World Champ is a Sacramento-based indie rock power trio that blends heartfelt songwriting, fuzz-tinged groove, and rhythmic precision into a sound that’s equal parts restraint and release. It’s where The Police might jam with Death Cab for Cutie, only to slip into Modest Mouse dissonance and Spoon-like control.

At the center is Jay Shaner, a longtime fixture in Sacramento’s songwriter underground. With roots in Deluxe, Infinite Martini, and the earnest twang of Cowboy Killers, Jay’s guitar work is melodic and expressive — always in service of the story. His songs carry the weight of years, but never lose their tuneful edge.

On bass, Ron Melcer (Salt Wizard, The Neighbors, Rock Beats Scissors) channels the drive and harmonic tension of ‘90s college rock — his lines often acting as a second guitar. His playing is intuitive, textural, and loaded with intention — the glue between melody and rhythm.

Anthony Ordonez, who joined after the band’s founding, now anchors the trio on drums. A former member of Salt Wizard and E-Squared, Anthony brings a jazz-informed sense of time: hypnotic, well-metered, and subtle. He’s known for playing light but landing hard — a study in control until the moment calls for catharsis.

Dave Middleton, a founding member and veteran of Squish the Bad Man, Deluxe, and Cowboy Killers, helped shape the band’s early sound and spirit. A gifted producer and multi-instrumentalist, his influence is foundational — and his fingerprints remain on World Champ’s DNA even after stepping away from the drum kit.

World Champ is not a new band chasing the moment — it’s the slow collision of decades of Sacramento music history, friendships, and shared sonic vocabulary. The result is a band that plays like it means something — because it does.

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