WALK ON THE 'OCEANS': A few days ago, my day got very bright when I received in the mail, a complimentary copy of Shannon Marsyada's new CD, Oceans. It came along with a 'thank you' card which read: "Rob! Thank you soooo much for your online support and also for being a contributor to this body of work! I hope you find this was a good 'investment'!"
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| Oceans is the third release from Pennsylvania's Shannon Marsyada, available July 29 |
Shannon was referring to her Kickstarter drive to fund her new album, which she began recording late last year, and which is being released later this month. The album features eleven songs, all written by her.
In case you are not familiar with Shannon Marsyada, let me fill you in. She is one of the "up-and-coming" artists that I have been following on my blog since its inception. She is a singer/songwriter hailing from Hazelton, PA, area in the east-center of the state and pretty much grew up in that area. She has spent her time working in the area, raising a family (her husband Mike and three children) and doing much charity and community-oriented work in her area. As for her music aspirations, she, like many, started singing at a very early age. Her music teacher got her into the piano to go along with her singing. She had a very good ear for music and would often remember a song progression. While things didn't exactly work out with her teacher at the time, as years went on, Shannon would remember many things that her teacher had taught her. And although she doesn't want to admit it, she also plays a mean guitar as well, and some of her videos support that.
Shannon met her husband Michael from an ad at a local bar recruiting fellow musicians, and he was an instrumentalist. He answered the ad, and it seemed like magic ensued even though they had never met before. They began a series of music excursions and soon began doing some recording together. Her and Michael tied the knot in 2000 and has a hand in her current recording.
Check out the video below of Shannon in 2018 on an episode of a local talk show called 'The Girls':
Her first album, The Ends of Me, was released in 2008. The album debuted her awesome strong vocals and piano accompaniment, occasional with power bass and drum beats. While she has claimed that Adele, for example is an influence, the album came out before that British singer became popular. One song from that set, the title "The Ends of Me", was added to my blog playlist, the SNS 100 and reached my top 40 several years later, in early 2017.
For her next set, Shannon teamed up with drummer Mike Hawke and bassist Lisa Welch. Billed as the Shannon Marsyada Trio, she released For You in December 2011. The group setting enabled her to stretch out, both in her songwriting and vocal abilities, to achieve a more indie-rock oriented outing, perhaps echoing British artist Florence Welch.
It is during this configuration that I was fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time. It was October 2013, and myself, loving the autumn, found out there was a three-weekend fall foliage festival going on in Jim Thorpe, PA, along the banks of the Lehigh River. My wife and myself set on out here for the day, and took a train ride from the fair area along the river, then upon returning to the site, did some shopping there as well as in town. Just then, I could hear an Adele song coming from a gazebo on the grounds. I believe then there was a Florence + the Machine song playing after that. It didn't take long to draw me over there. I listened to the magic that was being made. Then came an original from that set, "What You Do To Me", a bouncy, optimistic romp that just grabbed my ear and didn't let go.
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| The Shannon Marsyada Trio performs at the Jim Thorpe (PA) fall festival in 2013. That's Shannon on keyboards on the left. |
In November of that year, I added the song to my blog playlist, and in January 2014, it topped my chart. When it was released, it was selected to the New Songwriter's Hall of Fame, a big honor. The trio, aside from venues in Pennsylvania, also played New York's Hard Rock Café, and The Bitter End.
To be honest, I lost track of her by the middle part of the decade. I found out about "The Ends of Me" from her debut, and added it to my list in late 2016, peaking here at #39. But it wasn't until 2018 that Shannon "re-emerged". I found her new Facebook page and re-friended her. I realized that she had some good musical projects going on, so that timing was perfect. Once again a solo act, she released a stand-alone single, "Tough Girl", that peaked on my list at #4 last fall. But that was just the beginning. Marsyada was about to make another album and was soliciting funds via Kickstarter, and as a fan, I contributed.
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| Shannon at the Jim Thorpe Festival in 2013. |
So, what about Oceans? I am happy to say that it was definitely worth the wait. Revisiting more of the vocal and piano motif of her 2008 debut, but with an additional ten years of experience, stronger vocals and accompaniment, the album is a winner. Things lead off with "The Message', an introspective vocal with piano, setting the stage for much of the set. With an keyboard arrangement by John Rosenfeld and guitar work by Joachim Kvarby Engval, the song builds up to a soulful finish, with Shannon's strong vocal matching her backing instrumentalists down the home stretch.
Next comes "Oceans", the eventual title track that was actually debuted back in November 2018 via a performance video. Another emotional and soulful piano ballad, I had added it immediately to my playlist as the follow-up to "Tough Girl". Unfortunately, it was around this time that my computer was hacked, and I eventually had to buy a new desktop. A stipulation for inclusion on the SNS 100 is that the song must be available as a digital download. When I got my new computer and backtracked with all the downloads of songs I added in latte November and early December, I realized that "Oceans" was not yet available; that would come with the release of the album. The track peaked at #4 early this year, as I waived that requirement as I didn't want to remove it completely. Because that track wasn't realized to its full potential, I re-added the song this week; it comes back in at #81 this week.
