Curt began playing acoustic guitar at age twelve. It took one year before he got his first electric guitar—a used Sears Strat copy. The Strat became the object of Curt's obsession. Jimmy Page, Ted Nugent, Eddie Van Halen, and Alex Lifeson were Curt's early inspirations.
After playing in high school bands Curt performed in the band Kulprit while serving in the Navy and stationed at the Pentagon. It was in this band that Curt was able to collaborate on original music. Curt also began to study the newer styles of music i.e. neo classical and thrash metal. This would include up and coming bands like Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, and Mercyful Fate. Around this time there was another turning point in Curt's focus: he heard Yngwie Malmsteen play. Curt studied Yngwie’s style, but vowed not to be an Yngwie clone. Curt always wanted to continue to draw on the other important influences such as classic and metal music.
During the late 1980s, Curt worked on perfecting his technique. To this end, his practice routines would last for several hours a day. To better harness his creativity, Curt undertook the study of music theory and composition. The discipline paid off. Barely out of his teens, Curt's compositions displayed a knack for writing complex arrangements.
In 1992 Curt relocated to Baltimore, Maryland where he joined the band Black Aggie. Black Aggie played metal covers and also released a demo consisting of four originals. During his time in Black Aggie, Curt matured as a song writer and also mixed and engineered the demo’s release.
Curt then went on to form the metal band Kryptic. Kryptic played some metal covers, but the bands main focus was on originals. The “theatrical horror” band played extensively along the east coast with one major highlight being their show at CBGBs in New York City. Kryptic released “Among the Ruins” which was engineered and recorded by Curt and “Premature Burial” which was engineered, recorded, and mixed by Curt.
In 2001 Curt decided to focus on writing a solo CD while also performing in the cover band InnerFace. Curt’s first solo release “Curt Shaw” came out in 2005. In 2007 Curt started working on his second solo release “Silent Assassin”. Curt tries to avoid the typical instrumental guitar formula of having a basic rhythm with complex lead. Instead he opts for writing a song that can be carried by just the rhythm, and then puts a complex lead on top. It is not uncommon for Curt to change keys multiple times within one guitar lead, sometimes changing the key with every chord change.
Curt currently plays in the rock cover band Fifteen Minutes which also features some Curt Shaw originals. Curt works for the Federal Aviation Administration as an Electronics Technician. Originally from Illinois, he now lives in the Virginia. When he's not at his day job, Curt is hard at work on his next instrumental CD and playing live shows.
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