Jon Shain Explained

Jon Shain
Background:solo_singer
Birth Name:Jonathan Bruce Shain
Birth Date:18 November 1967
Birth Place:Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States
Genre:Folk, Americana, Piedmont blues
Occupation:Guitarist, singer-songwriter
Years Active:1980–present
Label:Flyin' Records
Current Members:Jon Shain Trio
FJ Ventre: upright bass
John Currie: dobro and guitar
Bill Newton: harmonica

Jon Shain (born Jonathan Bruce Shain, November 18, 1967 in Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States) is an American folk musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer, teacher, and recording artist based in Durham, North Carolina. Shain is the 2019 International Blues Challenge winner in the solo/duo category.[1]

Shain has released ten solo albums, and has also recorded with the bands WAKE and Flyin' Mice. Since 1988, he has performed live with Jorma Kaukonen, David Grisman, Jackson Browne, John Hiatt, and others. Shain played electric guitar as part of Big Boy Henry's backing band in the 1980s.

Early life

Shain is Jewish, the eldest of three children to Steven and Carol Shain, who are also Haverhill, Massachusetts natives. His father and grandfather operated a small but successful textile dyehouse.

Shain got his first acoustic guitar after being influenced by watching childhood friend Fran Cleary play a cheap Univox electric model. Things went poorly, as within a short time, he accidentally broke the rented instrument in half. At age 12 he started up again with another borrowed model, this time showing more serious interest and taking lessons.

For high school, Shain attended The Governor's Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts, where he met up with other aspiring musicians among its small student body. Almost immediately, Shain joined a student rock band called Positive Feedback, where he played electric rhythm guitar and first performed live on stage. At age 14, he was the youngest member of the band. The following year, Shain and childhood friend Jim Barr, along with fellow students FJ Ventre and John Miller, formed another rock cover band called The Partisans (the band's name unknowingly matched an already established punk band from the UK). This experience further sharpened his skills and confidence as a live performer, as he was responsible for most of the arrangements performed by the band.[2] The Partisans achieved minor notoriety throughout the region, playing dances and private parties during Shain's remaining years in high school. Eventually mixing in originals by Shain and Barr, The Partisans live set mainly consisted of classic rock staples from Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, R.E.M., and U2.

Shain graduated from the academy in 1985.

College years

Shain attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where he majored in history.[3] It was during this time that Shain was introduced to the folk music of the region. In addition to playing in a frat-rock cover band, The Blind Mice, Shain began to research and play Piedmont blues. Shain joined The Slewfoot Blues Band, led by Mickey "Slewfoot" McLaughlin and "Sleepy" Tom Forsythe. Through Slewfoot, Shain met North Carolina blues artists such as Big Boy Henry, John Dee Holeman, Lightnin' Wells, and jazz pianist Brother Yusef Salim. Shain has described his style of blues as being based on Piedmont blues and has said, "I'm interested in the kinds of songs that aren't necessarily in standard blues progressions."[4] Shain also took opportunity of Duke's jazz program, studying one semester with saxophonist Paul Jeffrey, a veteran of Thelonious Monk's group. Shain graduated from Duke in the summer of 1989, and immediately began pursuing a career in music.[5]

Professional career

In 1989, Shain and bassist John Whitehead formed a blues-rock duo, Flyin' Mice. They began to play shows at local clubs and festivals in The Carolinas and Virginia. Catching the ear of soundman and recording engineer Charles Jones, Flyin' Mice was signed to Jones' fledgling independent label Dr. Lime Records. The Mice expanded to a trio with the addition of drummer Mark Simonsen. In 1992, John Whitehead left the band and was replaced by bassist Aaron Oliva and Ben Saffer on guitar and banjo. Flyin' Mice earned the tag "psychedelic bluegrass", due to its incorporation of vintage bluegrass influences into its jam-rock performance style. This incarnation of the band gigged steadily up and down the East Coast until the band's breakup in 1996.

In 1996, Shain and Simonsen started a new group called WAKE, with Kirsten O'Rourke Simonsen on vocals and Stu Cole on bass. In 1997, Cole left to join Squirrel Nut Zippers and he was replaced by Darrell Dixon on bass and John Currie on guitar. WAKE leaned more towards an alt-country sound. WAKE broke up in early 1998.[6]

In 1998, Shain and Simonsen began work on what would become Jon Shain's first solo album, Brand New Lifetime, which ranged from the alt-country of WAKE to a more stripped down re-discovery of Shain's acoustic blues background. Shain began to play shows solo and with his new group, The Jon Shain Trio – composed of FJ Ventre on bass, John Currie on dobro and guitar, and Bill Newton on harmonica. This group stayed together the longest of any of Shain's musical associations. Shain has recorded several albums on his own Flyin' Records and continues to tour and record regularly with FJ Ventre.[7]

Recognition

Shain was the winner of the North Carolina's Indy Award for Best Folk Act in 2006. In 2008 and 2018 he won the Triangle Blues Society's Blues Challenge.[7] He was the 2019 International Blues Challenge winner in the solo/duo category.

