PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Catholic Guilt, Disillusionment, and Depression Never Sounded So Good

*** ANNOUNCING THE LAUNCH OF LAY THIS BURDEN DOWN ***
SINGER/SONGWRITER STEVE SHAW’S SOLO DEBUT

      Imagine The Beatles’ ‘White Album’ crashing head-on with Wilco’s ‘Summerteeth.’ It’s an electric folk, Americana, and Brit-rock mix influenced by the likes of Tom Petty, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. Singer/songwriter Steve Shaw has put together an array of instruments and musicians to create this 20-song vision, ‘Lay This Burden Down’.

      An abundance of guitars mixed with flute, mandolin, melodica, harmonica, banjo, piano, organ, fiddle, and dobro creates a variety and flexibility to this recording that reminds one of the pop rock of ELO and The Beatles to the acoustical folk quaintness of Damien Rice. 

      Shaw’s lyrics are filled with both pain and understanding; hope and despair.  He questions spirituality, religion and politics. Raised in a middle-class family that was deeply rooted in the union trades, Shaw often champions the working class and the social aspects of the poor versus the rich; the powerful versus the powerless. He often writes about his self-described addiction to music and the belief in the power of it.

      Shaw has put together a virtual all-star lineup of musicians including guitarist Ron Sallee (Real, ex-Rhythm Rockers), drummers Toby Mechem (SugarStickyGirl), Jim Fowler Jr.(Freeze the Hopper, Yer Majesty), and Dan Kathriner (Wagon, RockHouse Ramblers), and pianist/vocalist Diana Starr.

      As the leader of the modern rock band Freeze the Hopper from 1994-2000, Shaw toured extensively, recorded two full length albums on the Prometheus Disc indie label, and received rave reviews for both recorded and live performances. He has appeared on both radio and television and has acoustically performed the national anthem at the Savvis Center in St. Louis.

      Produced by Shaw and Sallee at Sallee studios in Cahokia, Illinois with additional mixing and mastering by David Probst, “Lay This Burden Down” is 70 minutes of soul purging musicality that has the substance to stay in the mind for much longer.

Fast Facts:

Steve Shaw  singer/songwriter, vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, harmonica, mandolin, organ, piano, 4-string banjo

The Release: Lay This Burden Down (Night Café Recordings), featuring 20 original songs.

Releases with Freeze the Hopper: Illusions of Grandeur (Prometheus Disc, 1995), the single ‘Violets at Night’ – voted best rock song (Blueberry Hill Records, 1996), Burn (Prometheus Disc, 1997), the single ‘Something Here’ (Ink Records, 1998).

For more information go to steveshawmusic.com or phone Night Café Productions 636.328.1340

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