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| Shannon performing in February 2019 |
"Caught Falling", is one of my two favorite tracks on the record. It is an uptempo tour de force, that perhaps harkens back to her "Trio" days. With production by her husband Michael, this is a track that you most certainly can jam to. I've selected this song as my first "emphasis track", and it is this week's Hot Debut at #60. While perhaps Adele is an underlying influence, this also has hints of the late Amy Winehouse sprinkled in.
"Say It More", the next song, is the only one which has a co-writer, that being Scott Tran. While perhaps the Adele comparisons are inevitable, you can't really relate it that way, since Shannon's vocals are of higher range, and of course, do not have the British slant to it, but that works to her advantage. A more accurate comparison would be with Sara Bareilles. If "Caught Falling" has a bit of Amy Winehouse sprinkled in, then her influence is more felt on "A Love That Doesn't Hurt", a strong but tender ballad. If a single were released, it would be a great candidate. "Words", another piano and vocal, has Shannon trolling Adele during her down 21 era (think "Someone Like You"). A more positive song in the similar vein is next, "You Carry Me". The song has elements of Alanis Morisette's "Head Over Feet", the one optimistic song from that singer's 1995 Jagged Little Pill set, but also the theme echoes Anne Murray's 1978 hit, "You Needed Me". "Be Enough" once again shows Shannon's vocal ability, with once again production from her husband. "Meteor" is enhanced by a nice string arrangement.
After a series of slow ballads, things pick up once again with "You Take Me Away", definitely a song that would really go over live. A positive song and vibe, she places much soul in her voice while the song continues to drive with the guitar accompaniment. I found myself bouncing back and forth to it.
But perhaps the most emotion-raising track comes next. Another one of the best songs from her album is one that she doesn't sing on. "Worth Their Fight" is a song that perhaps could find a home during July 4th, if not Memorial Day, 9/11, or Veteran's Day. Sung by featured vocalist Matt Dame, it's about facing the inconveniences of life like waiting in traffic and having to deal with a rough 9-to-5 job, but then realizing that we all have it great, thanks to those service men and women overseas keeping our freedom so that we can enjoy the highs (and lows) of our day-to-day lives. Not surprisingly, the song has somewhat of a country flavor to it
The album concludes with "Little Bit of Heaven", a perfect close. It's about perhaps a rebirth after a down time. The singer assures us that everything will be alright; seeing the positive aspects and looking forward to a next meeting, and seeing the best in a person.
So, what do I think of the album, and is there anything negative about it? Perhaps I could say its reliance on several vocal and piano ballads, but that's only because I naturally gravitate to fully instrumented up-tempo songs. But remember, this is a hallmark of a successful singer-songwriter and these ballads are the perfect vehicles for a live acoustic performance. I played the album for my wife Barbara, who loved it; she likened her to Melissa Manchester, a singer-songwriter who had three top 10 hits between 1975 and 1982. That having been said, I look forward to seeing her play again. She constantly plays many of the pubs and venues in the eastern Pennsylvania, and perhaps an overnight trip from New Jersey out into the Keystone State is in order soon.
For more information as to what Shannon Marsyada is all about, check out her Facebook page: ShannonMarsyadamusic. She'll be holding a CD release party on July 28, at the Four Blooms restaurant in Drums, PA, at which time, the album will drop commercially.
I've written this blog for almost nine years, and while I do listen to many types of songs and artists, it's the obscure, up-and-coming artists that I constantly want to champion and give them exposure. Like I have previously with the likes of Rachel Allyn, Hegazy, Paul Czekaj, and Tom Corea's projects, among others, Shannon has so much to say.
Once again, many thanks to Shannon Marsyada for her touching music and most of all, friendship.
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SHAKE-UP, SHAKEDOWN. Shannon's Top Debut (and re-entry) are just one of the storylines of my SNS 100, the currents playlist that I listen to. After a rather stagnant top of the list the last few months, there is a big shakeup at the top. "Kombacha" by Winnetka Bowling League, makes a big jump from 6 to 1 this week. The project, headed by DJ/Producer Matthew Koma from their second release, the EP Cloudy With a Chance of Sun, become Koma's first SNS chart topper. Koma, who just recently got engaged to actress Hilary Duff, had his first blog hit "Parachute", hit #5 back in 2013, which remains his biggest solo hit to date. He was featured on The Knocks' "I Wish (My Taylor Swift" which reached #6 here. "Hard to Love" was another big song here, peaking at #11. Winnetka's first single, "On the 5", reached #6 last December. Telekinesis' "Like Nothing" (5-2) and The Big Takeover's "Shy" (4-3) also bullet in the top three. Five-time chart topper The Black Keys' "Lo/Hi" falls to #4, while Jonas Brothers' "Sucker" (3-5) round out the top five.
