One of the legendary Portland bands of the 1980's is back on stage again after a 25 year break. Best known for their 1986 smash "I Can't Wait", NU SHOOZ were one of the hardest working bands in town back in the days when Portland's club scene had no equal anywhere in the world. 

NU SHOOZ was nominated for a "Best New Artist" Grammy in 1987, and earned a Gold record for the album "Poolside". Their signature hit “I Can’t Wait" still plays somewhere on Earth every eleven minutes and has been recorded or sampled by everyone from Vanessa Williams (Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’s “Happiness”), to the Mann and 50 Cent “Buzzin’ Remix.” The band was featured on MTV, VH1, and classic music shows like American Bandstand, Solid Gold, and the U.K.’s Top-of-the-Pops. They’ve toured with some of the biggest names in show business including Tina Turner, Billy Ocean, The Time, and the Pointer Sisters.

In the summer of 2013 NU SHOOZ was invited to be a part of the FREESTYLE EXPLOSION TOUR, along with other hit 80’s acts LISA LISA, EXPOSE’, STACEY Q, SHANNON, and PRETTY POISON. The tour was a tremendous success and brought the sounds of the 80’s to a whole new audience. This led to the reforming of the NU SHOOZ live band and 2014 shows that will feature songs from "Poolside", "Told U So", and the 2012 release "Kung Pao Chicken", a collection of unreleased studio recordings made during the late 80s and early 90s. 

The current group features eight NU SHOOZ alumni including band leader John Smith (guitar), Valerie Day (vocals and percussion), Gary Fountaine (bass), Johnny Riley (drums), Tracey Harris (vocals), Margaret Linn (vocals), Paul Mazzio (trumpet), and Tim Jensen (saxophone).

Day says, "We never thought we'd be doing this again and are so grateful to the people who kept the music alive all these years while John and I took time out to raise a son and work on other music projects. The 80s are definitely better the second time around!"