
Rees Shad made a name for himself as a wordsmith troubadour traveling the country and the world sharing his particular blend of Americana gothic storytelling. He released several albums which were warmly received by Americana radio and music critics around the world in the 90’s but withdrew from touring in 2001 in order to focus more on a wider ranging palette of compositions recording music for theater, animation, and film.
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Over the years, Rees has recorded over 16 solo albums with compositions often influenced by classic American songbook writers such as Carmichael, Dixon, the Gershwins, and Porter, and in 2019 Rees returned to performance with a band he dubbed The Conversations. Phil Henry called these guys a “horde of stone-cold killers.”
Together with longtime collaborator/drummer, Bobby Kay, bassist Jeff Link, and saxophonist Marcus Benoit, Rees seeks to make the audience smile, tap their feet, and enjoy the many stories he loves to share and sing. Nothing short of joyful and swinging, their music “cruises like a convertible” (Americana Highway).
Band Bio...
Rees Shad & The Conversations are a swinging quartet playing original Americana performed with an awareness of mid 20th Century blues, jazz as well as modern americana. 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 familiar and refreshing. 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, saxophonist Marcus Benoit, and sometime 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.
Photography
Credits...
Tim Gaudreau, Tonedingo Freeman & Ed Rode
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Do you need high resolution images? Email us for a Dropbox link.