Hey y’all – so again, a lot has happened since I’ve set aside the time to write on here. Hopefully you are all connected with our facebook music page, so you can see the more bite-sized updates on the reg. Since my NW tour with Star Anna in March/April, I’ve released the third (and probably final) installment of my cover series. I dug back into one of my initial inspirations, Nirvana. After discovering Elvis at 10, the Beatles at 11, it was really Nirvana at 12 that really brought it all together for me. “I can do that!” was my 12-year old response. Well here we are decades later, and I still haven’t done “that,” but it definitely got me started on my own musical journey. So it was with great pleasure that I dug into “Aneurysm,” which I first heard from 1992′s Incestide. I really wanted to stretch the arrangement as far from the original as I could. There’s musical references to Angelo Badalamenti’s work with David Lynch (Twin Peaks), Bernard Herrmann’s work with Hitchcock (Vertigo), as well as a little Michael Jackson Thriller vibes, which I couldn’t help but include. I always found it interesting that the background vocals on “Aneurysm” screamed “Beat it, beat it!” Again, I utilized the video editing skills of my brother and long-time right-hand-man, Brandon Tutmarc, this time using Jan Svankmajer’s claymation masterpiece “Darkness Light Darkness” as the visual backdrop to the song. Check out the video here…
Some of you may be wondering, “whatever happened to the next full-length album?” That is a very fair question, since I posted that we finished the album last September. Well, long story short, after some change-ups in our management team, we have now begun re-mixing the album which I promise will make it worth the wait. I am so pleased with the new mixes I am getting from Nathan Thomas (another long-time collaborator). He’s really bringing out the magic of the performances that Jason Miller so beautifully engineered. While a release date is still a ways off, the record should be in a much better place by the end of the month. As always, I will keep you up-to-date here. And keep checking our tour dates, we are focusing mainly on out of town dates this summer, with another trip to the NW this fall. See y’all at the shows!
On Tuesday, the 2nd installment of my “cover series” was released. With Aaron Tosti on drums, Justin Ward (of Scotty McCreery’s band) on pedal steel, and long-time collaborator Nathan Thomas doing the mixing, we took on Rilo Kiley‘s modern classic, Portions for Foxes. Nashville Scene named it one of their weekly “Fresh Tracks,” as well as saying “Cover master Shane Tutmarc… and a couple of his pals covered RK’s “Portions for Foxes,” and I’d say they did a nice job of it.” See the full feature: HERE. You can download it via iTunes, Amazon, or CD Baby.
And while Portions for Foxes was being released digitally, I was on a plane returning to Seattle for a series of shows with my long-time friend and NW sensation, Star Anna. Check out the banner above, and the show listings to the right to see if we are playing near you! As the shows progress, I will share more with you along the way. If you live around the NW, i will be seeing you soon!
Just wanted to keep you up-to-date with some cool stuff happening..
Our cover of Lana Del Rey‘s Ride, which has enjoyed near-”viral” status on YouTube garnering 2K views in less than 2 weeks, is now available for digital download! Nathan Thomas did a fresh mix/master for the download version, which has a much improved sound over the unmastered mix that’s been on YouTube. Featuring a cover photograph by Lauren Napier and a design by my brother Brandon Tutmarc, Ride is currently available via iTunes and CDBaby, but will be available thru Amazon and other digital outlets within 48 hours. Preview/buy: RIDE via iTunes,
RIDE via CDBaby.
Also – my good friend, Mary-Beth Blankenship has a photo of me is currently in the top 10 (out of 30+ photos) for Nashville Scene’s Photo Contest… but there is some stiff competition, so please share the link via email and social media to help out! The winner, apparently, gets the cover of Nashville Scene! How cool would that be?? See photo/vote: Nashville Scene Photo Contest.
Our second cover, in this series begun with Lana Del Rey’s Ride, has been sent to Nathan Thomas to be mixed. And look out for a special guest on this upcoming track!
