"I want people to come and see a rock & roll show", says harry K. Cody of the Swedish hard-rock outfit Shotgun Messiah. "I don't want to bore them to tears with guitar histrionics."
Strange words from a guitarist who is inventive and articulate enough to invite comparison to Eddie Van Halen. "I'm not an aspiring guitar hero," Cody says. "I was always into songs, the guitar playing is the icing on the cake."

Originally named Kingpin, the group was formed in 1984, with Cody, bassist Tim Tim and drummer Stixx Galore; vocalist Zinny J. San completed the lineup in 1986. Anxious to escape the stagnant music scene in Sweden, Kingpin sent San and Stixx to Los Angeles with copies of the band's Swedish debut album.
"The guy Zinny was living with was working in Relativity Records' warehouse," says Cody. "He just brought the tape to work and his boss heard it. So he flew out to Sweden to meet us."

The band's move to America wasn't as idyllic. Cody and Tim had problems getting visas and the band discovered that a San Fransisco group already had a copyright on the name Kingpin.
Changing its name to Shotgun Messiah, the group released a remixed and repackaged version of the Swedish album on Relativity.

Shotgun Messiah still has obstacles to overcome. Because the band's songs employ elements from a wide array of musical styles - including rap and classical - they don't go easily within the conservative confines of rock radio. And there's Cody's reluctance to be a guitar hero: He refuses to perform "The Explorer", his showpiece instrumental in concert.
"Every night people come up to me," Cody says, "and say: Why don't you play "The Explorer"?" But what's Zinny gonna do? Is he gonna play the tambourine in the background?

Kim Neely