These past few years, I’ve played many different sorts of shows for Valentine’s Day. This year I’ve got something totally new going on…

I’m bringing the music to YOUR Valentine. If you live in the Palm Beach or Broward county area, reserve a time slot and for a very reasonable fee, surprise your sweetie at work with a love song, played by me on an acoustic guitar, dedicated to her or him from you. Choose the song from my variety of tunes or I’ll choose one that fits your story. We can customize the event so your loved one will see just how thoughtful and romantic their honey is!

Interested? Email me: shauna@shaunasweeney.com. Reserve your time spot now and it’ll be a holiday your Valentine will never forget!

Check out my website with original tunes, about love, and other stuff too…

Shauna Sweeney’s Music Page

The new tracks include:

 A studio version of my tune “Enjoy the Ride”, as recorded by the sensational (and Grammy-winning) producer Dan Warner at Picks ‘n’ Strings Studios in Miami FL. The acoustic version of this song, recorded live at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, is featured on my CD Catch the Light but this new version brings it to a whole other level!

A demo of my song “Lesson Learned” which I wrote after an experience of living a little too far over the edge. It’s a meaningful song for me and I hope anyone that hears can take something from it.

An instrumental tune called “Blue #26″ recorded at BlueLight Studios. Listening to this song puts me in a really neat mood, so maybe it’ll do the same for you. I look forward to your opinions!

  Let me know what you think of these tunes and all the rest, either at a show, or leave a comment on the NEW FACEBOOK PAGE! And please share it with your friends!!

      Thanks, and Cheers! 

       ~ Shauna S. ~

Isn't my new Facebook music page pretty?

Tell us a little about what brought you to where you are today?
How you got started, influences etc.
 

   I come from a musical family– at our get-togethers we can hardly let an hour–no, ten minutes–go by without one of us breaking into some sort of song or rhythm. We came to South Florida when I was 14 and I had the chance at local music festivals and house concerts to see how exhilarating and intimate it can be to share your original songs with people in that setting, around a campfire or in a small room. I still love doing that. And when I’m in front of a larger audience, the best moments are the ones when it still feels that intimate and connected.
 
 And you’ve had some chances to perform in front of larger audiences lately! Tell us about that.
 
   Yeah. In 2011, I had a few milestone performances, including a trip to Guantanamo Bay Cuba to sing for the U.S. troops, and I also sang the national anthem at Dolphin Stadium for two Florida Marlins games. I’ve done a lot of shows that were exciting but those are definitely experiences I will treasure. The trip to Cuba with my percussion player Shaen was so interesting. It was my first time playing on a base, and we got some time to meet a lot of great men and women from the armed forces who really appreciate having live music. When they’re sacrificing so much and being away from home, it’s a huge honor to be able to bring them some fun and normalcy at the end of the day. When I sang the anthem at the stadium a few weeks after getting back, thinking of them made me profoundly more aware of the song’s meaning.

 
 
Tell us about your songwriting/recording process and what we can expect on your latest tunes?

  Songwriting for me has always been kind of like dreaming. You get all these thoughts and images that swirl around together, in different crazy ways that may or may not make sense. Then you try to piece them together into a cohesive whole. In the last year I’ve definitely been transitioning towards new things musically and personally in my life, so a lot of the songs I’m writing are about changing priorities, holding on to what’s important, and –gasp–becoming a “grown-up”.

 
 
What can we expect to see from you in the future?

    In the immediate future, expect some new song and video releases. I’m really looking forward to more tour dates as well, so in addition to my S. Florida dates in February and March, expect to see some new dates on the calendar, most likely on the east coast U.S. and elsewhere! I am always game to come to a new city, so if someone’s interested in having me in their town, all they have to do is reach out. (email shauna@shaunasweeney.com) Other projects you might see me on include writing music for movies, collaborations with other artists, and some songwriting workshops for children and teens.

 
Tell us a few things about yourself that may surprise us?
 

