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Press
Fall Away is a very wonderfully written and performed song! The piano sounds so beautiful,
and the vocals are done with such amazing control and feeling! I really believe you will
hear this one on the radio.
-Written by Heather Leona (Sept. 2004)
The Silent Partner’s debut release, “Fall Away” can best be described as hard driving power piano rock
combined with strong melodies and graceful arrangements. The marriage of lyrical vocals, piano as the focal
instrument, and harder alternative music have molded what is a unique and energy driven style.
Front man and writer Brad Shaw has a great sense of developing a song from beginning to end as
though it is a story being told. His lyrics are no exception. In the title track of the album, “Fall Away”,
you can hear Shaw’s vocals and lyrics coming at you with power. That and an exceptionally catchy melody makes
me believe you might just hear this one on the radio. Additionally, the entire album’s production is top notch,
much to the caliber of the artists that Shaw has shared the stage with (including Jason Mraz, Michelle Penn and
the Go Go’s)
For an Indie artist, this album is a diamond in the rough. Seldom will you see such great
production and songwriting incorporated together. If piano and alternative rock are your thing, I suggest
you get your hands on this album when it comes out later this year.
-Written by (Sept. 2004)
If this is the kind of music I can expect to hear from the
rest of Bradford Shaw's album, then I'm going to be a faithful visitor to his
site until he finally releases it. "Fall Away" is earcatching, melodic and
altogether enthralling. Five minutes and I was singing along . . . in harmony!
The perfect song to liven up a bad day, "Fall Away" is one you can listen to
time and again and find something new to enjoy.
In the grand tradition
of piano pop artists like Ben Folds, one of the primary draws of songs like this
is the lyrical content. Shaw's music is no exception, as he combines heartfelt
lyrics with his ultimate melodic hook, to create a great pop gem. "So much to
do, so much to say, so little time to fear / what is to come and what will not
stay / It falls away from here always / Always falls away for somebody," he
sings in the chorus, and with his voice hitting you at full strength, you can
literally feel the emotion coming through.
The production on this track
is exceptional. Shaw's attention to detail verges on perfectionist, but I can't
fault him that. It just means that when you DO get to hear something new out of
him, it's going to be the best he can possibly be putting out. Produced at the
level of many of the artists he's toured with (including Jason Mraz, Michelle
Penn, Brian Setzer and the Go Go's) "Fall Away" proves once and for all that an
indie musician can perform material as well as anyone else, no major label
required.
Give him a few years and major labels will be wondering why
they never found Bradford Shaw sooner. You heard it here first!
-Written by Jonathan Sanders (Sept. 2003)
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Twenty-two year old singer/song-writer Bradford Shaw, a native of Grosse Pointe Shores, played a gig at
the Cadieux Cafe back on April 12 opening up for an up-and-coming artist named Michelle Penn.
Bur then nine days later, he gound himself at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach,
SC, playing in Penn's band as part of a national tour.
"I opened for Michelle Penn at the Cadiux Cafe, and she was looking for a swingman
and asked me to try out; so I did it and got the job," Shaw said. "I played guitar, piano and background vocals on
tour."
Schaupeter, or Bradford Shaw as he is called while on stage, joined Penn on the
House of Blues-sponsored tour opening up for Jason Mraz, whose hit single, "The Remedy," is rising up the charts.
The tour covered nine* cities from Orlando to Los Angeles.
"The whole idea was the coolest part: being treated like kings and queens and
flying from town to town. I just don't let it go to my head," he said.
Shaw said that one of the highlights was playing on Sunset Boulevard in Los
Angeles and meeting celebrities.
"We ended up with Dan Aykroyd backstage. I also saw Brittany Murphy; she's
gorgeous. I even saw Kevin Spacey," he said.
Penn's band also opened up for Brian Setzer at the Volkswagen party in Phoenix.
Another stop included the Beale Street Festival in Memphis, Tenn. "The festival
was two miles long down the Mississippi River shoreline," Shaw said.
"Over 75 artists played the festival including Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow.
Playing on the stage overlooking the river was great," he said.
There were also some drawbacks to life on the road. "You spend a ton of time
with people, and then there's the stress of flying, and the shows are spread out across the coutry," he said.
Shaw, who grew up in Grosse Pointe Park, said music has been with him all his life.
"I've been playing with bands since high school, and I also played with a couple of
bands in college; so it's been a growing experience," he said.
Shaw graduated from Grosse Pointe South and just graduated from Indiana Univeristy -
Bloomington.
He said he went solo after his last band, Kirkwood, broke up and is currently working on
a project. He describes his music as "piano-alternative rock."
"I recorded at the White Room in Detroit, and I'm getting a demo together," he said.
"Music is my way of venting or uplifting. I don't deny if I have pain or joy; I write about it."
Shaw will move to Long Beach, Calif., this summer to work as a sailing instructor. He
also plans to head into the studio with new musicians and make use of the connections he made while on tour.
"I just hope to have a modest, loyal following and hope they support me so I can make a
living doing this; I also hope to be picked up by a label and eventually be on my own label," he said.
For more information on Shaw, go to www.bradfordshaw.com. While there, you can find tour
notes, lyrics and much more.
-Written by Michael Shelton (June 2003)
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