The album cover for "Fight a New Day." The album will be available in retail stores nationwide.
Would you describe "Fight A New Day" as a natural continuation from your previous album, or a new direction?
I think it was an inevitable progression for me as an artist and songwriter to follow writing an album like S T I L L with songs that maintain the same level of honesty, but with a more upbeat, positive and driving force, motivating a slightly edgier sound. I see it as a natural continuation from my first album because it’s all based, very truthfully, on my own experience and this is what came next.
I’d quit my job when I wrote most of the songs on this album and I was feeling really positive about following my dream, terrified as hell, but positive. I write about my life, so each album is very much like a chapter. This is the second chapter.
Who did you work with on this album?
It's exactly the same crew that worked on the first album: Dave McMillan on guitar, Ray Goodfellow on bass and Tim Rankin on drums. They "get me." I don't have to try very hard to explain what direction I want to go. I basically give them a song and they play what I have already heard, which is why I love working with them. It’s also really great to work with a team who believe in my music. Tim produced both my albums and approaching the music as drummer, he thinks in terms of space instead of sound, which compliments the style of my writing in production.
How will fans be able to purchase a copy of "Fight A New Day"?
It will be available, alongside my first album, in retail stores countrywide, at all my shows around the country, and by postal order. I’ve also confirmed worldwide digital distribution on a few platforms. Purchase details will be published on the website as the album becomes available through the various channels.
"I write about my life, so each album is very much like a chapter."
- Shannon, on the nature of her songwriting process.
Musicians often live with songs for a new record for months before it is released and a tour completed. You finished recording your new record at the beginning of 2011. With the release of your album coming up in November, do you feel like the songs represent a creative phase that is already over for you?
I think it’s because I write such honest music, but to be honest, I still feel very attached to the experiences that wrote these songs. I’m still playing songs from my first album, which were written in 2009 and still find myself getting caught up in the emotion behind it. Sometimes the backstory changes, I think with this kind of songwriting, the story can change, it allows for that, but the basis of the song is still a very real part of who I am. I don’t think I’ll ever lose that connection. The songs are written more out of a life phase, than a creative phase, for me I guess.
You've had a very busy year and have travelled all over the country. What is the most difficult thing about touring?
I miss family and friends. I miss birthdays, and important events. I planned my touring this year around weddings. Lots of weddings. Probably the most difficult thing for me in the last year has been being on the road alone so much. I'm lucky in that I have friends and family around the country, so I don't spend all my time alone. But I'd like a crew that travels with me, someone to help me out with sound, and carry stuff (carry my piano!), and share the experience.
Tell us about the Fugard Theatre, which you'll be using for your Cape Town launch, and why it is your "dream space."
I am ridiculously ecstatic to play this venue. I heard about it when it first opened and remember thinking “Oooh, wouldn’t that be nice”. When I visited the venue on a Cape Town tour earlier this year, I literally fell in love when I walked in the room. It’s just such a gorgeous space. I do a lot of touring and I play in all kinds of venues around the country, but the one venue I haven’t been able to play very much in is a theatre. My music, to be fully appreciated, particularly in its solo acoustic format, needs to be taken in in silence - I think the emotional content lends itself better to that kind of space. Aside from offering the quiet of a theatre setting, the Fugard is just such an exquisite space. It’s also the perfect space to showcase a Kawai grand piano, which I don’t get to do very often!
Shannon performed there on the 5th November 2011, and had an "an epic dream-come-true night."
Being a musician who bares herself emotionally in front of an audience, do you find it unsettling performing in noiser venues with audiences that aren't as attentive?
It depends on the crowd, and the vibe of the place. Sometimes it’s fun to be a little less serious but I'm not really a loud "bar" kind of artist. I’d prefer to play more theatres because it allows for bigger show, an experience, rather than just another gig.
By a bigger show, do you mean a band?
Not necessarily. I'd love to have a band touring with me, but I still want to do the solo performances, play on a grand piano from Kawai 'cause they rock, and have that really special, intimate, personal kind of vibe. That's how I write songs. I write them as a whole song, just on piano with vocals. The other stuff is frills.
What do you think the best formula is for making a band work?
It depends on the band / artist. I've been in two bands over the last twelve years. When I started this solo project, I decided from the beginning that - and this is the reason I don't have a band yet - I want to be able to employ people. I'm running a business at the end of the day, trying to build a career.I would love them to be invested in the material, but I want to pay them a salary, and then avoid all of the politics and infighting [that often occurs with bands]. It serves what I'm doing. I'm a solo artist. I'm not a band. I'm not marketed that way.
"I’m simply looking for people who believe in the music as much as I do."
- Shannon, on the search for the right kind of record label.
What is the purpose for you, for having a record label, and what qualities would you need a record label to fulfil?
Having released an album independently once before, I’ve been able to set up distribution channels and make various contacts around the country that will serve to promote this release. The only thing missing is the major marketing budget that a major label could offer and I believe that this album deserves it. I think maintaining control is very important to a certain degree but I also think that you get to a point where you can’t handle it all on your own. In handing over the reigns to anyone, whether it be a record company, booking agent, publicist or manager, I’m simply looking for people who believe in the music as much as I do, and are willing to invest that belief in something more than a glorified bank loan.
Many people don't take the leap and pursue their passion. What would you say to musicians in a similar situation as to what you were 2 years ago (working a day job), and would you do anything differently in these last two years if you could do it all over again?
If you’re serious about wanting to be a musician, then go and be a musician. So many musicians wait around for something to happen, playing in the same venues, waiting for their big break to walk through the door. In fact, I’d challenge anyone who wants to be anything other than what they are, to go and be it. As big a commitment as this has been, I can honestly say that I’ve never been happier and I think that’s purely because I’m living my dream. It’s certainly not an easy industry and I’ve sacrificed a lot, particularly financially, to get where I am but there is an end goal and that keeps me focused. If I could go back and do it all over again, I’d probably do much of the same, but I wouldn’t take as much of it so seriously. This is a hard road, but I think it’s a necessary one to get you were you need to be.
Do you have a favourite movie score or soundtrack?
My first album was inspired by a movie, or at least, I was motivated to record it after I watched a movie called "Once." It has an amazing soundtrack. It's about two musicians who meet and have a musical relationship (as musicians do), and then part ways at the end. It captures that relationship so perfectly. The kind of music [the characters] recorded moved me to record my album. It was so raw and honest and real, and that's the kind of music that I wanted to make.
Having extensively toured South Africa, do you find there is a need for greater organization in terms of the live music network, and where can an application like Fanbible contribute the most?
Having some kind of centralised network, like an online hub with regional info, would make life so much easier for artists, particularly independents who aren’t necessarily working through booking agents and promoters. A regulated industry would make a huge difference! Aside from offering artists and event promotion, Fanbible’s biggest impact is on music fans, in giving them a life off the couch! You just keep doing what you’re doing!
