Jon Shain

July 29, 2011

Greetings, friends! The best way to get the latest, hot-off-the-press news is to sign up on my email list or stay in touch through twitter or facebook - you can find those links on the right side of any page on this site!

Lots of news since my last update:

First off - we have a brand new album for you. It's called Jon Shain Trio* The Kress Sessions and it was recorded live this spring at a house concert in my hometown of Durham, NC. We performed completely unamplified and, with the help of Dave Tilley of Bogue Sound Studios and his incredible collection of vintage mics, we got a great recording of a really nice performance. There are some new songs, some old favorites, some traditional blues, and even covers of Buddy Holly and Freddie King, thrown in for good measure. If you enjoy seeing us live, you're gonna love this CD.

Other news from this past spring: I was selected for an official showcase at the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference (or SERFA, for short). FJ and I went down to Montreat, NC and played and were received really nicely by our peers…John Currie and I played for Barbara Kingsolver (and about 600 other people) in Page Auditorium as part of her lifetime achievement award ceremony at Duke this past spring…I also did session guitar work for both Jim Avett and Reed Mahoney and their forthcoming CD projects.

Upcoming: I'll be touring in the northeast in August, southeast dates throughout the fall, a trip to Florida in October, back to the northeast in November, and then back to Florida in December. And I'm already most of the way through the recording of a new studio album with FJ Ventre behind the recording console. Look for it before too long…Makes me a bit tired thinking of it all, but I love to go out and play and see my friends and family spread across this fine land. And you know what—it is a fine land with some damn fine people, no matter what's going on in Washington!

I do want to pay my respects to a recently departed influence and inspiration - songwriter and novelist Bill Morrissey. He'll be missed, but music lives eternal. RIP, Bill.

PEACE

Jon

December 14, 2010

After a long, warm autumn here in North Carolina, I'm sitting here semi-snowed in and thought it would be a fine time to update the news on my website!

Lots of news since my last update:

A previously un-released instrumental of mine, “Song for Isabella” was included in Rodrigo Dorfman's new documentary film Generation Exile this past fall. It has been shown at the Full Frame festival here in Durham as well as at the Santiago Film Festival in Chile.

I co-wrote a new song with Jackson Hall for inclusion in the latest Hudson Harding Holiday Sampler CD. The tune is called “Winter Waits”. That tune and “Song for Isabella” are both streaming at Reverb Nation

I have been doing a lot of recording for other folks lately, too. I played a lot of guitar on Jim Avett's last album Tribes, which was released earlier this year and we have already been back in the studio recording his next album. FJ Ventre and I backed Greg Humphreys on a tune on his latest album Realign Your Mind. And in addition to doing some commercial work, I also recorded a duet with Danny Gotham for his newly released album Guitarheel.

Highlights of the 2010 included jamming onstage with both Michelle Shocked and Jackson Browne, opening for John Hiatt again, two great tours of the Northeast, and my first trip to play in Wyoming. And definitely some of the most fun I had this past year was sharing the stage with The Grandsons, The Small Ponds, Greg Humphreys, Sally Spring, and Peter Holsapple.

We have already started pre-production work on the next CD. So I plan to be finishing up a lot of new songs in the coming weeks. 2011 is booking up nicely, so I expect to be doing a lot of traveling. I hope to see you out on the road before too long!

PEACE in 2011

Jon

Aug. 16, 2009

Here's the latest on the new album: First off - there's a new title: it's going to be called "Times Right Now". We wrapped up the recording in July with a few last-minute sessions, including some keyboard parts done by the great Peter Holsapple (ex-dB's, Continental Drifters, sideman to REM, etc). Renowned producer and former dB's singer Chris Stamey mixed the album at Modern Recording in Chapel Hill and brought his signature genius and brilliant ears to the project. Then it went over to Jeff Carroll at Bluefield Mastering in Raleigh to add the final luster.Now it's just artwork and cover design and then off to the printers. Hope to have it back soon... Look for a newly re-designed jonshain.com sometime later this year - FJ is adding it to his list of creative design projects this fall...Come find my new fanpage on facebook or sign-up through reverbnation.com... And check out the picture above--it's from the Eno Festival in 1988, playing with Big Boy Henry and the Slewfoot Blues Band... that's me in the corner with white pants and the strat! Ok - more soon

- Thanks, JON

June 4, 2009

Here's the latest news: In February, FJ and I made it to the finals of the International Blues Challenge with a performance in the historic Orpheum Theater in Memphis. We were among the last six acts out of the 60 acts entered in the solo/duo category, all of whom had won their regional competitions. Big thanks to the Triangle Blues Society for sending us out there, and kudos to Little Joe from Tulsa for winning the final!... Six of my songs were licensed this spring by Animal Planet for inclusion in a new series about snakes, but it looks like the show will not air until 2010... I was featured in the WUNC-TV program "NC Weekend" during their piece on The Purple Onion in Saluda - a short interview and some of my music was included... We are hoping to wrap up the recording of the new album this month. It will be titled "Love is a Lucky Thing" and there will be eleven new originals and two traditionals. Trying to get the disc out by the end of the summer... As always, there are some interesting shows lined up - some highlights include a theater show with Caitlin Cary and Peter Holsapple on June 12, The Enofest on July 4, a tour into the northeast in August, an American Tobacco show for WUNC backporch music on Sept. 4, and my first appearance in the Bull Durham Blues Festival on Sept. 11.... Come see a show!

Best, JON