After falling in love with Lana del Rey’s song and video for Ride, I decided to tackle my own version. I mostly recorded it at home by myself, but I brought in my longtime buddy and collaborator Aaron Tosti to provide the drums. Another longtime collaborator, Nathan Thomas mixed and mastered the song. We will have a digital release very soon! Check out the video for now…
Take a look at the EPK for our upcoming album. There’s interviews, photos and live footage that tells the story of the making of the album and the personal growths that came with it. Keep checking the sidebar for upcoming shows. There’s some Nashville stuff coming up as well as some more NW dates in late March/early April! More soon…
On Friday, September 14th we completed the mix for the still untitled next album. I couldn’t be happier with the results. It’s really a leap forward from any of my previous work. It’s been a busy summer since I last updated. Between finishing up the record, we also had the privilege to open a string of out-of-town shows for – the “Queen of Rockabilly – Wanda Jackson! I also made a cameo in her new video, Tore Down directed by my friend, Seth Graves. Look for me towards the end.
Backstage before our Birmingham,AL show opening for Wanda, I was interviewed by Birmingham’s Shine Spring Farms Podcast. You can listen to the interview HERE, which also debuts 3 songs from our upcoming record. Look forward to some changes around this website as we gear up for this heavy fall of working to get this record out.
Nashville based, Seattle born songwriter, musician and producer Shane Tutmarc is currently at work on his second album. Shane Tutmarc’s musical roots run deep: His great-grandfather, Paul, is credited with inventing the electric guitar, and his grandfather, Bud, was an acclaimed Hawaiian steel guitar player. 2010 saw Tutmarc relocate to Nashville fresh off the heels of his debut solo album, “Shouting at a Silent Sky." Before moving to Nashville, the youngest Tutmarc found success in his native Pacific Northwest as the central figure in Dolour, “a group whose best output mirrors The Shins and Jellyfish” (Nashville Scene). Many prominent Northwest musicians found their start in Tutmarc’s band, including a young Robin Pecknold (principle singer/songwriter for indie folk sensations, Fleet Foxes) who recently had this to say, “Shane is someone I'm very proud to have played music with when we were both coming up in Seattle - he's got an amazing ear for melody and a restless spirit of invention. Very few songwriters are as obsessed with their craft as my friend Shane.”
In 2012, Tutmarc spent time on the road opening for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend, Wanda Jackson, who gushed, “Shane Tutmarc is one of my new favorite voices in rock and roll!" His latest material reveals that he hasn’t dropped out of the Brian Wilson School of Popular Song, but he added soul and R&B to his curriculum, thanks in part to co-producer Mike Leech. Leech, a member of The Musicians Hall of Fame, was bass player and horn arranger on key sessions at Memphis’ American Sound Studio in the late ‘60s and ‘70s (Elvis, The Box Tops, Dusty Springfield, Neil Diamond and many others). Co-Producers Leech and RJ Stillwell have brought in iconic musicians for Tutmarc's project, including Michael Rhodes (Rodney Crowell, Etta James) and Chad Cromwell (Neil Young, Mark Knopfler).
Tutmarc has also found success with prominent film and TV placements, most recently on Anthony Bourdain’s hit show, The Layover (The Travel Channel) and the Bo Jackson documentary You Don't Know Bo (ESPN).
"Tutmarc combines elements of garage-rock, folk, blues, country, gospel and pop into emotionally searing songs of spiritual disquiet and personal heartache." - Don Yates, KEXP Music Director
"In the beginning, rock 'n' roll fused country, boogie-woogie and the blues. This up-tempo alloy of country, rhythm and blues is where Tutmarc reigns. It could be called modern roots because, yeah, it's a little bit rockabilly, a little bit '50s rock, maybe some cool cat swing in there, too. On top of everything, though, is Tutmarc's spirited voice, which is at home snarling or crooning, wherever the spirit takes him." - Shawn Telford, Seattle PI
"From the opening notes of his latest album, Shouting at a Silent Sky, it's obvious the land of Elvis and Faulkner has had a profound impact on the Seattle-born singer-songwriter. With his pencil-thin mustache and bowler hat, Tutmarc looks like he could be the star of a 1930s European film. But when he opens his mouth to sing, out comes a brass twang halfway between Dwight Yoakam and a young Steve Earle." - Brian Barr, Seattle Weekly
