Although most American rock fans had not heard of them until recently, Shotgun Messiah are definitely not a band you'd label rookies. Formed in '86, Shotgun Messiah were originally known as Kingpin, the Swedish outfit that was supposed to replace Hanoi Rocks as the king of sleazy, trashy rock'n'roll. Kingpin fared quite well overseas, especially in their native home of Sweden, where they had a Number One single, "Shout It Out". But they never broke in the U.S. Instead of getting frustrated, vocalist Zinny J. San came to America to shop the Kingpin album 'Welcomto Bop City' as a"vinyl demo". Sure enough, it got label interest. Then the boys found out that a group from San Fransisco already had the legal rights to the name Kingpin. Hence, Shotgun Messiah was born.

San (who once fronted another killer Swedish group, Easy Action), guitarist extraordinaire Harry K. Cody, bassist Tim Tim and drummer Stixx Galore are currently on a nationwide club tour and show no signs of slowing down - except maybe to record another Shotgun Messiah album. No matter what name they're going under, these four Swedes are definitely an act to keep a close eye on.

D.J.