Shawn Hook performs 'So Close' for BalconyTV LA
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SHAWN HOOK - SO CLOSE
PRESENTED BY LEAH HOBBS
Shawn Hook's EMI Music debut, Cosmonaut and the Girl, says a lot about the artist, his direction and the music. Blessed with a stratospheric vocal range, heard right off the bat on the lead track, "Planet Earth," and particularly on "Rockstaria," the pianist and guitarist from Nelson, British Columbia shot for the stars on this recording, adding modern electronic elements to his organic singer-songwriter base.
"I've always been fascinated by space, astronomy and exploring," says Shawn. "I was thinking of a cosmonaut and his girl. They rarely get to see each other. I relate to that because I'm never in one place for too long."
The album, produced by Jon Levine (The Philosopher Kings, Nelly Furtado, Kreesha Turner), is a constellation of electro-spiked pop, like meteors of Paul McCartney and Elton John hurling through space collecting particles of Pet Shop Boys and Muse.
The first single, "Every Red Light," is a pumping race to get to your girl, while "Dirty Little War" is a darker emotional string-laden piece about a nasty break-up with a slightly bigger political meaning as well. The mechanical and moody "Rockstaria" is a seductive aria for young hearts; "Middle Finger" a buzzing anthem for anyone who tells you "No, you can't do that" and the heartbreaking "Love Is Patience" is for the loved one of a person with Alzheimer's. Topics Shawn pulled from the 70 songs he wrote for the album.
He selected 12 for Cosmonaut and the Girl and this ambitious new sound he had always wanted to explore but couldn't do properly as an independent solo artist without a band and means. He wrote "Fool," "Rainbow" and "Love Is Patience" on his own and collaborated with numerous writers, including Better Than Ezra's Kevin Griffin ("Two Shadows"), Richard Harris ("Two Hearts Set On Fire"), and Wide Mouth Mason's Shaun Verreault ("Every Red Light"), but it wasn't until he got together with Jon Levine that everything fell into place. The pair co-wrote "Planet Earth," "Dirty Little War," "Rockstaria," "So Close," "One Life" and "Middle Finger" together.
"Jon had a vision for this electronic vibe and I went with it. I trusted him and it inspired me," says Shawn. "Working in Los Angeles, you can work with so many different people, but to find an identity or a sound is really rare. I was there for three for four years working with as many people as I could and I didn't find it. Jon came along and this is it!" Perhaps it helped that Jon's main instrument is also piano and they are both skilled and complex players with a pop sensibility.
Shawn began playing piano at age 4. He often brought little bits of compositions into his piano teacher, but he didn't start writing lyrics until high school. His highest English marks were in poetry and once he started liking girls, he easily combined the two. "I remember having a few big high school crushes and when I saw them fall for other guys, it really upset me. My natural instinct was to sit at the piano and play what I felt. I'd play piano for hours on end until I felt better."
http://shawnhook.com/
BalconyTV Los Angeles // Brought to you in association with
Cindi Avnet: Producer / Talent Booker
Aleah Wolinsky: Cinematographer
Recorded & Mixed By: Jeff Bates
Assistant Audio Engineer: Anabel Correa
Atara Gottschalk: Co-Producer / Talent Booker
Leah Hobbs: Associate Producer
Aleah Wolinsky: Field Producer
Tune in again to BalconyTV //
Subscribe to us right now at http://bit.ly/15yj4oc
'Like' us on Facebook - http://Facebook.com/BalconyTV
'Follow' us on Twitter - http://Twitter.com/BalconyTV
http://BalconyTV.com
SHAWN HOOK - SO CLOSE
PRESENTED BY LEAH HOBBS
Shawn Hook's EMI Music debut, Cosmonaut and the Girl, says a lot about the artist, his direction and the music. Blessed with a stratospheric vocal range, heard right off the bat on the lead track, "Planet Earth," and particularly on "Rockstaria," the pianist and guitarist from Nelson, British Columbia shot for the stars on this recording, adding modern electronic elements to his organic singer-songwriter base.
"I've always been fascinated by space, astronomy and exploring," says Shawn. "I was thinking of a cosmonaut and his girl. They rarely get to see each other. I relate to that because I'm never in one place for too long."
The album, produced by Jon Levine (The Philosopher Kings, Nelly Furtado, Kreesha Turner), is a constellation of electro-spiked pop, like meteors of Paul McCartney and Elton John hurling through space collecting particles of Pet Shop Boys and Muse.
The first single, "Every Red Light," is a pumping race to get to your girl, while "Dirty Little War" is a darker emotional string-laden piece about a nasty break-up with a slightly bigger political meaning as well. The mechanical and moody "Rockstaria" is a seductive aria for young hearts; "Middle Finger" a buzzing anthem for anyone who tells you "No, you can't do that" and the heartbreaking "Love Is Patience" is for the loved one of a person with Alzheimer's. Topics Shawn pulled from the 70 songs he wrote for the album.
He selected 12 for Cosmonaut and the Girl and this ambitious new sound he had always wanted to explore but couldn't do properly as an independent solo artist without a band and means. He wrote "Fool," "Rainbow" and "Love Is Patience" on his own and collaborated with numerous writers, including Better Than Ezra's Kevin Griffin ("Two Shadows"), Richard Harris ("Two Hearts Set On Fire"), and Wide Mouth Mason's Shaun Verreault ("Every Red Light"), but it wasn't until he got together with Jon Levine that everything fell into place. The pair co-wrote "Planet Earth," "Dirty Little War," "Rockstaria," "So Close," "One Life" and "Middle Finger" together.
"Jon had a vision for this electronic vibe and I went with it. I trusted him and it inspired me," says Shawn. "Working in Los Angeles, you can work with so many different people, but to find an identity or a sound is really rare. I was there for three for four years working with as many people as I could and I didn't find it. Jon came along and this is it!" Perhaps it helped that Jon's main instrument is also piano and they are both skilled and complex players with a pop sensibility.
Shawn began playing piano at age 4. He often brought little bits of compositions into his piano teacher, but he didn't start writing lyrics until high school. His highest English marks were in poetry and once he started liking girls, he easily combined the two. "I remember having a few big high school crushes and when I saw them fall for other guys, it really upset me. My natural instinct was to sit at the piano and play what I felt. I'd play piano for hours on end until I felt better."
http://shawnhook.com/
BalconyTV Los Angeles // Brought to you in association with
Cindi Avnet: Producer / Talent Booker
Aleah Wolinsky: Cinematographer
Recorded & Mixed By: Jeff Bates
Assistant Audio Engineer: Anabel Correa
Atara Gottschalk: Co-Producer / Talent Booker
Leah Hobbs: Associate Producer
Aleah Wolinsky: Field Producer
Tune in again to BalconyTV //
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Music