   Let’s see… I have a pet rabbit named Ziggy, whom my friends call the “office manager” because he hops around my house nudging through all my papers and remote controls… Before I ever picked up a guitar, I absolutely loved playing hand drums… I see trees almost every day that I want to climb, but I only do occasionally… I am somewhat obsessed with fruit salad, and I am a fan of the Miami Dolphins, aka, a Dolfan.

 
 
   What music are you enjoying currently?
 

 I was recently in Nashville and stopped at Grimey’s Music store, where I bought Ryan Adams’ Fire and Ashes. I love most of his stuff, and on this album you can definitely tell he’s settled in a bit– he sounds less frenetic, and warmer, and still raw which is great. The Canadian band STARS put on a great show at the Culture Room, and I’ve been listening to their recordings and live stuff. Also in my ear are Matt Nathanson, Dave Matthews, Joni Mitchell, and Sigur Ros.

 
If you could go back in time what would you do differently in your career?
 

   I could probably regret a couple times of choosing THIS gig over THAT gig, or not being more practiced for a showcase or, once–arriving at a venue and realizing my guitar was at home, 90 minutes away. But I feel like it’s too soon to say if I’d take a mulligan on anything major. One thing I would do differently would be to take more photos, videos, and write more journal entries along the way. I hope that several decades from now I can look back and still remember all these experiences.

 
 
If you could play with any musician in history who would it be?

Gotta go with the late-great Michael Jackson. He was such a true artist, from his incredible talent and how hard he worked, to that “sparkle” that people saw in him. I feel like some of that sparkle would leave a little extra shimmer on you after working with him.

 
Where do you see your career going in the next five years?

   To be honest, I’m concentrating on the two-year plan of recording as much as possible and playing a lot more cities across the U.S. But in five years, I’d like to be playing shows here and in some other parts of the world, have some new experiences, and be able to add those sounds into my recordings.

 
 
Other than being an artist what did you think about doing as a career when you were a child?  

  An author, a ballerina, a vet, a journalist, an accountant, a dog trainer, and I think for about two weeks, a real estate agent. But I always, always wanted to be around music.

 
 
 
What has been your best experience in the business? Why?

   Working with venue owners, booking agents, and other musicians who are passionate about what they do and are good at it. When venue owners or booking agents take those few minutes to consider the artists’ needs and want to make you feel welcome, it makes it easy to focus on having a great show. So the audience has a better time and everybody leaves happier.

 
 
What has been your worst experience in the business?  

  I have been very fortunate not to have had many bad experiences in this business to speak of. That being said…occasionally I’ll meet people in the industry who just want to exploit musicians, or musicians who might take advantage of a venue’s hospitality. Those things bum me out because they make it harder for the rest of us to keep doing what we’re doing.

 
 
What is it you love about what you do?

   I love my job almost every single day, and I know how lucky that makes me. The fact that I get to make a living by sharing songs that I love with people who are there to enjoy them and have a good time is a huge blessing. At the end of the song when people are clapping, that just feels like a great bonus.

 
 
What is it you hate about what you do?

   Ok don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind at all when people make requests for tunes they’d like to hear. But I am NOT a fan of those few random people who mistook me for a human jukebox. Or for a carnival worker. Please don’t come up and wave a five in my face, thinking it buys you three songs, like darts to throw at a wall of water balloons.
 
How do you feel the Internet has changed the business?  If you could make a major change in the business…. What would you like to see?

 
    Well the last decade in the music business HAS been a major change. For it to go from, no one will hear your music unless you have a lucky day while banging on the gates at the Capitol Records building to now literally ANYone can create their own fanbase and be heard around the world is kind of mind-boggling. And any singer can sound passable on a patched-up, overdubbed track put together by a good studio engineer, but sites like YouTube give us access to live performance videos where we can see what an artist is truly capable of. Overall I think these changes were long overdue. I’d like to see the industry stabilize a little bit, so we can know where it’s safe to step. There’s sort of a middle class in the industry that’s been created, which is great–there is a place for artists to flourish, in between the cliches of the multi-platinum label darlings and the “starving artists”.
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What would you like to be your contribution to music biz?

