Biography
Shannon Shaw commands attention as a garage rock force, fusing doo-wop harmonies and 1960s rock drive with the fearless edge of indie and underground currents. She first connected with listeners by fronting Shannon & the Clams. Raised in Northern California after her birth on May 21, 1983, she absorbed a steady stream of 1950s and 1960s oldies while growing up in Napa. Her father worked as a firefighter and her mother at a psychiatric hospital in a Mormon home where approved radio fare stayed limited to those vintage tracks. As a teenager she stood apart from peers and steered clear of athletes who targeted her. At fifteen a boyfriend handed her a silver-glitter Danelectro bass that she initially ignored, only returning to the instrument at twenty-five following a difficult split, when she began mastering it and crafting songs.
While enrolled at the California College of the Arts in the East Bay, she encountered Cody Blanchard. Early friction gave way to rapport once she viewed one of his video projects and recognized a shared sensibility. Blanchard handled guitar and matched her affection for older styles, prompting them to start a band. They added fellow student Ian Amberson on drums, and Shannon & the Clams made their first appearance in 2008. The next year brought the Hunk Hunt EP and the full-length I Wanna Go Home, issued by Oakland’s 1-2-3-4 Go! Records. Shaw soon balanced duties by singing with Shannon & the Clams while playing bass for another East Bay retro-garage outfit, Hunx & His Punx.
The label followed with Sleep Talk in 2011 and several singles across 2012. A move to the Sub Pop-affiliated Hardly Art imprint yielded Dreams in the Rat House in 2013, after which the group toured Australia in 2014. Gone by the Dawn arrived on Hardly Art in 2015 amid lineup shifts that placed Nate Mahan behind the kit in place of Amberson and expanded the unit to a quartet via keyboardist Will Sprott. Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, already an admirer, had steered an Australian promoter toward the band, sparking a connection that proved pivotal. Auerbach welcomed Shannon & the Clams to his Easy Eye Sound roster and produced their fifth album, Onion, which surfaced in February 2018. Four months afterward the label issued Shaw’s solo debut, Shannon in Nashville, recorded with session veterans Gene Chrisman and Bobby Wood and enriched by country and pop touches layered onto her established retro-garage foundation.
While enrolled at the California College of the Arts in the East Bay, she encountered Cody Blanchard. Early friction gave way to rapport once she viewed one of his video projects and recognized a shared sensibility. Blanchard handled guitar and matched her affection for older styles, prompting them to start a band. They added fellow student Ian Amberson on drums, and Shannon & the Clams made their first appearance in 2008. The next year brought the Hunk Hunt EP and the full-length I Wanna Go Home, issued by Oakland’s 1-2-3-4 Go! Records. Shaw soon balanced duties by singing with Shannon & the Clams while playing bass for another East Bay retro-garage outfit, Hunx & His Punx.
The label followed with Sleep Talk in 2011 and several singles across 2012. A move to the Sub Pop-affiliated Hardly Art imprint yielded Dreams in the Rat House in 2013, after which the group toured Australia in 2014. Gone by the Dawn arrived on Hardly Art in 2015 amid lineup shifts that placed Nate Mahan behind the kit in place of Amberson and expanded the unit to a quartet via keyboardist Will Sprott. Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, already an admirer, had steered an Australian promoter toward the band, sparking a connection that proved pivotal. Auerbach welcomed Shannon & the Clams to his Easy Eye Sound roster and produced their fifth album, Onion, which surfaced in February 2018. Four months afterward the label issued Shaw’s solo debut, Shannon in Nashville, recorded with session veterans Gene Chrisman and Bobby Wood and enriched by country and pop touches layered onto her established retro-garage foundation.
Albums
Singles
