Rees Shad
& The Conversations
Western Massachusetts based quartet Rees Shad & The Conversations harken back to a swinging and melodic era of American music. The group intersperses sets of original material with interesting jazzy interpretations of the modern American songbook. The band sits as comfortably in intimate coffee house spotlights as when they energize large audiences in theaters.
The band consists of singer/songwriter/guitarist, Rees Shad joining long time drummer Bobby Kay, bassist Jeff Link, and percussionist Carlos Valdez to explore musical territory that is at once original and familiar. The band has been wowing audiences with their unique and swinging form of Americana music.
Band Bio...
Rees Shad & The Conversations are a swinging quartet playing original Americana performed with an awareness of mid 20th Century jazz and modern narrative perspective. The band relies on the narrative songwriting of singer/guitarist Rees Shad (who Goldmine Magazine has called a “consummate performer and entertainer”), while maintaining a foundation of consistent and engaging collaborative improvisation. The group sits just as comfortably in an intimate jazz club as they do in a coffee house, rock club, or theater.
Shad’s songs have been described as having “an element of vintage…not retro, not antiquated, but freshly conceived” (Americana Highways) that audiences recognize as equal parts original and familiar. With influences ranging from Cole Porter and Louis Jordan to Paul Simon and John Prine, the band (consisting of Shad, drummer Bobby Kay, bassist Jeff Link, and percussionist Carlos Valdez) has been steadily gaining fans with their infectious joy for performance and song.
Press...
“An accomplished and seasoned artist.”
-Album Network
“An eye for detail and gift for absorbing narrative.”
- Stereo Review
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“A rare class inhabits the man's songwriting that's not often encountered today.”
-Graham Parker
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“A glorious American Songbook… A brilliant, deeply American writing…powerful and suggestive.”
​-Il Sussidiario (The Subsidiary)
Contact...
The band is always looking to expand their audience. Have an engagement opportunity or a potential press piece? Reach out! We're friendly as all get out.
518-796-0863
Photography
Credits...
Lindsey Morano, David Dashell, & Ben Garver
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Do you need high resolution images? Email us for a Dropbox link.