    When I do songwriting workshops or collaborative songs with other musicians, that’s a really special thing. Whether you are picking up a guitar for the first time at the age of 8 or 82, writing your first song, or experiencing a concert for the first time in decades, that can become a great experience that no one can ever take from you. I can’t think of any greater contribution than encouraging people to keep participating in these magical moments.   

 
 
How can the business side and artists better work together?

   Just like in any industry, I think it works best when everyone involved tries to be as fair, considerate and respectful as possible. At the end of the day, the things we want should be the same–put on great shows, get our songs into the hands of people who want to hear them, and make some money in the process so we can all go home happy and satisfied and do it again tomorrow.

  Thanks again to Dave Jacobs and staff for featuring me!!  Visit www.metromusicmayhem.com to see the article and all the other awesome “Ladies Who Rock!!”

 “Cliff Jumping” Live at Shack in the Back!

Video & Editing provided by Robert Goodman & Ellen Bukstel

Audio provided by Brett Segal for Shack in the Back Studios

The song was written a couple years ago in kind of an unusual way… I was playing a show, finished a tune, and then for my next move I decided to just improvise something. Some of the lyrics were changed since then, but the chorus ended up coming out as-is, and I swear, by the 3rd chorus from that very first time I sang it people were singing along. Definitely a cool moment.

Those of you that have my CD Catch the Light already have the acoustic version that was recorded live at the Eddie’s Attic Songwriter Shootout. When my percussion player Shaen and I played it that night, we had a great time and I think that really comes through in the recording. Plus, shortly afterwards I was announced as the “winner” for the evening, which made the night extra special!

This newly released version takes the song to a WHOLE other level. It was recorded by the incredibly talented (Grammy-winning) producer Dan Warner at Picks ‘n’ Strings Studios in Miami FL and I’m excited for you to hear it! It will be available for download soon–in the mean time, click to hear it as many times as you like. 

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Palm Beach Post Write-Up!

Thanks to Bill Meredith, for this write-up in the Palm Beach Post!
Well-traveled Sweeney at home down here
Posted on 29 June 2009
________________________________________

Shauna Sweeney, a singer-songwriter who traveled the country. (Courtesy shaunasweeney.com)
Teenagers are often natural wanderers, and Lantana-based singer/songwriter Shauna Sweeney (shaunasweeney.com) was no exception. By age 17, the Vermont native had moved to Connecticut, Fort Lauderdale and Boston (to attend Emerson College after receiving a scholarship). When Beantown’s music scene inspired her more than her studies, the road beckoned again, landing her in Orlando, Chicago and Europe before her latest relocations.
“I’ve been in Boca Raton, Stuart and Lantana, all in the past year,” says Sweeney, now 24. “I started playing live in the Fort Lauderdale area when I was 15, but now that I’m playing so much in Lake Worth and Lantana, I’ve noticed how excited people are to have live music around here. But I’m still always ready to jump on a bus and go on tour.”
With her recent debut EP, Cliff Jumping, she has the ammunition and incentive. Produced by Keith Michaud, the singer/songwriter for area band Summer Blanket, the disc features radio-ready pop tunes like Another Day and the title track. The self-taught Sweeney, who says she learned to play through the “school of life,” doubles on acoustic guitar and the African djembe drum. Her strong voice was also fueled by the forward-thinking grade school she attended in West Hartford, Conn. By age 9, she’d published and recorded three songs there, one the theme song for a public television documentary.
Many lead singers aren’t as good as backing vocalists, but Sweeney is an exception. In her duo with another singer/songwriter, Jason Montero, she sings lead on her own compositions and switches between backing and lead, plus guitar and djembe, on unorthodox covers like Men at Work’s Overkill and KT Tunstall’s Black Horse and the Cherry Tree. On the latter, Sweeney also recently used pedals to loop multiple guitar parts after Montero broke a string, thickening the sound before he and his repaired guitar were able to return.
See Shauna Sweeney solo from 9-11 p.m. Fridays at Bizaare Avenue Cafe, 921 Lake Ave., Lake Worth (561) 588-4488 , and with Jason Montero from 3-8 p.m. Sundays at the Old Key Lime House, 300 E. Ocean Ave., Lantana, (561) 582-1889 , and 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Wednesdays at Lake Worth Rum Shack, 606 Lake Ave., Lake Worth

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Shauna Sweeney on the cover of City Link!
Pick up a copy of City Link this week!!
Thanks to Colleen Dougher for the interview, Beth Black for the pics and to Jake Cline and the other folks at CityLink Magazine!

