A vastly deflated tolerance for all things related to drama and it's third cousins. My head is still full of war movies, old jazz, classic rock, classical music a la Gabriel Faure, Puccini operas, moderate theological/philosophical/psycho-spiritual scholarship, add to that Haruki Murakami, Hubble telescope photos of the universe, the mayan calendar, Prince Siddartha and the Bardo realm, Captain John Lightfoot of the Oxfordshire Lightfoots, visions of the Deity which I will be able to draw one day, habitual intuition, first and third person perspectives on enlightenment,
loving thine enemy, Battlestar Galactica, Zhuangzi, Lao Tsu, I Ching, Etidorhpa, the mystery of life and death, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Slowdive, Phillip Glass, Asian Medicine, Dr. Gregory House, walking on water, walking in the 5th dimension.
Sounds Like
I would attempt to describe what my music sounds like, but I realize that when people listen to anyone's music they bring their perceptional baggage along for the ride. People have told me that I sound like The Beatles, Jeff Buckley, Thom Yorke, Paul McCartney and others. People describe my style as jazzy, folkish, emo (to my face), Hawaiian, etc. If that's the baggage you wanna bring, I won't stop ya. I will charge after the first bag, though. Bottom line, what I sound like is ultimately up to you.
"There's something very old-fashioned and warm about the acoustic serenades of Shawn Lightfoot, a Jacksonville singer/songwriter with a rather impressive vocal range (he started out as an opera singer) that plays sweetly against music with a shambling, Sunday-afternoon-at-home-in-the-1930s feel" ----Creative Loafing Magazine Tampa, 4/09.
According to the band, The Myriad, Shawn Lightfoot is like "ginger sherbet"..."Refreshingly splendid, like shimmering golden trout hidden under sunken logs."
Sure, they prolly say that to everyone.....but it made me feel as giddie as a teenaged sexually confused emo-boy.
Shawn Lightfoot may have visited Jacksonville, Florida in 2000 under the guise of a quick return to North Carolina to finish music school, but he soon found his career as an opera singer had met an untimely end. Struggling with bills, Lightfoot made the decision to make his home in Jacksonville. Years of studying music have afforded him with an ear for music that transcends the run of the mill music songwriter. Gaining inspiration from the bohemian neighborhood of 5 Points, his lyrics strut with their heart on their sleeves and deliver a caustic wit through booming tenor vocals. Assertive melodies act as snapshots capturing the angst of the South as he performs in the self-conscious bravado of a jazz singer. Suit and tie with his occasional guitar solos help him resuscitate the pulse of gospel hymns, folk, country, and the homespun sound reminiscent to Jeff Buckley if he were Billy Holiday for the day. His sound equates to 50% captivation, 50% uneasiness, and 50% serene tranquility. Lightfoot started performing at Fuel and quickly became a staple in the local music scene of Jacksonville. Soon he had a steady fan base and started his band The Lightfoot Brigade. Four years later and over 300 hundred shows played in every smoky venue in the region, Lightfoot has gone back to playing solo. He released Nocturnes and Serenades in 2006 and acclaimed reviews by numerous publications and his song writing capabilities won him a finalist spot at the 2008 Suwannee Springfest Songwriting Competition. Recently, Lightfoot’s second EP That Old Sweet Southern Style was released in December of 2008.
I'm really very sorry for ONCE AGAIN.. not showing up w/ camera in hand.. It SUX for me.. cause you really are still my fav in town.. and well.. I had been up for so long I kinda crashed & burned.. but I'm still alive and well.. guess what?!?! it's that time agian.. read the flier below.. I see you don't have a show on TUESDAY & it would be my greatest wish that you would appear on this night.. even if you don't pick up a guitar & perform.. just seeing your smiling face would be the best present of all... ..btw ahm. . when I DO make a show of yours.. & take more pix.. it will be so awesome.. balghahl Anne
Thanks...I'll let you know what I think as soon as my slower than slow computer allows me to view the whole thing. From what I gather so far, though, it looks like it's going to remind me of our good ol' days of, uh, "tree watching."
If you are a fan of The Paranoid Monkeys, and have enjoyed listening to our music over the years then you might like to know that we have recently had a name change. From this point forth we will be known as Some Brave Apollo.
Thanks man, and yeah I try and get up there as often as possible. I'm still trying to step my foot in the door and they are supportive of that. Aren't you playing there this Thursday?