Shea hails from the gritty end of Route 66 in San Bernardino . The place used to be known for its sprawling honky-tonk scene, and he soaked up the local ambiance and took it to heart.
Shea started out playing folk on the coffeehouse circuit before gravitating to the country scene as a sideman. This on-the-job education translated into a solo career that's produced five albums and countless gigs at venues and festivals all over the country.
He's received rave reviews for his songwriting and playing and is hailed as a honky-tonk storyteller.
But this is honky-tonk with attitude.
Sounds Like
As a sideman, Shea has worked with everyone from roots rock kingpin Dave Alvin to folk chanteuse Katy Moffatt to indie rock legends R.E.M. As a member of Dave Alvins band, The Guilty Men, Rick toured the U.S. and Europe for 6 years as an opener and multi-instrumental sideman, playing everywhere from Hollywood to Austin to Madison Square Garden and played on all of Daves albums during that time including the Grammy winning Public Domain.
For me the story comes first, the musical setting follows and an acoustic guitar seems like a good place to start, but sometimes you do need to plug in the Telecaster and put a little grit on things. Ive always liked the analogy that your songs are kind of like your children and for me I guess that means a few of mine may need to go to reform school.
60 miles east of Los Angeles where the urban sprawl starts to thin out and the desert starts to take over sits the old railroad town of San Bernardino. In 1978 when Rick Shea was growing up there, dozens of honky-tonks and truck stop bars still lined the outskirts, tough places where the remnants of Californias golden age of country music still drifted through like the hot winds.
I started playing folk and coffeehouse gigs after high school and sort of fell into the country music scene...as a sideman and a singer I worked 6 - 7 nights a week. It was rough sometimes but a good education, thats where I first heard a lot of those old songs - Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzell and Buck Owens - every night.
Shea has managed to parlay that tough but real education into a successful career as a solo artist, with five critically acclaimed albums and appearances at the Strawberry Festival, the Tucson Folk Festival, the Canmore Folk Festival, the Freight and Salvage, McCabes and many of the other folk, rock and acoustic venues in California and the West.
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RICK SHEA this Friday at Claremont's Friday Nights Live! No better way to spend a summer evening than listening to Rick under the stars. Where: the Public Plaza at the Laemmle Theater. When: 6-9 pm. Cost: FREE!
Hey,Rick! wanted to hear some of your"AWESOME" Acoustics..I DO Love the Acoustic Guitar!! and Yours' is Great:)Hope your Week has been a Good one so far, and the rest,will be Great... :)(:
Hello Rick
Welcome to our circle of friends
Thanks a lot for adding us
Congratulations for your myspace page
Feel free to listen to our songs
Greetings from Paris
JM
Captain Storm
Concert acoustique samedi 6 juin 2009 à 20h
(première partie de Bang Everything That Moves)
Au Continental Café
69, bd de Strasbourg
Métro Strasbourg-Saint-Denis
Entrée libre, possibilité restauration sur place
Puis on fait tourner le juin :
A l’OXFORD à Béthune
Le 13 juin à 21 h
129, bd Jean-Moulin
Au Royal à Barbizon (77)
Dimanche 21 juin à 15 h 30
50, Grand-Rue
Aux Pierres qui Roulent
Samedi 27 juin 2009 à 20 h
Entrée libre
25, avenue Corentin-Cariou
75019 Paris
M° La Villette
Hey Rick, Came by showing love and Support for You and Your Music! Love your Music,Vocals and Lyrics. "If Leavin' was a Fast Train" Great Song,like the beat... "Have a Great Day" (:
