So then, what’s the band name and what do you ‘do’ in the band?
My name is Shane Walters, and I’m a self-managed 100% independent singer/songwriter. I write the music, record it, produce it, promote it, tour it, write more of it, sing it, live it and breathe it.
What do you love about making music?
Music is like a fractal in many ways, because of its structured formula there’s always new ways to hear the music and arrangements. Learning more and more patterns of music and how they relate to emotions is something that interests me greatly.
What do you hate about the music industry?
The fact that my mind has been blown away and my heart melted numerous times by extremely talented musicians from across the globe, and they have little chance of pursuing their gift on a full-time basis. But this is changing! With global social media platforms evolving rapidly, we can become connected with people across the world and grow the awareness of our music. Record labels will be as useful as a printed-copy of this magazine in 10 years.
What can a punter expect from your live show?
Me playing my lapslide guitar, ukulele, an array of other guitars, and singing raspy melodies, whilst being accompanied by extremely talented musicians.
What’ve you got to sell CD-wise?
I’ve got a couple of EPs that I sell at shows, but I’m about to give birth to a full-length album called Box Of Birds. It will be available online for download in a few months purely based on donation. I believe the ability to listen and enjoy music should not be determined by whether or not you can afford to. Once you’ve downloaded it, if you feel you connect with it and it’s worth supporting, there will be options available to you to do so. Instead of “gimme 20 bucks and I hope you like it all”.
One day left before the apocalypse and you…
Realize that I should’ve made up better answers to this Q&A. Probably sing, listen and dance to my favourite music with good folks somewhere away from any city, while having a little bitch that should’ve paid more attention to Dr David Suzuki!
Anything else to add?
I am the host of Melting Pot’s Open Mic Mondays every week for the month of March at Bertha Brown.
