Half Shaved Yak

½ Shaved Yak

pat bass
travis drums
mike guitar, vocals

For Yak booking, knowledge, tickets, all-around good times contact Mike Fox mike@halfshavedyak.com, or 203.444.8201

"It's kind of appropriate that a band as mind-rapingly weird as Half Shaved Yak would come from a town named Killingworth. They remind me of Adam Sandler's character in Punch Drunk Love. They're all funny-ha-ha-look-at-me one second, and the next they're stabbing you in the chest. I saw them perform at Toad's Place in New Haven last Thursday as part of a local music bill. In fact, for the rest of the month, Toad's Place has two weekly local music showcases: hip-hop on Wednesday nights, and local rock on Thursdays. If you can get a hold of a pass from one of the performers, you'll get reduced admission and sometimes a free drink.

The Yak is one of those Connecticut bands who doesn't just have their own niche — they have their own canyon. Not just because of their style of drug-addled avant-art-metal, but because year in and year out, they keep gigging, writing new material, and putting out their own "albums," the latter of which perennially sport covers that look like they were made in MS Paint and sound recorded in a garage. The fact that they've been doing it since at least 2002 is its own fuck-you of sorts. The rest of the world be damned; care or not, you're getting another song with a title like "Dump Run Doodles Magee" or "Robosexual" or "DMT Saved My Life." One gets the impression that they will continue burrowing determinedly downward until they reach China, Godzilla, or the drug horde to end all drug hordes.

And I suppose that it's that maniacal, quasi-obsessive, possibly unhinged energy that makes Half Shaved Yak so compelling on stage. Instead of aiming for the machine-perfect precision and technical coordination that mark so much of today's metal, they actually want to sound like people playing their instruments. It's more important for them to attempt a demanding but extraterrestrial guitar noise, and only nail it three out of four times, than it is for them to lock every nut and bolt down tightly. Some of their songs are too long — another indication that they may not give a damn about who's listening — but at least they have the occasional recurring theme or riff to keep them grounded in metal tradition (as opposed to wandering off toward Progsville).."
- The Hartford Advocate, 11.12.2010

"½ Shaved Yak Rock. And they look good doing it. It’s hard to put into words just how much they rock. To put into perspective, this Killingworth, CT trio have been playing together in one form or another for MANY YEARS. Like a fine wine or bad cheese, they only get better with time. After a long pause of no shows, ½ Shaved Yak has returned to Rock! local musical establishments. But if nothing is scheduled, they are also available for the obligatory birthday, wedding, briss, pool party. ½ Shaved Yak has recently been considering to record a new album, but due to laziness and a concern of making such a rocking album we put all other metal bands out of business, it is still in thinking stage. ½ Shaved Yak also firmly believes in T&A. Sometimes we just amaze ourselves with how much we rock."
- Someone better than Mike Fox, years ago

"The surprise of the evening came from a Killingworth band called Half Shaved Yak . Despite their Ren-and-Stimpy-flavored name, they played excellent (and rather rigorous) alt-metal. They came off like a slightly less spastic Ed Gein with some big chunky Helmet riffs thrown in now and again. It’s good to know some people out there are still trying to innovate." - The Hartford Advocate, yearser ago