John Shannon (musician)
| John Shannon (musician) | |
|---|---|
 John Shannon at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Pittsburgh |
| Genres | Songwriter |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | ObliqSound / Creek Valley |
| Website |
johnrivershannon |
| Members |
John Shannon Evan Pazner Caroline McMahon Tony Grey |
| Past members |
Dan Brantigan Garth Stevenson Ziv Ravitz Caroline McMahon |
John Shannon is an American folk and jazz guitarist and composer.
Early life and education
Shannon grew up in Pittsburgh. His adolescence was spent steeping in Pittsburgh’s underground music scene, where indie-rock house shows and jazz gigs influenced him as much as an American Indian survival school. He is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music[1] and currently resides in New York City.
Style
AllMusic has compared his style of folk/singer-songwriter music to both Tim Buckley and Nick Drake, stating, "his complex folk- and jazz-flavored melodies and lyrical acoustic guitar style, as well as his breathy vocal delivery, certainly sound heavily influenced by one or both."[2]
Works
Solo
John Shannon set his musical roots at Berklee College of Music in Boston with a project by the name of Waking Vision Trio. Shannon's first solo album, American Mystic, was released on April 29, 2008 on ObliqSound. AllMusic described the "minimalist voice and guitar" album as "primarily a mood piece, the sort of album one plays in close proximity to a warm bath and/or a pot of herbal tea, while letting Shannon's whispery voice and gently flowing guitar wash over unencumbered."[2] Fred Kraus of Minor 7th praised the album for its minimalist yet hypnotic sound, stating, "It's as if he's holding a stethoscope to the ground, channeling what he hears through eons of nature's voices, running it all through his heart, and then out through his fingers."
Songs of the Desert River, Shannon's second album for the Creek Valley imprint of ObliqSound, was released on June 14, 2011. The album was recorded in Paris and New York, and was backed by the band Wings of Sound, which features Dan Brantigan on flugelhorn, Garth Stevenson on acoustic bass, Ziv Ravitz on drums, and Caroline McMahon on backing vocals.[3] In his AllMusic review, Thom Jurek praised the way Wings of Sound subtly complimented Shannon, stating, "it is deceptively simple in its articulation of the profound, yet remains utterly mysterious; its abundant beauty resonates long after its final song echoes, then vanishes into the realm of silence"
Shannon's most recent album, Time Was a Lie, was released on October 30, 2012 on Creek Valley Records. Like Songs of the Desert River, the album was recorded in Paris and New York, and is Shannon's first album to include electric bass. The album features Evan Pazner on drums, Caroline McMahon on backing vocals and Tony Grey on electric bass. Regarding the album, David Kleiner of Minor 7th references how Shannon uses repetition in both sound and key lyrics to create a hypnotic effect, stating, "The songs' rhythms tend to stay constant while drawing in the listener, whether Shannon is picking the acoustic to create a tumbling waterfall repetition in tunes like 'Burning Embers' or strumming an unchanging rhythm as in 'City Lights.'"[4] The album also features a cover of Paul Simon's "Graceland."
Sideman work
Shannon is also known for his work as a sideman guitarist with artists such as pianist Hiromi Uehara, singer/songwriter James Maddock, saxophonist Bob Reynolds, singer/songwriter Sonya Kitchell and cellist/trombonist Dana Leong.
Discography
- Albums
- American Mystic (2008)
- Songs of the Desert River (2010)
- Time Was A Lie (2012)
Sideman discography
- Albums
- Words Came Back to Me Sonya Kitchell (HearMusic/Velour)
- Gary Go Gary Go (Decca/Polydor)
References
- ↑ Kraus, Fred. "John Shannon, "American Mystic"". Minor 7th.
- 1 2 Mason, Stewart. "John Shannon American Mystic". All Music.
- ↑ Jurek, Thom. "John Shannon Songs of the Desert River". All Music.
- ↑ Kleiner, David. "John River Shannon Time Was A Lie". Minor 7th.
External links
|