Description
Imagine The Beatles’ ‘White Album’ crashing head-on with Wilco’s ‘Summerteeth.’ It’s an electric folk, Americana, and Brit-rock mix influenced by the likes of Tom Petty, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. Singer/songwriter Steve Shaw has put together an array of instruments and musicians to create this 20-song vision, ‘Lay This Burden Down’.

An abundance of guitars mixed with flute, mandolin, melodica, harmonica, banjo, piano, organ, fiddle, and dobro creates a variety and flexibility to this recording that reminds one of the pop rock of ELO and The Beatles to the acoustical folk quaintness of Damien Rice.

Shaw’s lyrics are filled with both pain and understanding; hope and despair. He questions spirituality, religion and politics. Raised in a middle-class family that was deeply rooted in the union trades, Shaw often champions the working class and the social aspects of the poor versus the rich; the powerful versus the powerless. He often writes about his self-described addiction to music and the belief in the power of it.


Credits
All songs written and arranged by Steve Shaw
copyright 2006 Night Cafe Productions (ASCAP)

engineered by Ron Sallee
produced by Steve Shaw and Ron Sallee
additional mixing by David Probst
mastered by David Probst

Steve Shaw ~ vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar, harmonica, mandolin, piano, organ, 4-string banjo, keyboards, percussion.

Roger Mitchell ~ electric and acoustic guitars, melodica, backing vocals

Stacie Mitchell ~ flute, vocals

guest musicians ~ Toby Mechem, Jim Fowler Jr., Dan Kathriner (drums); Steve Fowler (bass); Colin Blair (fiddle); Diana Starr (piano, backing vocals); Sean Gorman (slide guitar, keyboards); Ron Sallee (slide guitar, dobro, electric lead, keyboards).