HGMN Welcomes Andy Shaw Band

"We all belong to love/it's in our hearts/it's in my bones," Andy Shaw sings with a gripping rasp that can truly define his bands new record Own Resolve. Connected by blood, with 2 brothers and their father, and years of performing together, the flow is powerful and seamless. A band whose members have years of study on multiple instruments, the Andy Shaw Band thrives on bending genres. As the album comes out, the band is hitting the road and finding their path.

Andy spent many years of his life as an award winning trumpeter, and eventually attended the renowned Jazz school at the University of North Texas. Quickly his ears turned to songwriting, and after some time in Chicago he ended up in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio putting a full band together. "I want to make music that people can feel in their heart...the emotion, the groove, and the truth of the music. It's like when I listen to Toots and the Maytals, Paolo Nutini, and Ray Lamontagne. I can feel that passion." Songs like Righteous Ones, "We crawl out now/finding ways to rid ourselves of hate/and throw down our arms/for the right to believe in more," and the Limits, "Why can't our hearts let our love go free/into the past we can't see," evoke that feeling.

In 2004 the band started with Chris Shaw on drums, Jim Shaw on keys, and has featured several talented artists to fill out their sound such as Matt Paetsch on bass, Eric Zelinski and Theo Perry on lead guitar among others. After a Midpoint Festival performance in 2007, and an opening slot for State Radio in 2008, ASB began a 2 year residency at Ruby's in Columbus, Ohio. The weekly performance tightened their sound, and increased a fan base that remains loyal and continues to expand. "I love making relationships, traveling to different places, and connecting with all different kinds of people," says Chris Shaw. "everywhere we go I feel like our music appeals to such a wide audience."

Not long after the local press started to pick up on rumblings throughout the community of an electrifying live band on the scene. "the sound is an incredibly approachable tap into the reggae genre that is initially disguised by an almost alt-country feel and intense technical tightness, commanding audience respect, especially live." Dana Stewart wrote in Metromix Columbus. John Ross of Columbus Alive praised the group saying "the Andy Shaw Band. . .uses the best elements to create unique, laid-back grooves. Shaw and cohorts, among the hardest working musicians in town, have honed their trademark sound."

After two performances at the famed Bitter End in NYC, and an opening slot for JJ Grey and Mofro at Fall Hookahville 2010, ASB has earned regular performances all over Ohio, and begun touring through New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas. Heading into 2011 the band will release their new EP Own Resolve, will be performing a prime slot at the Columbus, Ohio showcase during SXSW in Austin, TX, and plans its first ever Reggae Rock Festival in Columbus which will be an annual event.



Own Resolve exhibits some of the best of what the Andy Shaw Band has to offer. Tight vocal harmonies, reggae groove, and touching lyrics, the album represents a band that has fully grown into their unique sound. The album opens with the first track We All Belong, as tight 3 part harmonies quickly excel into a reggae feel and something different. It's this different blend of an almost alt country tinge that is in the veins of this new album. Grown from natural inspirations on jam, reggae, blues, and pop, the Andy Shaw Band has found a way to make their songs exhibit them seamlessly, without coming off as poor substitutes. The album is a great combination of songwriting and groove, and looks to push the boundaries of how those elements interact.


Press
"Here we have the sound of Andy Shaw Band coming into its own. Ways of the World exhibits a fully-formed unit that transcends . . . ."
- Chris Deville, Columbus Alive

"Andy Shaw Band . . .uses the best elements to create unique, laid-back grooves. Shaw and cohorts, among the hardest working musicians in town, have honed their trademark sound."
- John Ross, Columbus Alive

"The sound is an incredibly approachable tap into the reggae genre that is initially disguised by an almost alt-country feel and intense technical tightness, commanding audience respect, especially live."
- Dana Stewart, Metromix Columbus

"There is a little Stevie Wonder, a little Steely Dan and a lot of fun to be found in the terrific little surprise that is Ways of the World."
- Rick Allan, The Other Paper

"Get ready to move and groove with the Andy Shaw Band! Live or on tape, get ready to rock!"
- Maggie Brennan, Music Director, WCBE 90.5