AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Coyote Shivers

Artist:Coyote Shivers 

Song:Sugarhigh

Album:Empire Records: The Soundtrack

The 1995 film Empire Records bombed at the box office. But the soundtrack album was a big seller. This is not unheard of. For example, the 1993 film Judgement Day bombed but the soundtrack was certified Gold. This song Sugarhigh was performed at the end of Empire Records. It is the only notable recording for Francis "Coyote" Shivers. He was born Sept. 24, 1965 in Toronto. He started out producing the Canadian band Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. Their song Having an Average Weekend was the theme for the TV series The Kids in the Hall. He produced that band's first two albums. He played guitar in the instrumental rock band Sharkskin. They released three EPs. Then he moved to Los Angeles with famed producer Daniel Lanois. He also made stops in Amsterdam and New York City as guitarist for The Dave Rave Conspiracy. He returned to Toronto to appear in the 1995 film Johnny Mnemonic starring Keanu Reeves. The film was shot in Toronto. Then he got the role Berko in Empire Records. At the time Shivers was married to Bebe Buell and her daughter Liv Tyler appeared in Empire Records. The film was written by Carol Heikkinen based on her high school days working at Tower Records in Phoenix. It was also inspired by the 1976 film Car Wash. Everything in the film happens in one day. The script was given to producer Alan Riche who attended the same high school as Carol. They sold it to Regency Enterprises president Michael Nathanson and Pump Up the Volume director Allan Moyle. The film stars were Anthony LaPaglia, Maxwell Caulfield and Ethan Embry. Most of the film was shot in Wilmington, NC. Empire Records was supposed to get a wide release. But after previews, it was reduced to a two week limited release. Regency and Warner Bros. cut the release to minimize their losses. It was also critically panned with a 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. For the most part, they loved the music and hated the film. The soundtrack album sold two million copies while the film cost $10M and grossed $303 thousand. So if you are a fan of 90s alternative music, the Empire Records soundtrack is worth getting. It's available on CD. Shivers performs Sugarhigh at the end of the film with Renee Zellweger. He wrote and produced the song with Daniel Lanois. Shivers has recorded a couple of albums and appeared in a few films. But Empire Records is the only memorable thing he has done. As sometimes happens with films that bomb, Empire Records has gained a cult following through home video and cable. Maybe it's not so bad. Maybe I'll watch it sometime. Here's Coyote Shivers with Renee Zellweger performing Sugarhigh in the film Empire Records. Renee does not appear on the soundtrack recording.