Bio/Press » Shane Tutmarc

NORTHWEST ROOTS IN SOUTHERN SOIL
“It’s usually when you’re in the least amount of control that the right things happen,” says Shane Tutmarc on his recent move to Nashville. A Seattle music fixture for the last decade, Tutmarc always found inspiration in the country, blues, and gospel of the American south. “The south has definitely been calling me,” said Tutmarc in an interview with the Seattle Weekly last summer. On the first day of a new decade, he answered that call and embarked on a journey across the country to Music City.

Tutmarc’s new album, Shouting at a Silent Sky turned up on many year-end lists including San Jose’s KZAM and Seattle’s Easy Street Records, and was lauded by critics as “emotionally searing” and “robust.” This album, according to Tutmarc, is about “staring the abyss in the face.” With themes of mortality, lost love, and spiritual disquiet, its message is anything but passive. Shane tells a story of fighting against apathy and demanding answers to life’s bigger questions.

Tutmarc first appeared fronting experimental pop group Dolour, and the Seattle Times quickly labeled him a “neo-Brian Wilson,” but it wasn’t long before his affinity for roots music began to take over. Tutmarc enlisted the help of his brother and cousin, forming the Traveling Mercies. KEXP called the project an "excellent outing of stripped-down rootsy rock flavored with gospel, country, blues and rockabilly." On his latest album, he meets listeners at a crossroads of his musical past and present, employing his strong pop sensibilities with the feverish energy of the southern music that inspires him.

Nashville’s writer-centric industry has led Shane to challenge his approach to a craft he’s been practicing for years. “In Seattle, I was exploring lots of different avenues that a town like Nashville can really cultivate,” says Tutmarc. Uprooting from the northwest and planting himself in Nashville’s fertile soils, Shane feels that he is in the right place to take advantage of his talents. Sometimes, even if something is working, you have to take it apart and examine all its parts to see how it works. Tutmarc’s unique ability to build something new out of seemingly disparate styles is at the core of what makes him stand out. His concoction of our country’s musical past and future will be right at home here in the heart of America.

"Shouting at a Silent Sky Review"
Don Yates (KEXP Music Director) / May 6, 2009 / KEXP
The Seattle singer-songwriter’s latest album (and the first recorded under just his own name) is not only his most musically well-rounded record, it’s also his best. Accompanied by Seattle mainstays Johnny Sangster (who also produced the album) and brother Jim Sangster along with Mark Pickerel and Ty Bailie, Tutmarc combines elements of garage-rock, folk, blues, country, gospel and pop into emotionally searing songs of spiritual disquiet and personal heartache.
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"Shane Tutmarc Finds His Voice in the Land of Faulkner"
BRIAN J. BARR / June 10, 2009 / Seattle Weekly
"The South has definitely been calling me," says Shane Tutmarc, who first visited the region last June. 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."
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"SeattleNoise: Shane Tutmarc and the Traveling Mercies"
SHAWN TELFORD / May 29, 2008 / Seattle PI
"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."
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"Interview: With the Traveling Mercies, Shane Tutmarc Is Bringing It All Back Home"
By SPIKE / January 23, 2008 / KEXP Blog
"When I first heard Shane Tutmarc and the Traveling Mercies on KEXP, the contrast to Dolour was such that I didn’t even recognize the vocalist. With an old-timey sound, sparse arrangements and nary a frill to speak of, everything served the song — with plenty of room left for some good old fashioned slapback echo to fill any remaining space. I assumed this was a side project, another accomplishment from a songwriter so talented he could dip his toe into another genre on a whim and turn out a rockin’, irresistible album. As it turns out, the Traveling Mercies are not in the slightest a temporary diversion."
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"Shane Tutmarc finds healing in his roots"
TOM SCANLON / October 19, 2007 / Seattle Times
"The slightly cracking voice is the same as in Dolour, but the musical style veers off on a different course. Rather than the blissful, Brian Wilson-esque pop of Dolour, songs like "Across the River" and "Search Me Lord" have the Traveling Mercies playing gospel-tinged R&B. "This is the music I need to heal," Shane Tutmarc said. Reflecting that fire-eyed sincerity is the title of the Traveling Mercies debut CD: "I'm Gonna Live the Life I Sing About in My Song."
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