Band Bio

Four men standing together outdoors at night, some with raised hands, dressed in casual and winter clothing, with bright lights in the background.

The Unlucky Shots are a rock and roll band from Northampton, Mass. Our music grows from a mix of genres such as Indie Rock, Pop, and Americana and influences including the Paul’s (Simon and McCartney), Neil Young, Tom Petty, and Blitzen Trapper.

The Unlucky Shots are:

Noam Schatz: songwriting, lead vocals, and rhythm guitar.

Anand Nayak: lead guitar and harmony vocals

Mike Benoit: Drums

Jim Bliss: Bass

Side profile of a man with a red beard wearing sunglasses, a trucker hat, and a blue shirt, standing outdoors among trees and foliage on a sunny day.

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.

A man wearing a white t-shirt and a light-colored hat playing a drum set on stage, with a black background and stage lighting.

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.

Learn more about the Songwriting Game