Bent Reed Solo on the Dance Floor
Dan Baker on Guitar.
Jeff Davies on Electric and Stand-up Bass.
Billy Spaulding on Drums.
Sheldon Ziro on Vocals and Harmonicas.
Influences
BLUES:Muddy Waters, Little Walter Jacobs, Big Walter Horton, Sonny Boy 1 & 2, Albert King, Johnny Guitar Watson, etc. etc.*****************************************************************************************************************************
VOCALIST: Al Green, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Bobby Blue Bland, Dean Martin, etc. etc.*****************************************************************************************************************************
COUNTRY and SONGWRITING: Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Sr., Willie Nelson, etc. etc.*****************************************************************************************************************************
INSTRUMENTALIST: Mickey Raphael, Otis Spann, J.J. Milteau, Chuck Berry, T-Bone Walker, Louis Armstrong, etc. etc.*****************************************************************************************************************************
LOCAL (Seattle,WA.): Paul Green, Dave Prez, Paul deLay.**************************************************************************************************************************
And on every level mentioned above, many, many others, too numerous to list at the moment. I may add more later!
Hello all you music lovers out there!
My name is Sheldon Ziro, and I've been playing the harmonica and singing since 2002, and it's literally changed my life. I absolutely LOVE to sing and play!
I grew up singing in church. I played clarinet in Jr. High, Highschool, and eventually, in church too. I really enjoyed it and it came fairly easy to me. Unfortunately, I stopped playing music all together for over 18 years (which is a whole 'nuther story all together!). Then one day, I thought, "Jeeze, I really miss music"! Soon after mentioning that to my mother, she sent me an acoustic guitar the following Christmas. A few YEARS later, I went online to sign up for a college beginners guitar class. Long story short: it was full! But, listed right below that, was a Harmonica class, with an emphasis on the blues. So I thought, "man, that sounds like fun"! So I went to that class every week, for an hour and a half, for 8 weeks. I started going to local jam sessions before that was even over, and BOOM! Life hasn't been the same since!
I eventually formed and fronted a band, that I loved to play with, called "Bent Reed & Co." Bent Reed is a name my father came up with after hearing me bend reed, after reed, after reed, after reed! It seemed to fit well, and I like it! I thank God for the musical gifts He's blessed me with and I plan to take it as far as He allows. Keeping a band together and running smoothly is definitely something I need His help with!
Actually, it all started like this. 5 years ago, right after I started singing and playing the harmonica, I met several local musicians at one of the coolest little jam sessions on the north end of Seattle, a little place called the Plaza Broiler. Unfortunately, the Plaza Broiler nor the weekly jams there no longer exist. But the relationships with many fine musicians that I met there, do.
I played at several local jam sessions and eventually hooked up with a couple of guitarist that I met at these places. We started off doing duo's at local dinner house's, small clubs, and private parties, building our repretiore to somewhere between 50 and 100 songs. Seattle Guitarist Dan Baker and I played as a duo for over 2 years before we finally added a drummer and then finally (after several tries) adding a bass player too.
We eventually built a solid 4 piece band that included some of the best musicians that we could find in the Seattle area, that blended well with what we were creating, as you can hopefully hear in the 6 tunes I have posted here. The musicains you hear on the tracks posted above are: Dan Baker on Guitar, Billy Spaulding on Drums, Jeff Davies on Bass, and myself on Vocals and Harmonicas. Forming and fronting a band is no easy task! But if you play your cards right, (and the stars align just perfectly!) eventually, what you get, like myself, is a dynamic 4 piece, rythym & roots band that has a lot of fun playing the music we love. We played a lot of our favorite tunes, and tried to put our own flavor into each. We played blues, old school R&B, old school country, a little old school rock & roll, a few standards, and some originals too. We always tried to live up to the promise to play "Music you can Feel". Because, if you can't feel it, what the hell's the point!?