This article can be viewed with photo gallery at:

http://southflorida.metromix.com/music/photogallery/making-the-leap/1171978/content

Shauna Sweeney plays her first SunFest

When acoustic Lake Worth acoustic folk-rocker Shauna Sweeney sings about falling in love while protecting your heart or trying to recapture the passion after the urgency and specialness dissipates, she’s not covering new ground in terms of subject matter. But she proves such songs can remain fresh, long after relationships grow stale.

Sweeney has a constantly evolving EP to which she continues adding songs and re-releasing. Cliffjumping, which features musical and production contributions of Summer Blanket’s Keith Michaud, now contains 7 tracks, mostly about love. “As any chick songwriter tends to,” she says. “I gravitate towards the relationship stuff.”

The 24-year-old singer- guitarist and percussionist wrote her first song in kindergarten. “Well, I found what I am guessing is the first song I wrote and it’s in purple crayon,” she says. “I was only about 5 or 6 years old and the first line is ‘A long time ago,’ which I think is funny because I don’t know how long it could have been since I was 5.” Sweeney has been writing songs since. “I was very lucky to go to a school in Connecticut that had a very high arts interest and enthusiasm,” she says. “The music teacher and principal there [facilitated] a school program that recorded songs, so I actually had songs at 8, 9 and 10 years old that were being played on Connecticut public television and doing little local fun radio spots and little things that really got my feet wet .”

After her family’s move to South Florida when she was 15, she picked up guitar and after learning three chords, began hitting open mikes. “I was playing like Jewel and Indigo Girls covers along with my first couple of originals that I wrote on the guitar.” She eventually joined a band called Never Enough. “We would pack 100 of our friends into the Chocolate Moose in Davie and we thought it was Nirvana at 16 years old,” she says. After that she spent a few years living and performing in Boston, Orlando and Chicago. Since returning to South Florida at 19, she’s been playing steadily and now manages several weekly gigs that include solo performances, duos or hosting open mikes, a skill she honed at Tavern 213 in Fort Lauderdale.

Her signature sunflowered guitar is a sunny reminder of her two years at Tavern 213. “It was a really cool experience of bringing 10-20 musicians into this room and having an awesome jam every week,” she recalls. “One of the people who used to come regularly said he was cleaning out his collection of guitars and giving a few of them away to friends and that was one that he gifted to me,” she says. “It was really sweet and it was a nice token, a reminder of all the fun times that we had at that event.”

But like she said at 5, that was “a long time ago.” Still, she’ll be taking the sunflowers with her to SunFest, which she suggests is a good time to hear her new sextet, The Shauna Sweeney Band. “It will be the first time hearing the whole band,” she says. “There’s going to be 6 of us up there and it’s gonna be a good time I’m sure.”

The Shauna Sweeney Band will perform 3:30 p.m. Sunday on the Coors Light stage at SunFest, along Flagler Drive from Banyan Boulevard to Lakeview Drive in West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $31 for a one-day pass. Call 800-786-3378 or visit Sunfest.com. For details on Sweeney’s other weekly gigs, visit MySpace.com/shaunasweeney.
— Colleen Dougher

Monday, October 08, 2007

Why I Think Kristin Cappiello Rocks
Every time I see my friend Kristin Cappiello, she is wearing lace.
She’s always colorful. And she always offers me her huge, open smile.
You can see the strength and the caution in her bright blue eyes. The songs she writes are her past and her future, and when she sings them it’s like her heart is pouring out through her mouth. On top of that, she has the voice of a goddess.
Kristin, like a lot of people, has been through way more than a fair share of shit in her life. But she carries with her a deep, quiet innocence, a peacefulness of spirit, that is both endearing and inspiring. This same maturity resonates in her songs; her lyrics, about life and love and grief and other universal truths, are poignant and timeless:
“Letting go of the hardships your life through
Now you say you never need to be without
Trying to be more fearless and timid
Tattered, unrelenting as it goes
And nobody noticed the difference but I know I have
Nobody noticed”

