A brief history
D.D.Shock is a rock and roll band from the New Orleans metro area featuring Danielle Crider (vocal), Neil Heusel (bass), Emmett Mayer (guitar), and Beau Blalock (drums).
Neil Heusel, Emmett Mayer, Danielle Crider, and Beau Blalock
The band formed in 2016 after a song writing project that Neil and Emmett were in had run it's course. The two decided that they would start a new rock band because they wanted to rock.
Neil, who has been in many NOLA bands, got down to the business of finding a singer. He quickly recruited former Summerfly vocalist Danielle, who had played with Neil before in a band called D.D. and the Shockers.
Emmett then found former Bone Dry drummer Rich Gossen in the break room at the tech company they both were working for at the time.
After some time in the practice room, the new band had assembled a group of original songs and some covers that they would interpret in their own way. After the usual "what should we call ourselves?" debate, a name with a nod to the former incarnation was chosen. D.D.Shock barely beat out the runner up, The Rich Neil Band.
D.D.Shock with Rich Gossen on drums at the Portside Lounge in NOLA on Aug. 12, 2017.
Photo by Allen Boudreaux
In 2017 they went into Emmett's former RetroElectro bandmate Hugo Miranda's studio. The band recorded a new original song and two covers that would be released as the Cataclysmic EP.
The band started playing shows around the area, sharing the stage with a number of local acts such as Remedy, Ginger and the Bee, Arn Mait'n (a Bluegrass Tribute to Iron Maiden), and Taylor Phelan who was fresh off NBC TV's The Voice.
In early 2018, drummer Rich decided he needed a break from the rock and roll lifestyle. The band wished him well and started an immediate search for a new skins basher.
Drummer Beau Blalock answered the call and the band soon started playing shows again, appearing with East Bridge Junction, Jamie Lynn Vessels, leafdrinker, Da Screech and other great local acts. The band also began playing public events such as the Academy of Our Lady Fall Fest, the GRB Children's Cancer Awareness Benefit, and Cruising' The Coast.
D.D.Shock during the recording sessions at OCD for numb&normal.
In 2019 the band decided to work with producer Duane Simoneaux and head into OCD Recording and Production Studios to start work on an album. The band played only one show during the 2020 lockdown era but spent most of the time working on the record. Released Oct. 5, 2021, numb&normal is a perfect encapsulation of what D.D.Shock is all about.
In late 2021 D.D.Shock welcomed drummer Jimmy Rhodes into the band as Beau Blalock announced he was stepping down to pursue career interests a couple of states over. We wished Beau well and then started rehearsing with our new lineup.
In 2022 after some discussion, the members of D.D.Shock decided to put the band on hiatus after a six-year run that produced three singles and an album. Some members decided to take some time off from music while others started new projects. Beau Blalock joined Alabama-based Wolfy Grin and Emmett Mayer started Sinners Revival.
In 2024 the classic D.D.Shock lineup of Danielle, Neil, Emmett, and Beau plus new member guitarist Kevin Caliva announced they would play a couple of reunion shows.
