Band Bio
The Unlucky Shots are a band from Western Massachusetts built around the songwriting of Noam Schatz, a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has written a new song every two weeks since 2016. Melodic, thoughtful rock rooted in classic songcraft, the music is catchy and tuneful, yet the lyrics point to deeper meanings and feelings.
Line Up (2026) is a four-song EP about late night conversations, conflicts, and the disciplined, sometimes obsessive craft of chasing something that can never be caught.
The debut LP, Count to Nothing (2023) and the Hunter’s Heart EP (2024), reflect the mysteries of the everyday human situation. The follow-up LP, Second Tongue (2025), focuses on the interplay and communal effort of the live band, featuring tightly arranged songs that span a lifetime. It traces the voyage we all make, from first departure to final arrival.
The Unlucky Shots live band features Western Massachusetts veteran musicians Anand Nayak (Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem), Jim Bliss (Stella Kola, APIE, Wet Tuna), and Mike Benoit (The True Believers, Rosie Porter and the Neon Moons).
The Unlucky Shots™ are:
Noam Schatz: songwriting, lead vocals, rhythm guitar.
Anand Nayak: lead guitar, harmony vocals
Mike Benoit: Drums
Jim Bliss: Bass
About Me
My name is Noam Schatz.
I first fell in love with music in the back of my father’s car, listening to cassette tapes of classics like Bill Withers, CSNY, and the Beatles.
I picked up drums at nine and began to understand my place in the world by mercilessly beating things with sticks.
I started bands in High School, taught myself guitar, played music with my best friends, began writing songs.
Went to Wesleyan to study music. I played West African drums with Abraham Adzenyah and New Music with Anthony Braxton. Many hours of devoted practice; Highlife, Hip Hop, Rock, and Jazz. It was there that we formed Mobius Band.
After we graduated, my comrades in Mobius Band and I decided to move to Western Mass and take a stab at the impossible music business. We went up. we went down, we went sideways.
Spent my thirties being a dad and playing in a variety of Western Mass bands. Got into circuit bending, learned the names of 1000 wild mushrooms, and ran a couple marathons before picking up the idea of songwriting again.
Since 2016, every two weeks, without exception, I have written and recorded a new song, over 200 and counting.