Shawn Lane Appreciation

[Achilles]

As long as he's come up in the other thread might as well start this. My first exposure to Shawn was reading Rusty Cooley talk about him around 2000. Picked up the CD Personae and listened to it on the way home from work. When the solo of Rice for Angels got going I literally had to pull over the car cause my brain stopped functioning right around when this started going down:



FUN FACT
The year Shawn released his first solo LP Powers of Ten he won 1st place in Guitar Player magazine for 'best new talent'.
He also placed 2nd in Keyboard magazine for the same honor.

 

[Achilles]

The dude knew melody too.

 

[FuzzyAce]

My first exposure was PoT original release version. Bought the tape without hearing a single note. Pretty sure I read about him in a guitar magazine first. At that year I was starting to play guitar and was already heavily listening to guys like Satch and Vai, EJ, among others. The album and certainly the playing blew me away because it sounded like nothing I'd ever heard before.

 

[Achilles]

PoT *** guys like Satch and Vai, EJ, among others.

Early 2000s I'm on a business trip with a client who I find out plays guitar and is into Satch, Vai, EJ, and others. I mention Shawn and have him listen to track one off of PoT. He's nodding along cause the song is very 80s solo shredder like and then it gets to the solo.

You hear the phrase 'his jaw hit the floor' all the time but have you ever actually witnessed it happen?
I did.

 

[FuzzyAce]

You hear the phrase 'his jaw hit the floor' all the time but have you ever actually witnessed it happen?
I did.

Pretty much! You're like 'wtf was that I just heard?" And the fact that he doubled the leads is incredible. Luckily for me it just inspired me to get better and figure out how he did that.
Still trying to figure it out.

 

[Achilles]

The solo we're talking about.



And an early live version.

 

[FuzzyAce]

The song that really sold me on Shawn was Gray Pianos Flying. The dance of the song, the tone, the tenderness and dryness in the solo and then how it builds up is magical imo. Gives me chills. Not to sound cheesy but it reminds me of the line in the movie Amadeus "This was no composition by a performing monkey. This was a music I’d never heard. Filled with such longing, such unfulfillable longing."

 

[FuzzyAce]

Love the rawness of this version and the brutal solo.
Glad you brought up Shawn.

 

[Achilles]

Still trying to figure it out.

I went crazy nuts for about a year trying to get somewhere near Shawn's chops - even down to crazy finger exercises away from the guitar to improve my stretch and dexterity. Finally had to throw in the towel and realize that he had a gift that you just couldn't practice yourself into.

One thing I always hear in my leads that I definitely got from him is phrasing lines using 6s and 9s rather than the standard 4s and triplets.
Classic Shawn right here using 6s.

 

[Achilles]

Love the rawness of this version and the brutal solo.

Ever seen the famous strat video? Buddy brought it over to Shawn's house and someone just happen to video him jamming on it.
The Hendrix just comes oozing out.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I went crazy nuts for about a year trying to get somewhere near Shawn's chops - even down to crazy finger exercises away from the guitar to improve my stretch and dexterity. Finally had to throw in the towel and realize that he had a gift that you just couldn't practice yourself into.

The only thing I always hear in my leads that I definitely got from him is phrasing lines using 6s and 9s rather than the standard 4s and triplets.
Classic Shawn right here using 6s.

View attachment 15939

His pure velocity was something else. It's one thing to know what he's doing but it's quite another to do what he's doing.
I'm much more naturally a legato player, and hybrid picker so doing alternate runs he did is pretty much out of the question.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Ever seen the famous strat video? Buddy brought it over to Shawn's house and someone just happen to video him jamming on it.
The Hendrix just comes oozing out.

Oh yeah, I think I've seen all the vids.

 

[Achilles]

His pure velocity

The Italian guitarist Alex Masi just about gets there. His solo disc Late Nights at Desert's Rimrock almost sounds like it could have been a Shawn album. Got to spend an afternoon with Alex and he told me about this night at an after gig party. Said he was pretty wasted but clearly remembered two things about Shawn. One, he could hear his picking, unplugged, from across the room over all the noise, and two, that Shawn was able to write his name and address down on paper with both hands simultaneously without looking, and while talking to you.

 

[FuzzyAce]

The Italian guitarist Alex Masi just about gets there. His solo disc Late Nights at Desert's Rimrock almost sounds like it could have been a Shawn album. Got to spend an afternoon with Alex and he told me about this night at an after gig party. Said he was pretty wasted but clearly remembered two things about Shawn. One, he could hear his picking, unplugged, from across the room over all the noise, and two, that Shawn was able to write his name and address down on paper with both hands simultaneously without looking, and while talking to you.

Not familiar with Alex's music, will check it out.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Someone told me I look like him.. Thanks, i guess?

 

[Achilles]

Not familiar with Alex's music, will check it out.

He starts blurring in Shawn stuff here:

 

[laxu]

Shawn Lane was an absolute monster of a player. I'd say the only living person who has that kind of playing ability today is Michael Romeo, his playing is so fluid and effortless looking. Very different style of course.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

I just leave this here…

 

[FuzzyAce]

I just leave this here…

Well yeah, Roy is incredible. He's also done some tutorials for Shawn Lane tracks.