photo: lonna drewes

"Trying to describe music is like reading the writing on a bottle of good tequila- it may tell you something, but you really won't know until you taste it." - Tom Shaner Tom Shaner is a critically acclaimed songwriter and performer, recording, producing, and performing mostly under his own name. He lives in downtown Manhattan. "Sounds somewhere between Talking Heads, Tom Waits and the Beatles."  - Mountain Express  "One of more impressive acts I've heard in years"  - Washington Post

His music is lively or somber, haunted, or, at times humorous, satirical.  

"Festooned with melodies and lyrical incisiveness."
- CMJ

Though he has written hundreds of songs, and co-written as well, he is also an admirer of many types of music. From Mississippi John Hurt to Hank Williams to Chuck Berry to Dylan to Joni Mitchell to the Stones, Clash, Beastie Boys, Tom Waits, Manu Chao, Bob Marley, Gillian Welch, Radiohead, on and on.

More new music from Tom is on the way.

"Vocalist Tom Shaner sounds simultaneously stuck in the clouds and the swamp mud."
- Flagpole, Athens, GA

He plays and performs all over the continental United States, most often in New York City. While in college he used to play in the New York City subways and started out playing "floating clubs." "Clubs" that rarely were in the same place week to week. You would here where it was going to be, people showed up with their songs, poems, rants, good and bad attitudes and cheap beer. That's where he met Lach who was an early supporter, let's not forget. Tom has gone to play many great venues in New York City such as Mercury Lounge, Fez, CBGB's, the Bowery Ballroom, Lakeside Lounge, etc. Early friendships with Daniel Harnett, Tom Clark, Jeff Buckley, Danielle Howle were important. He attended Bard College where he studied with Robert Kelly for one year then went onto NYU, studying under William H. Macey, David Mamet, & Stephen Schacter.

One of six children, his earliest music memories are hearing his mother play piano and Harry Belafonte records, his dad play some folk stuff, a few random Louis Armstrong 78’s, his brother play the Beatles, and seeing his father (though usually a kind and non-violent fella, in fact he was a man often quoting T.S. Eliot, Joyce , & Frost) kick in the stereo while one oldest sister played (turned up to 11) Led Zeppelin One. His father, though right handed, always clamed to be ambidextetrous, and sure enough, proved it with a swift, potent left footed kick. Smashing the stereo console.

Though always open to new music, he also reaches back to older stuff too. It is the best compost. Being given Elvis' Sun Sessions at 11 years old was significant.

Another major music moment was borrowing his high school girlfriend’s father’s "Freewheelin’" Dylan record. That same girlfriend also gave him his first real guitar, a Yamaha.

Lately, every Summer, it seems, he has been making many visits north of Manhattan to Vermont recording dozens (and dozens) of new songs at friend Finn Campman’s house in Putney. It is an 1850’s house surrounded by a sheep farm at one side, horses and roosters on the other. There, in the living room, by the window he has been laying down songs. Dogs bark, beers are spilled, birds chirp, sheep speak in sheep,  lost truck drivers screech there tires, rain falls, beers are spilled, again,all this sometimes heard in the background of the tracks. Using a couple of guitars, an old grand piano, a few shakers, a clay pot, an old melodica, harmonicas, a broken mandolin, and a few other handy objects, he has recorded dozens or more songs preparing the next release. Perhaps out in Fall 2006. Probably on Mother West.

As lead singer and songwriter for New York City based band Industrial Tepee, (which also included Paul Wegmann, Pete Fand and Bob Sharkey and Sound of Urchin's Tomato 11, and drummers Rob Cimino, Josh Margolis, Claude Coleman,jr., Phil Cohen  then later on John Turner on bass, then "Handsome" Dan Green but the first bassist in Tepee was old friend Whit Smith of Hot Club of Cowtown,) he put out three lauded releases (www.motherwest.com/tepee). The last was "What Divine Engine," on Mother West produced by Charles Newman and Ween drummer and leader of Amandla, Claude Coleman,jr. Tepee also put out a couple of videos, two directed by Chip Hourihan.

Tom Shaner has appeared on bills with a diverse range of artists. Dave Matthews, many bills with his late friend Jeff Buckley, close friend Danielle Howle of South Carolina, (www.daniellehowle.com) New York compadres Tom Clark, (www.tomclarkandthehighactionboys.com) Daniel Harnett, Claude Coleman, jr.'s Amandla, and many others. His songs have been heard on radio, TV shows (such as MTV’s "The Osborne’s"), many independent films, and even radio commercials. Yes, he did the music for "Tom's of Maine" toothpaste. He's done some acting in some independent film as well. In 2004 he wrote and starred in a" Folkadelica" at HERE in downtown New York City, a sort of one man show featuring some of his songs. Also co-produced and performed in several multi-media shows including Brooklyn's "Collision Machine", Vermont's "Lumenzcircus" & "Cabaret Sans Souci."

As of now he has four short videos he wrote and directed. More on the way. He recently completed and optioned to Unknown Citizen Films a screenplay and the songs he wrote for a Southwestern musical whose working title is "Dig." (www.digthefilm.com).

On other Vermont related fronts he has collaborated with Sandglass Theater co-founder, director Eric Bass (www.sandglasstheater.org) writing songs for Brecht's "Good Person of Szechwan," as well as songs for Max Frisch's "Firebugs."

Also a member of the Vermont based multi-media performing group "Company of Strangers" headed by Finn Campman. It was there he met singer Brooklyn's Emmy Bean who often will join with him on on some songs during one of his New York City shows. Other collaborators on various Vermont projects include artists Jana Zellar, Ben James Cynthia Houghton, Zak Grace, Todd Roach, Aurora, Corsano, Matt Sharf, John Singer, Caglayan Sevincer (now in Turkey), and the great singer Molly Melloan with whom Tom produced a few recording sessions, and many others.