So Sunday night, I go to check out Kristin’s gig at a little restaurant right near the beach on A1A and Atlantic Ave. With the ocean air breezing lazily across the sidewalk, a dozen patrons (locals, mostly) were enjoying their desserts in plastic chairs outside the cafe. Beautiful way to spend an evening.
I see Kristin facing out from the open storefront. She’s wearing white and black lace, and pair of retro magenta specs. She’s draped in several long strands of beads–sort of Marilyn-Monroe-meets-Moulin-Rouge”. Her vintage-looking black heels are perched precariously on the rung of a stool while she sings and strums, almost unaware of her fixated crowd. As she launches into her second chorus of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, several more passers-by are stopping to listen. I’ve seen this girl channel everyone from Natalie Merchant to Bob Dylan to Janis Joplin, and it’s like she can feel them underneath her skin. She can belt the tunes out with the best of ‘em, and still has room for a sweet, lilting mezzo range and a bluesy, sultry alto.
I spoke with some other interesting people that night, as well. Saw my ol’ friend Manny there for the first time in a while, and he played a great original song. I met a man named Paul, riding in an electric wheel chair. He had scars on his legs, and was sporting a hat covered with his treasures like a small plastic bird, a tattered flag, a pencil, and other miscellaneous objects. He told me a story about the war. I gave him a rose to add to his hat.
Kristin’s friend Dez and I joined her set with a djembe, a couple extra voices, and a little guitar fill. We sang some originals, and some mainstream covers like “Linger”, “Who Would Save Your Soul”, and “41″, stuff we all sorta knew, and we just jammed out. My vodka-tonic sat untouched on the table; I was having too much fun to bother with it. As Kevin So says, “Besides the finest drug is music”
When it started to rain, we scurried back into the cafe and turned our chairs into a circle. We bantered with the intimate crowd of listeners– making up lyrics and dropping non-P.C. wisecracks and just generally enjoying ourselves. We played until the restaurant kicked us out to close down, and after exchanging a bunch of hugs and myspace addresses, we all went on our way.
What I want to say is this: many people can sing. Many people can write songs or play guitar or do whatever. But Kristin brings something extra to the room when she plays. Her spirit just shines through, and you can’t listen to her sing without being touched by it.
I know this venue is planning on having Kristin back. You can check out her page for more info, listen to a song, and definitely go see her. I repeat, GO SEE KRISTIN CAPIELLO.

Good Songs
Songs I’ve heard lately that I think more people should hear:
Schuyler Fisk “Paperweight”
Keith Michaud “Ribbons”
Ryan Adams “I Taught Myself To Grow Old”
Shannon McNally “Pale Moon”
Ryan Adams “Two”
Lucy Kaplansky “I Had Something”
Lori McKenna “Pour”

I highly recommend that you listen to these songs.

EAST-COAST TOUR HIJINX PART 1: DIRTY MONEY, DRUNKEN ASIAN WAITERS AND PROM NIGHT FAUX PAS

Hey Friends,

Greetings from the McIntosh Inn in ‘breathtaking’ Trenton, NJ. As we turned off the exit to get here, we figured out that we both had chosen this hotel because of the name. And it’s working out quite well! Earlier tonight, we heard four cars of folks pulling in. They were all dressed up, and well into a party night. Ryan cheered them on from the window and suggested we crash their prom night. When a young couple in a dress and and tuxedo joined us in the elevator, I complimented the chick on her cute white prom dress. They giggle strangely and the guys says, ” Yeah, um…we just got married”.
Oops.
Three days in, and the road is treating us very well. We’ve got two great nights of music behind us– Birdi’s in Atlanta was incredibly hospitable, and very appreciative. I think everyone in the bar was trying to get us drunk. Ryan even got hit on by a lesbian!