Discography

Solo albums

1999Brand New LifetimeFlyin' RecordsCD
2001Fools and Fine LadiesFlyin' RecordsCD
2003No Tag, No Tail LightFlyin' RecordsCD
2005Home Before LongFlyin' RecordsCD
2007Army Jacket WinterFlyin' RecordsCD
2009Times Right NowFlyin' RecordsCD
2011The Kress SessionsFlyin' RecordsCD
2013Ordinary CatsFlyin' RecordsCD
2014ReupholsteredFlyin' RecordsCD
2018Gettin' Handy with the Blues - a Tribute to the Legacy of W.C. HandyFlyin' RecordsCD

Other albums

1988Big Boy Henry & The
Slewfoot Blues Band
Big Boy Henry & The
Slewfoot Blues Band
Self-releasedCassette
1991Flyin' MiceSo Hi DriveDr. Lime RecordsCD and Cassette
1992Flyin' Mice"Paranoia Drugstore Blues" b/w "Running Free"Dr. Lime Records7" single
1994Flyin' MiceBrighter DayDr. Lime RecordsCD and Cassette
1996Flyin' MiceSo LongSelf-releasedCassette
1997WAKEWAKEFlyin' RecordsCD
2016Jon Shain and Joe NewberryCrow the DawnFlyin' RecordsCD
2018Jon Shain and FJ VentreTomorrow Will Be Yesterday SoonFlyin' RecordsCD
2021Jon Shain and FJ VentreNever Found a Way to Tame the BluesFlyin' RecordsCD

Other recording appearances

1999David Scott KepfordStepsDSK RecordsCD
2000Phil Cohen and Patricia FordCaution to the WindHard Miles MusicCD
2001Judy Woodall's MuletrainBlack PonyBack Home MusicCD
2003Phil Cohen and Patricia FordLong Road 'til SunriseHard Miles MusicCD
2003Judy Woodall and MuletrainMonkey Goat SinnermanBack Home MusicCD
2004Dana KletterMrs. MoonCD
2008Jefferson PepperAmerican EvolutionAmerican Fallout RecordsCD
2010Jim AvettTribesRamseur RecordsCD
2010Greg HumphreysRealign Your MindPhrex RecordsCD
2010Danny GothamGuitarheelNuffsaid RecordsCD
2010Jon ShainSong for Isabellain the film Generation ExileDVD
2010Jon ShainWinter Waits Hudson Harding Holiday Sampler vol. 5 CD
2011Jim AvettSecond ChancesRamseur RecordsCD
2014Danny GothamRepastNuffsaid RecordsCD
2016Phil Cohen and Patricia FordThreads of GoldHard Miles MusicCD
2016Isabel TaylorAwake AgainSelf-releasedCD
2016Suzanne SchmidThe Field HandSelf-releasedCD
2016Penny Pierceself-titledSelf-releasedCD
2017And DanFor Better and for WorseSelf-releasedCD
2017Rick DrostTurning the WorldSelf-releasedCD
2017Leah KaufmanOn to Something FineSelf-releasedCD
2018Wes CollinsWelcome to the EtherSelf-releasedCD
2018Karyn OliverA List of NamesSelf-releasedCD
2018Barry GrayFootstepsSelf-releasedCD
2019Isabel TaylorIsabel TaylorSelf-releasedCD
2019Leah KaufmanMidnight RefrainSelf-releasedCD
2019Kirby HeardMama's BiscuitsSelf-releasedCD
2019Alex HardyCome out the WestSelf-releasedCD
2020Penne SandbeckHwy 17 RevisitedSelf-releasedCD
2020Penne SandbeckGypsy Mountain ManHudson Harding Holiday Sampler vol. 15CD
2020Jon Shain and FJ VentreThank God the Liquor Stores Don't Close on Christmas EveHudson Harding Holiday Sampler vol. 15CD
2021Donna HerulaBang at the DoorSelf-releasedCD
2021Lynn Swisher SpearsWalking the CatSelf-releasedCD

Family life

In 1997, Shain married graphic designer Maria Bilinski. The couple have one daughter, Johanna, born in 2002. Shain has written a song for each of them, both of which can be found on Army Jacket Winter.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Weeks. Isaac. August 10, 2020. International Blues Challenge champion is a veteran musician, and he's having a moment. Newsobserver.com.
  2. Web site: Modern Folk Blues: Jon Shain and FJ Ventre. 2020-08-10. Tallahassee Arts Guide. en-US.
  3. Web site: Duke Magazine-Jon Shain '89, Hitting the road with the circus-Mini-Profiles-January/February 2008 . Dukemagazine.duke.edu . May 29, 2014.
  4. Web site: Jon Shain – Ordinary Cats – Americana Music Show Podcast . Americanamusicshow.com . February 25, 2013 . May 29, 2014.
  5. Web site: Jon Shain Folk from Durham, NC. 2020-08-10. Reverbnation.com. en.
  6. Web site: Cornell. Rick. August 10, 2020. Great music from Jon Shain. Countrystandardtime.com.
  7. https://www.sugarmagnoliacafe.com/event/an-evening-with-jon-shain-fj-ventre/