SHAW / BLADES
For a taste of what to expect from the upcoming SHAW / BLADES new album "Influence" due out on Frontiers Records on February 16th 2007, fans should check out the band's MySpace page (www.myspace.com/shawbladesinfluence), which features a video clip of the duo performing "Too Much Time On My Hands" (Styx) and "High Enough" (Damn Yankees).
"Influence" is the duo's first album since their 1995 debut, "Hallucination". Like the debut - and unlike their history-carving decades as icons in the more hard-rock minded STYX, NIGHT RANGER and DAMN YANKEES - the latest release is rooted in acoustic guitar and organic production, harvesting a decade of musical influences into 11 tracks (on which Blades and Shaw played all the music except for drums and the occasional keyboards). With classics from the '60s and '70s including the Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreamin'," Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" and Steely Dan's "Dirty Work", "Influence" offers a track-by-track chronology of the musical era that helped define modern rock.
In an early album review, Greg Prato of All Music Guide raved, "Impressively consistent from beginning to end, Influence is certainly one of the better 'all covers' albums of recent times."
High praise is on the rise from the original artists who are covered on "Influence".
To wit: "I want to thank Tommy and Jack for keeping our music alive. They honored us with 'California Dreamin'." --Michelle Phillips, The Mamas & The Papas ("California Dreamin'")
"How absolutely fabulous...what an honor to see someone so 'into it' that it sounds and feels so much like our original record…congratulations." --Graham Nash, The Hollies ("On A Carousel" )
"Just wonderful...it was just great to hear your recording...you captured the song so well..." --Jon Anderson, Yes ("Your Move")