Thus far I'm the only one. Someday there will be others but as of now it's just lonely old me.
Influences
Kate Rusby, Abra Moore, Adem, Aimee Mann, The Album Leaf, Alexi Murdoch, Alison Krauss, Amy Ray, Ane Brun, Angelou, Ani DiFranco, Arab Strap, Azure Ray, Badly Drawn Boy, The Be Good Tanyas, Bela Fleck, Belle and Sebastian, Ben Harper, Beth Orton, Beulah, Bjork, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Prince Billy, Brett Dennen, Bright Eyes, Bruce Springsteen, Calla, Camera Obscura, Catie Curtis, Charlie Mingus, Cheryl Wheeler, Chris Smither, Christy Moore, Circa Survive, Citizen Cope, Cocteau Twins, Coldplay, Conor Oberst, The Cranberries, Creeper Lagoon, The Cure, Damien Rice, The Damnwells, Dar Williams, Dave Matthews Band, David Berkeley, David Byrne, David Mead, David Rawlings, David Wilcox, Death Cab For Cutie, Deb Talan, The Decemberists, Denali, Devendra Banhart, Devotchka, Doves, Eisley, Elbow, Elliott Smith, Ellis Paul, Emmylou Harris, Even in Blackouts, Everything But the Girl, Frazey Ford, Freedy Johnston, Frou Frou, Gillian Welch, Gin Blossoms, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Grant-Lee Phillips, Greg Brown, Hem, Idlewild, Imogen Heap, Indigo Girls, Innocence Mission, Interpol, Iris Dement, Iron & Wine, Jack Johnson, James Taylor, Jeff Buckley, Jeffrey Foucault, Jesus and Mary Chain, Jimmy Eat World, Joanna Newsom, Joe Purdy, John Coltrane, John Mayer, John Mellencamp, Jolie Holland, Jose Gonzalez, Josh Ritter, Josh Rouse, Joy Division, K's Choice, Kathleen Edwards, King Sunny Ade, Kris Delmhorst, Leonard Cohen, Lighthouse Family, Lisa Hannigan, Lou Barlow, Lucy Kaplansky, Luka Bloom, M.Ward, Mark Geary, Mark Kozelek, Mason Jennings, Matt Costa, Mazzy Star, Melissa Ferrick, Mike Doughty, Miles Davis, My Bloody Valentine, My Morning Jacket, Natalie Merchant, Nic Jones, Nick Drake, Nouvelle Vague, Ocean Colour Scene, Owen, Paddy Casey, Patricia Barber, Patty Griffin, Pearl Jam, Peter Mulvey, Pete Yorn, PJ Harvey, Poe, Rachael Sage, Radiohead, Ray LaMontagne, Redbird, Red House Painters, Regina Spektor, REM, Richard Shindell, Richard Thompson, Ron Sexsmith, Rosie Thomas, Rufus Wainwright, Sarah Bettens, Sarah Harmer, Sean Hayes, Shawn Colvin, The Shins, Shivaree, Sigur Ros, Sinead Lohan, Sinead O'Connor, The Smiths, Snow Patrol, Sonic Youth, Soul Coughing, Sparklehorse, Stephin Merritt, Steve Tannen, Sting, Sufjan Stevens, Sun Kil Moon, Suzanne Vega, Tanita Tikaram, Tegan & Sara, Teitur, Telepopmusik, Thelonius Monk, Tori Amos, Tracy Chapman, Tristan Prettyman, Vic Chestnutt, The Weepies, Weezer, Wilco, Will Oldham
Sounds Like
Somewhere between Nick Drake and Kate Rusby . . . or so I'd like to think. In reality, I haven't a clue; I've been told I sound kinda like these people: Abra Moore, Aimee Mann, Alison Krauss, Belle and Sebastian, Ben Harper, Beth Orton, Brett Dennen, Bright Eyes, Camera Obscura, Catie Curtis, Coldplay, Damien Rice, Dar Williams, Dave Matthews, David Mead, Death Cab for Cutie, Deb Talan, Elbow, Elliott Smith, Frou Frou, Gin Blossoms, Hem, Imogen Heap, The Innocence Mission, Iron and Wine, Jack Johnson, James Taylor, Joe Purdy, John Mayer, Josh Rouse, Mark Geary, Mark Kozelek, Matt Costa, Mazzy Star, Owen, Poe, Sufjan Stevens, Suzanne Vega, Teitur, Tracy Chapman, Tristan Prettyman, The Weepies, Wilco, Will Oldham
First things first: Shoheen was meant to be a band.
But when singer/songwriter Dami -- the founder and the only member of Shoheen (so far) -- couldn't find anyone else who'd join him on the road, he decided to go it alone.
Ultimately, it makes more sense this way: Dami's thumbnail sketches sound best stripped down to the barest essentials, just his delicate voice and solitary guitar. His just-released seven-song EP, "Until You Hear These Words," leads listeners through his intimate world of whispered secrets and dreamy interior monologues.
"I tend to be more analytical and more passive when it comes to social interaction, and as a result I live more in my mind than I do in the world. I think a lot, I imagine a lot," Dami said from a tour stop last week. "While I'm quiet and demure and somewhat laid-back, there's a lot that's going that's frenetic mentally all the time."
In conversation, Dami -- a native of the West African [island] of Lagos -- is well-spoken but seems reserved and a bit shy. He admits that his decision to play 35 Northeast shows between mid-May and the end of June is his way of making sure that being a performer is really the life for him.
It's no surprise that he cites Nick Drake as one of his main influences -- the introverted British folk singer released three dream-like albums to near-obscurity in the 1970s, only to find acclaim many years after his death at age 26. Drake's loner ethos and skittish live performances are things Dami can relate to but strive to overcome in his own shows.
The songs on "Until You Hear These Words" often display a hushed romantic yearning, whether it's a daydream about a potential office romance ("Holly") or a plan to finally reveal true feelings for someone special (as in the title song). Sometimes there's a need to get beyond ourselves ("Great Escape") and to confront our fears (as in the 2 a.m. confrontation with inner demons in "Minotaur").
"Trouble and Consequence," the chronicle of a failing relationship, feels ever-so-slightly askew as it starts with only Dami's singsong vocals (somewhere between a mellower Dave Matthews and Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik), then introduces a guitar accompaniment and eventually morphs into a flourishing instrumental at the end.
Only "Sad Panda" and the apologetic "Where Are The Lights" dare to include lusher arrangements, with the latter song reminiscent of the shimmering pop of Austin instrumentalists Explosions in the Sky (best known for the "Friday Night Lights" soundtracks).
"The songs don't come from real-life experiences -- they come from the more creative side of my thinking," Dami said, in what may be another shy deflection away from his music's true inspiration. "There are reflective writers -- there are personal writers who write about how they feel about certain things, and there are writers that come the other way and write about things they just create in their heads. There are Lennons and McCartneys, and I'm more of a McCartney -- I'm more of an 'Eleanor Rigby' kind of guy."
i never use myspace anymore, but today i thought of your music and came on just to find the link to buy your album. so i FINALLY will have it. i just ordered it online. you've gotta' play in NY sometime- i'm dying to see you!
Nicely crafted song, "Panda", dense, yummy guitar part with your voice slippling along over it, and great hook, "Who you are" that had me unconsciously singing it as I got a drink. Hehe
Hey there...maybe you remember playing a show in Adams, MA together a while back. I've got a new album, and you can listen to 6 SONGS on my page right now! Check it out & Keep making georgeous music. ~ Justin H.
