Rick Shea is a Cinema Bar regular, and he’s performing at two all-day extravaganzas this week. He told the News about what Culver City can expect…
What have you been up to in the year since we last spoke?
Musically, I’ve been playing a lot of local shows. Tony Gilkyson and I have been playing a lot of acoustic shows, trading songs and accompanying each other on acoustic guitar – it’s been pretty great. Tony and I are at McCabes Americana in the Park series and The Fret House in Covina in September and we played The Folk Music Center in Claremont, the Ojai Underground, Jodi Siegels Project Barley Songwriter Series and even did a short tour to New Mexico and Utah.
I’ve had had some pretty outstanding guests at Swingin’ Doors, my third Wednesday of the month residency at The Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, including Jake LaBotz, Tremoloco, Robbie Fulks and last month The Whitmore Sisters, who will also be joining me at The Cinema Bar this coming Thursday August 8. Also I got to join my friend Jon Langford at The Troubadour opening the show for Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore and The Guilty Ones a week or so ago, on Wednesday July 24.
Describe your sound… how has it evolved?
I guess I would describe my sound as folk music with electric guitars that draws heavily from older country music, Americana and early rock and roll. As far as evolving I think my sound is continually evolving depending on who is in the band and where we are playing, if it’s a bar/nightclub or an acoustic concert room or a backyard house concert. For instance, in the last couple of years with Tony Gilkyson in the band it’s certainly been more guitar-oriented, Tony is such an amazing and fluid player. But Tony is also an amazing songwriter, as is Jeff Turmes who’s been with me on bass for a few years, so I’ve naturally been featuring the both of them on a few songs in each set.
As far as my songwriting goes that always seems to be evolving depending on what I’m listening to, which has lately been a lot of New Orleans music: Irma Thomas, Slim Gailard, and I also recently picked up Woody Guthrie’s Dustbowl Ballads, which is wonderful and amazing. I just recently discovered Norma Tanega, an apparently not well known pop/folk songwriter from the late ;60’s early ‘70s, who actually lived in Claremont for many years, close by where I live here in Covina.
What are your career highlights so far?
As an artist I’ve recorded and released 12 albums, all very well received, I’ve toured the US and Europe and made a living at this most of my life. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with some other great artists at times, Wanda Jackson, Dave Alvin and REM to name a few, with Dave Alvin I played on his Grammy winning album ‘Public Domain’ and I played Madison Square Garden with him touring with Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell.
Do you have recorded music available?
I’ve recorded guitar, pedal steel and mandolin on songs for some friends of mine lately, Richie Lawrence, Nick Justice and John Lee White, who are all pretty great songwriters, and I’m busy writing songs for myself but no new recordings of my own just yet. I’ve been fairly occupied with the songwriting end of things, I also had knee surgery in early May and have been recovering from that, that’s kind of slowed some things down.
Have you performed at the Cinema Bar before? Any memories?
I’ve been playing at the Cinema Bar for more than 20 years, it’s kind of a hometown gig for me. Memories – too many to name, everytime I walk through the door.
What can the audience expect from the set?
I’ll be bringing in a few songs I haven’t played for awhile. Jeff Turmes will sing a few of his songs and Eleanor Whitmore will be joining us on fiddle while Tony is out. Eleanor is a wonderful musician who’s toured with Son Volt, Kelly Willis and Steve Earle along with her own band The Mastersons, featuring her husband Chris. As I said, she’ll be a special guest that night along with her sister Bonnie as The Whitmore Sisters – that should be quite wonderful. I love the Cinema Bar, it’s been kind of a home base for me for many years, and I try and play there once a month or so but it’s been a little less frequent lately.
What else do you have coming up?
As I mentioned Tony Gilkyson and I will be at McCabes Americana in the park series Sunday September 15 along with The Mustangs of the West. He and I will also be at The Fret House in Covina September 7,the week before, and our friend Gwendolyn will open that show. David Serby will be joining me at The Maui Sugar Mill Saloon August 21 for Swingin Doors, Lisa Finnie will join me there September 18 and Ray Bonneville on November 20. I’ll be at Adrian ‘Ace’ Rices Songwriter Showcase at The Harp Inn in Costa Mesa Saturday, October 12 and John Surge’s Twang City at DiPiazzas in Long Beach on Saturday, October 26.
And next spring I’m hoping to be on tour in Ireland, a trip which was postponed this last year due to my knee surgery.
Rick Shea & the Losin’ End, with Tony Gilkyson, Jeff Turmes and Dale Daniel, perform all day on Thursday, August 8 and Friday, August 9 at the Cinema Bar. Go to thecinemabar.com for more information about the show.
Elsewhere this week
The Culver Hotel will be hosting the likes of Sylvia & the Rhythm Boys, and Scotty Bramer. Go to culverhotel.com for more info.
The next show at Boulevard Music is the Benny Brydern Quartet, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 10. Go to boulevardmusic.com for more info.