Following up on Cuban musicians outside of Cuba is always very uplifting. The Cuban people have been forced to abandon their roots by the impoverishing totalitarian system that has ruled the island since 1959, and rock and metal musicians have been no exception. Lusmani Vivas “Luz” was the bassist and singer of the Pinar del Rio punk band ALBATROSS and this time we see him playing drums for the other punkies, in Kentucky, USA. Let us know a little about his career before SHOCK PROBATION:

“… In Cuba, I was part of ALBATROSS since 1995, a band where we dabbled in different styles until ending in punk. In 2004, when I came to live in the USA, I focused on leading my life forward in a completely different environment for me and my family. Of course, I built a place in my yard to have my drums and bass equipment in case an opportunity arose. I met some friends related to the punk and metal scene in the city and even rehearsed with some without reaching anything concrete. In 2014 I saw an ad looking for a drummer, and the band, THE JEREACTORS, got together. Jimmy was the guitarist, Lester the bassist, and Leroy was the singer. Around 2016, we recorded some songs and performed at many concerts through those years until 2017, when the bassist decided to leave the band. We all left on good terms and agreed to end what had been THE JEREACTORS…”

“… After this, I did not see Jimmy for a while and I dedicated myself to play with my children and formed our family band called Vivas Band, the pride of every father, lol. After several months of contacting Jimmy, we met and began to work with different melodies until we contacted Leroy who helped with Mark. This lineup has been solid and good progress will soon arrive. Leroy came up with the name SHOCK PROBATION for the band…”

It is also awesome to have Leroy Spectre (the main singer) commenting about his upbringing and also having some impressions of the early stages: “… Music has been a big part of my life for most of my life. I've played in many bands, but very few of them lasted past the first show. I was briefly in another band with Jimmy and Luz years ago. When that band broke up Jimmy and Luz started jamming together again and asked me to join them. A little after that, Mark asked me to start a band with him. I told him I knew a couple of guys, so he came on and from there, we started working on our sound. We formed sometime around the summer of 2023…”

SHOCK PROBATION is a relatively recent-formed or a new band although its members are experienced or have gray hair. I can state that they are rehearsing and polishing new songs, even on their YouTube channel you can find a live stream, recorded in the rehearsal room with a sample of what they are doing. But let's read from Leroy about what they are doing in terms of songwriting and recording these days: “… We are working on some demo recordings. We want to be able to afford to play in different places and release albums. There are also a lot of bands we want to do shows with. After that, who knows? I want to see how far we can go…”

Punk music is the closest sonic entity to freedom. It is unrestrained, and this is very attractive since the moment the first riffs sound, and the anarchy begins to flow. I am very attracted to the message of these rebel acts because it is a core element of irreverence. Leroy tells us what SHOCK PROBATION's message means to him and how it is conceived: “…I think lyrically, we are all over the place. We can have serious lyrics or some that are not as serious. We just write what we feel like writing about so that we do not limit ourselves. Punk is the genre that most resonates with me. To me, punk can convey any type of emotion you are feeling. In Louisville, KY, the younger crowd seems to be supportive. It is harder to get the older crowd to come out…”

Scriptorium magazine is always looking for new and fresh acts to put them in the spotlight. It has been a great experience to know a little more about this band. I hope you enjoyed it and go check them out on Facebook and their YouTube channel. Before you close the page, I would like to leave you with Leroy to let you know what they have in mind for the not-so-distant future: “… We are trying to book more shows while we make more recordings and try to write new songs. Thanks for giving us a shot. We have more stuff coming in the coming year. Leroy Spectre (lead vocals), Jimmy Diaz (guitar and backing vocals), Mark Stamp (bass and backing vocals) and Luz Vivas (drums and backing vocals)…”