Shawndell Marks . vocals, piano, keyboards
Al Buttner . drums, percussion
Chris Mittlesteadt . guitars
Claude Cailliet . trombone
Joe McCloseky . bass
Influences
Patsy Cline . Cheryl Crow . Charlotte Martin . Robert Plant . Paul McCartney . Supertramp . Tori Amos . Bonnie Raitt . Sarah McClachlan . Lindsey Buckingham
Although Shawndell has been a professional musician for several years, it wasn’t until the death of her father that she truly began to listen to her own voice for inspiration. Her father’s suicide propelled her into a quest to answer some difficult questions and heal wounds. Music has been the language that has allowed her to do this. She has been compared to Norah Jones, Jewel and Stevie Nicks. However, her sound is truly unique. Together with her 4-piece band, she fuses blues, jazz and rock influences with intensely emotional lyrics to call her music soul rock, created to move your body and speak to your soul. Performing is nothing new for Shawndell. She has performed with the cover band Thunder Road for 10 years, opening for acts such as George Jones, Blackhawk and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. She takes her performance experience to a whole new level when presenting her original music to a crowd. She invites the listeners to reflect on how the lyrics can relate to their own life experiences while being entertained by her magical voice & accomplished musicianship of her band members. She weaves beauty and grace with raw emotion.
Remnants of Crazy, her debut album from September 2005, is a collective collaboration with her band members and a few guest musicians: Al Buttner, drums & background vocals, Matt Skinner, Joe McCloskey, bass, Chris Mittlesteadt acoustic and electric guitars, Claude Cailliet, trombone, Dennis Schulte, saxophone, and Cheryl Sabatier, background vocals. The lyrics and music are hers. The musicians have added their own colors. The result is a dynamic, diverse, polished recording. A story. In her own words, “...real, raw scraps of the battles that go on behind my eyes and behind my breasts. A collection of heart-wrenching work and talented musicianship, thanks to the boys and girls that contributed. Go ahead. Have a listen. Take the ride. Crawl inside. Can you handle the honesty? It just might unleash some truth in you.”
.. THE ZEBRAS VINYL IS HERE!!! 300 hand numbered copies of the split LP with E=MC Hammer have been pressed and the official release shows are all booked (see below). PLUS RIGHT NOW i have a small batch ready to be ordered online to the quick fans that do not want to wait! you want it now? just go to myspace.com/slazebras.
RELEASE SHOWS!!!!!!
april 16th @ the frequency - madison, WI 21+ w/ e=mc hammer, heart shaped hate & united sons of toil
april 24th @ blind pig - ann arbor, MI 18+ w/ counter cosby
april 25th @ ronny's - chicago, IL w/ paper mice & heart shaped hate
may 1st @ borg ward - milwaukee, WI ALL AGES w/ e=mc hammer, ifihadahifi, collections of colonies of bees
may 22nd @ tba - kalamazoo, MI
may 23rd @ brass rail - fort wayne, IN w/ kantis, heart shaped hate & the freezing scene
may 24th @ mad maggies - elgin, IL w/ heart shaped hate & hot garbage
Shawni, HOW ARE YOU? I've been meaning to write because I haven't since your daughter was born. She's a beautiful little pearl of a girl. I hope youare getting along well over there. Send me an email sometime when you've got the extra moments...
That IS a Showdown button. In fact, I still have it. :D
Although Shawndell has been a professional musician for several years, it wasn’t until the death of her father that she truly began to listen to her own voice for inspiration. Her father’s suicide propelled her into a quest to answer some difficult questions and heal wounds. Music has been the language that has allowed her to do this. She has been compared to Norah Jones, Jewel and Stevie Nicks. However, her sound is truly unique. Together with her 4-piece band, she fuses blues, jazz and rock influences with intensely emotional lyrics to call her music soul rock, created to move your body and speak to your soul. Performing is nothing new for Shawndell. She has performed with the cover band Thunder Road for 10 years, opening for acts such as George Jones, Blackhawk and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. She takes her performance experience to a whole new level when presenting her original music to a crowd. She invites the listeners to reflect on how the lyrics can relate to their own life experiences while being entertained by her magical voice & accomplished musicianship of her band members. She weaves beauty and grace with raw emotion.
..