Music has been a life changing experience for me and I'm so thankful for that. It truly is the universal language. I don't think I've ever met someone who didn't love at least some form of music. And if there is someone out there like that, I feel for ya man! Music is the one thing that invades our senses without our permission. It's just like a drug! It can create so many different feelings in us. It's definitely my passion. I've been doing magic, close-up sleight of hand to be exact, for over 20 years now. It also was a life changing experience for me. Not to mention a whole lot easier than this whole "band" thing! When I did magic professionally, all I did was show up with a deck of cards, a little change in my pocket, a pack of smokes and I was good to go! With a band you have to make sure that 4 people get there, on time, bring tons of equipment (instruments, amplifiers, P.A.'s, microphones, mic stands, gobs of cords, etc.) entertain the crowd and have a good time doing it, split the money 4 ways, then pack it all up, head home, and wonder how in the hell you just pulled that off!?! Doing close-up sleight of hand was a little easier! The same amount of money that I made in just one hour as a magician and kept to myself, I ended up splitting between 4 guys that I just spent 5 hours with trying to pull off a real miracle when I had my band! But, music is my passion! So I'll keep going through the things that we musicians go through, because I love the music. It's just something I have to do!
I'm currently on the road to Music City USA. For those of you who don't know, that's Nashville, TN. I plan on making many stops along the way and meeting as many new people, and playing with musicians in new and different cities along that path. If you happen to see me in your town, please don't hesitate to stop me and say "Hey, I read your story on MySpace! My Name is...." And if we don't have a chance to meet in person, please drop me a line right here. I do my best to answer every comment or message that I get. And if I know that I'm heading to your town, I'll be sure to drop you a line to let you know I'm coming. Because you KNOW I'm gonna want to sit in on at least a few tunes on that big Friday night show you have coming up! Then later you can say, "Hey, I know that guy! He came to one of our shows and insisted on sitting in. He was really good!" Then, when you come to my town, I'll be sure to do the same for you! So until then, may music fill your lives with the same joy that it's filled mine with, and hopefully much more than that. Music is a wonderful thing. And you can do so much with it, the possibilities are endless! Hope to see you real soon! Sincerely,
Sheldon Ziro
AKA Mr. "Bent Reed"
Q-vo ese! My turkey day was good, but no pinche tamales! Ay cabron! Hope yours was good too. There's a jam you gotta come check out on this end. I'll try giving you a call later today (provided I have a current number) and see if you'd like to hit it with me. It's hosted by a friend of mine who used to play behind some of LA's finest! His name is Curtis Smith, and he's a hell of a guitar man....
Hi Bent Reed & Co, Thanks for enjoying my music w Kim Wilson. I hope to see you in Dec when we come through town. Drop by and say hey. Keep playing your good music! It's cool here in Chicago. Take care & thanks again. Barrelhouse
Shel, I have a Blues Band Class at Delta College and Tony Westlake is my Harp Player. He says that you are his Guru. I can't believe I'm saying this... Would you kick him in the butt and tell him that Harp Players are supposed to be extroverts... .. I miss jammin' with you bro. we'll have to do it again real soon. Have a Great Thanksgiving!
Hey Sheldon, Looking forward to seeing you. What is your ETA? I am at the Mock Crest on December 4th and will probably be at the Duff's jam on the 3rd. Randy Randy
Hi, My computer has been down, i am at the libarary now, sorry I haven't been able to get back to you. Santa Rosa was great! We are moving to Sacramento in December. Where are you these days? Hopefully we can get together, I am going to hopefully see your mom. ! Hope life is treating you well! Love, Leah
Hey Sheldon! Thanks for stoppin' by the page. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Personally, it's time to change it up a bit. [After all, this is the era of "change", isn't it?!] So, it sounds like you got to enjoy Seattle during it's "sunny" days, huh?? Very nice. I started to get used to the "warmer" weather, then the temps dropped like a lead balloon. =( Anyway, Mr. Travellin' Man. I hope you find your bliss wherever it is you're going. Good luck and safe journey. -- Kimberlie
Hey Sheldon, I'm able to walk now, had my last surgery 3 weeks ago. Back to Seattle just in time for the rain huh? Kim and I have been talking a lot, I'm seriously thinking of heading to Kingston, or Port Townesend Area and settling there, nicer than Stockton. Can't believe we're all 40 this year, time sure has gone by. Good to hear from you! Miss ya, talk to you soon, Leis
Wassup Sheldon, Great to hear from you. Make sure you give me a jimgle when you get in town. If we're working, you're always welcome! Protect and Serve the Groove!
Hey Bro! Yes I am playing more than ever now. I am starting to play with more feeling too. Let me know when you are coming down this way and I will hook up with you. I am looking forward to it. Tony
