Talent & Instrumentation: Solo Singer/Songwriter & Producer.
Vocal & Harmonica with 6 & 12 string Acoustic Guitars.
Songs are fully backed by excellent musicians met over the years.
Shasta -
Shasta describes the music he performs as "bard rock". It's a seamless fusion of straight rock, folk rock, Americana and country-fried blues. This genre-bending sound is lush and rich with melodies and texture; the music comes across as very meaningful and reveals that a lot of thought and talent goes into the creative process for Shasta. 4 New songs have now been added from his new Nashville project, called, "The Outsider", which includes one about the UFO crash in 1947, called, "Plains of San Augustin". These are available for download on myspace etc. with more to follow.
Transportation
The musical power toward which Shasta gravitates is music's ability to pick the listener up and take him away to another place. "Some music can just transport me into another realm", he says. The key is the right emotional impact, and there's plenty of that in Shasta's music. Shasta sets out to write the kind of music he'd like to listen to and emotive potency is vital. "Music can make me cry from pure joy or total sadness, depending on the song or my mood at the time." But while music is truly a source of elevation for Shasta, it's not his only brush with transcendence. As chronicled in his song, "Chasin' My Ghost", a trip to California became a journey of introspection and it was there that he discovered his new moniker. During his trek back east during what he calls "emotional weather", he found the inspiration for another Shasta song, "Cold New England Rain".
Lift You, Shake You, Twist You
Shasta prides himself on writing music that reaches right inside the listener's chest and grabbing a hold of his heart. His songs can get a (welcome) death grip on you and keep you riveted till the last tune's over with. "I like to write songs that tend to lift you, shake you, twist you - insist that you listen (or make you do a double take)", Shasta reveals. His songs will do any combination of the above and, frequently, all of the above.
Fire
Shasta draws fuel from all around for songwriting fire as he taps into ideas and thoughts that ring with familiarity but which are presented in original fashion. On the title track of his latest release, for example ("No More Smoking!") Shasta tackles in hilarious but cutting fashion the recent slew of smoking bans around the country. "I'm inspired by life, nature, people, driving, new towns, ironic circumstances or an interesting story - whatever is happening around me or in the world at the time that makes me happy, mad, sad or sparks my interest." Drawing his inspiration from such direction, he never fails to write songs that spark the audience's interest, delivering sharp lyrical observations, such as, "As the vidiot screens/control our dreams/marines die on foreign shores/and I swear I saw phantoms dressed in black at America's backdoor/Oh, say why can't you see?" It's no wonder Shasta's songcraft has found a place on the airwaves.
The Artist at Work
Shasta has shared the stage with Joe Bouchard (Blue Oyster Cult); Bouchard has performed, "No More Smoking!" with him several times (it's one of Bouchard's favorite Shasta songs). A West Coast Bob Dylan Imitation Contest handed Shasta a first place victory two different years and the World of Poetry has awarded him both Golden Poet and Silver Poet honors. Shasta recently released the album, "No More Smoking!" and has all new songs written for his next album. He is currently recording them at Herringbone Studios in Nashville with top Nashville players!
Review excerpts:
Corbyn Bricie of Unsigned, The Magazine: "This one is for the Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan fans. ...if you like your Country/Americana with directly clever lyrics with a socially conscious flare then this one is definitely for you. ...he sure knows how to write a song."
Paul van Kuik of Country Express Radio said of the release that, "the album stands like a mountain!!! ...lyrics remind me of Dylan: rough and clear." Australia's 100.7 FM described Shasta's music has having a "rootsy sound that simply oozes social conscience ... an album that epitomises modern living!"
According to Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck, Shasta's music is, "chock full of poetic justice, tongue-in-cheek lyrics, rollicking acoustic guitar parts and, at times, some biting electric riffs provided by select guests."
Shasta is currently working with A&R Select, the leading A&R firm in Hollywood, CA.
"Shasta's music bubbles over with an over abundance of genre-defying musical skill." -- A&R Select
Publishing Company: Mountain Thunder Music (BMI)
Contact: Edward Bates
mailto: admin@shasta-music.info
website: http://shasta-music.com
CD Baby Link: http://cdbaby.com/cd/shasta3
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/shastaman
Reviews: http://www.unsignedthemagazine.com/brandnew/theheat-0108.html#shastaPR: http://muzikman97.livejournal.com/74606.html
Shasta's CD - "No More Smoking!", is available now at: http://cdbaby.com/cd/shasta3 - Itunes, Napster, Amazon.com - & more!