Southend Brewery in Charlotte was one of the best stages– and venues– we’ve played. Most of the staff hung at the bar after their shifts, buying us drinks and singing along with the cover songs. One nice waiter dude bought us a round of shots, then downed tequila with us—and ended up leaning over with his face in the bushes 10 minutes later. Not everyone can party like rock stars! Very nice folks though.

No major mishaps to report as of yet, although we did almost lose our check from Birdi’s– I noticed before bed that it had disappeared from my jeans pocket. We searched the car, but came up with nothing. The following morning, I stepped into the shower and saw a soaked, crumpled paper with the signature at the bottom. Good news was I found the check– bad news was it had fallen out of my pocket into the tub the night before. And of course, had Ryan showered with the check before I noticed it in the drain.

Other than a damp check and a broken windshield from flying road rocks, a quasi-heated debate about environmentalists, and witnessing a fleeing police suspect, things are going smoothly. I’m working on a new song, and Ryan has an excuse to wear his hideous “driving cap”.

Hoping all is well at home– next stop The Webster Undergound, Hartford CT!

Take Care,

Shauna

From The Blog Vault:

Saturday, May 27, 2006

TOUR HIJINKS PART 2:

IF YOU CAN’T TAKE THE HEAT, GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN.

According to Murphy’s Law, of COURSE, Ryan would have to burn his hand on a skillet the morning of a big show. Twice. The day of the Webster show, we made eggs for breakfast on a pan that must’ve come from a third-world country that doesn’t believe in plastic handles. After watching him running his FRET HAND under water the second time I thought, just use the potholder, right? Not so hard. But no– after reaching for the toaster 5 minutes later I, too, fell victim to the skillet. It made some good eggs though.

The gig at the Webster went really well. Five acts took the stage before us– Laura Gancey had a great voice and Liz Woods and her band put on a great show. I got to see friends and family from way back, including my Dad’s entire clan. Singing “I’m Sorry” in front of my grandmother was a bit strange. Thank God for hearing aid malfunction.

The next day, I took Ryan to hike Talcott Mountain, one of my family traditions. Ryan was expecting me to spout knowledge of the mountain’s history, so about half way up I was appeasing him with made-up stories of revolutionary war battles fought from the Heublein Tower. I got to experience some of the local flora and fauna- and wound up with an aggressive case of poison ivy. Eughhh….

Our expedition into New York City was quite an adventure. Ryan had never been in the city, so we checked out the Empire State Building, the Chrystler Building, and the Statue of Liberty. My advice to anyone driving in the city? DON’T. Take a cab, a bus, a helicopter, or find a teleporter or something– just DONT DRIVE. After 15 minutes of dodging cab-driving kamikazes and suicidal pedestrians, Ryan had turned into Rambo 2 and I was afraid for my life. Still fun though…

Before we left Manhattan for Brooklyn, Ryan risked eternal damnation to steal a cane that had been left on the side of Central Park West Rd. I did my best to protest but became a reluctant accomplice when Ryan threw the car in park, jumped out, and passed it through the passenger door. Ryan, I hope you have nightmares of an old man hobbling desperately towards the subway.

Our show at the Living Room in Brooklyn was great– great room, cool folks. We opened for Deborah T, who had a really nice set. She told the crowd about eating saltine crackers with peanut butter and honey for dinner in order to afford a couple of beers that night. That’s when Ryan and I realized how glad we are to live in Miami.

The Airport Road Cafe in Hartford gave Birdi’s some competition for the best show so far. The crowd was VERRY welcoming. Ryan and I had a great time, and I caught up with some people I haven’t seen in 10 years. I wasn’t allowed to leave until I promised my friend Michelle that I would audition for American Idol. Ryan was driving, so he cut himself off early in the night. That is, until someone named Bear offered him a drink– when a giant biker dude in leather offers you a beer, you don’t say no. Ryan and I were very appreciative of the compliments from him and his girlfriend, Squirrel. Yes, that is a true story…

So, we’re off to Boston this afternoon and we’ll be headed back South by tonight. Monday, it’s Eddie’s Attic or bust. Then home to Florida!

Miss you all. See you soon…

Shauna and Ryan