The bigger news is further down the chart. The two "country/hip-hop" songs I mentioned last week, take big jumps on the chart. The new genre, apparently given the name "Hee-Yaw" is rapidly catching on. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus' "Old Town Road", holds at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a 14th week; only ten songs in the near 61 year history of that chart have been at the top as long or longer. On the SNS 100, where I added the song two weeks ago, the song is finally catching on with me, and jumps 81-41 here. With songs my major artists, such as Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and this week, Shawn Mendes, debuting with #2 with their latest releases, there doesn't seem to be anything out there to stop Nas from breaking the record for longest #1. That currently belongs to two songs: "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men in 1995-96, and "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, both of which held for 16 weeks, the latter reaching #21 here in 2017.
Here's a prediction: The one song that may unseat "Old Town Road" is another "hee-yaw" song, "The Git Up" by Blanco Brown. On the Hot 100, it moves 29-16 but on my list, it jumps over "Old Town Road", leaping from 90-36 and taking Mover of the Week honors. The song also tops the Billboard Country chart this week! And here's a stat not seen in a while: Four songs in Billboard's Top 7 are on my list. With the lackluster response to recent blogs (which mainly focus on alternative rock), perhaps it's time for a change. There will be an announcement in an upcoming blog regarding its future. As they say, if you can't beat 'em…..
DOUBLE FITZ: Aside from Shannon's two entries, there are also two debuts from Fitz & the Tantrums, coming off the band's 12th SNS #1, "123456". Apparently, while I was listening to their last biggie, the band released three singles in succession, a few weeks apart. The first two, "Don't Ever Let 'Em" and "I Need Help", make strong debuts at #73 and #64, respectively. A new, fourth album has been announced: All the Feels, of which the title track has also been released as a single, will drop on September 28. "I Need Help" is the best of the trio, although "Don't..." comes close as well. "Don't Ever Let 'Em", which retaining their poppish beat of their recent material, has much more meaningful lyrics harkening back to their neo-soul era, while "I Need Help" takes that one step further, injecting a decent bouncy beat. While still not comparable to their early soul-oriented material, once again Michael Fitzpatrick's voice rescues it from potential lameness. But, the big question remains: will a return to more serious lyrics after songs like "HandClap" and "123456" be enough to reverse their waning chart fortunes? The latter song, incidentally is still moving up the Adult Top 10 (Hot AC) charts on Billboard, 29-27 this week.
Also debuting is the latest from Cold War Kids, "Complainer", from their forthcoming New Age Norms; Florence + the Machine's mellow and surreal "Jenny of Oldstones" from the recently ended TV series Game of Thrones, Slothrust's "Peach", a more rhythmic follow-up to their top five "Rotten Pumpkin"; The Struts' "In Love With a Camera", their follow to the #13 "Body Talks". Making their SNS debut is Sleater-Kinney, a band from Olympia, Washington, with "Hurray On Home". The band is hardly new; their debut goes all the way back to 1994. They did appear once on my blog: 2015's "A New Wave" was a Tremor (bubbling under) at #104.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
July 7, 2019
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 6 |
NUMBER ONE:
Album: Cloudy With a Chance of Sun (EP)
|
5 |
| 2 | 5 | Telekinesis - Like Nothin' | 6 |
| 3 | 4 | The Big Takeover - Shy | 7 |
| 4 | 1 | The Black Keys - Lo/Hi● | 15 |
| 5 | 3 | Jonas Brothers - Sucker | 13 |
| 6 | 8 | Beck - Saw Lightning | 9 |
| 7 | 9 | Meg Myers - Running Up That Hill | 9 |
| 8 | 2 | Lil Peep and IloveMakonnen f Fall Out Boy - I've Been Waiting● | 14 |
| 9 | 14 | The Driver Era - Low | 6 |
| 10 | 11 | Pageants - Will-O'-the-Wisp | 7 |
| 11 | 7 | Nick Waterhouse - I Feel An Urge Coming On | 12 |
| 12 | 12 | Elton John and Taron Egerton - I'm Gonna Love Me Again | 8 |
| 13 | 16 | The Blue Stones - Be My Fire | 9 |
| 14 | 17 | Lana Del Rey - Doin' Time | 5 |
| 15 | 20 | Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho | 8 |
| 16 | 15 | Thomas Rhett - Look What God Gave Her | 9 |
| 17 | 13 | The Holiday Band - Yours | 9 |
| 18 | 10 | Tame Impala - Patience | 11 |
| 19 | 23 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
Album: Jade Bird
|
14 |
| 20 | 30 | The Black Keys - Go | 4 |
Songs with the greatest increase in
favorite points over the prior week.
● Songs
with 25 or more plays on my iPod.
▲ Songs with 50 or more
plays on my iPod.
¨ Songs with 100 or more
plays on my iPod.
The “Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100” is a list
of current and recent song playlist which I am listening to.
.
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