burnham

Emily Burnham is a Maine native, UMaine graduate, proud Bangorian and a writer for the Bangor Daily News, where she's worked since 2004. She reports on everything from local bands to local food to all the cool things going on in the Greater Bangor area. In her quest for stories, she's seen countless concerts and plays, been lobster fishing, interviewed celebrities, hung out with water buffalo and played in a ukulele orchestra. She's interested in everything that happens in Maine.