You ought to meet The Harpoonist. Known to family, friends and hardcore fans as Shawn Hall. A harpoon/harmonica/harp virtuoso with a couple of decades in the hardcore, blues-based rock and roll trenches. D’you remember The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, Shawn’s duo with Matt Rogers for 17 blistering years at festivals and concert halls and clubs large and small, grungy and almost clean?

Well, Hall’s turned a new leaf.  Harpoonist — Hall’s non-de-plume and the name of the band — is something else again. New songs. New record. New gritty, tough-assed swamp music with edge and off-the-wall lyrics. More importantly, new musical partner-in-crime Big Sugar’s Gordie Johnson. Harpoonist (the band) is something else: Hall on harpoon, and vocals of course, and some keys. And Johnson, Big Sugar’s Texas-based producer, guitarist on nearly everything else. Plus, Hall’s pal Jonas Shandel, who also helped write the songs.

Harpoonist is ready. The made-in-Texas record is titled “Did We Come Here to Dance”, was released on Nov 8, 2024. It has been nominated for Best Video at the WCMA in 2025 as well as the Leo Awards in BC.

Oh, and you almost certainly will dance. Promise.