Steve Shaw
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Steven Alan Shaw (born December 17, 1966 in St. Louis, Missouri, United States) is a professional musician, recording artist, and American songwriter. Shaw is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and has released three full length albums and two additional singles as part of compilation discs.
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[edit] About
Shaw’s first band of note was Joshua’s Song where he played bass guitar, covering Top 40 hard rock acts. He found that being in a cover band was not gratifying very quickly however, as he began to write material incessantly and soon formed the band Night Cafe in 1993. At the urging of his band mates, Shaw switched over to rhythm guitar and took over the vocals and the role of front man when Freeze the Hopper formed two years later.
Shaw signed a recording and distribution deal with Wisconsin independent label Prometheus Disc and Freeze the Hopper released “Illusions of Grandeur” in 1995 and “Burn” in 1997 to rave reviews.
Shaw’s song “Violets at Night” was voted St. Louis’ Best Rock Song in 1998 and was released as part of a compilation disc on Blueberry Hill Records. A year later, Ink Records of St. Louis signed his new single, “Something Here” to another compilation release, “Sound Bytes St. Louis”.
Suffering from burnout and the frustration of holding bands together for years, Shaw began to tour as a solo/acoustic artist in 2002 and entered the studio to begin recording his solo debut album in February of 2006. The 20-song disc, “Lay This Burden Down”, was released July 15, 2006. With the added freedom of being a solo artist, Shaw stretched his creative boundaries and turned to a more eclectic sound, mixing aspects of electric folk, americana, and British rock.
Shaw continues to tour constantly and lives in St. Louis with his daughter, Amelia Katherine.
In support of "Lay This Burden Down", Steve has toured throughout the Midwest with show stops in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa and Kansas. In 2008 and 2009, plans are to record a new album and continue pushing out with shows scheduled in Georgia, Oregon, Washington and California.
In 2010, Shaw began recording a new album in St. Louis, Missouri. According to a Missouri Free Radio interview, Shaw has tentatively titled his fourth album "Lonedell", and it will lean more towards American roots music and will feature fiddle player Brian Elder. In the fall Shaw released a statement saying that the release date for the disc will be pushed into 2011 due to personal issues.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
 2006 Night Cafe Records |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Something Here | Ink Records |
| 1996 | Violets at Night | Blueberry Hills Records |
| 1997 | Burn | Prometheus Disc |
| 1995 | Illusions of Grandeur | Prometheus Disc |
[edit] Other Artists
[edit] Influences
[edit] Contemporaries
[edit] Reviews
Malcolm Carter PennyBlackMusic
"In a year which has seen a number of really good albums from both new and established artists, Shaw has made his mark. There can't be any music lovers who have heard this album who haven't been touched by Shaw's musical vision. This is simply an album to love, one that will register from the first listen and which will still be turning up new surprises on the 20th play. It's outstanding and like nothing else released this year. There is no denying that this is a brilliant mix of folk-rock, Americana and the British invasion of the early 60's."
