“You’ve gotta do music man—you don’t do music, I don’t know what you’re gonna do.”
This is what Shannon McArthur, a junior business major at UNC-Chapel Hill, is regularly told by his friends. Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, McArthur’s mellow guitar and laid-back attitude combine to produce music among the likes of James Morrison, Jack Johnson, Matt Costa. His parents would love for him to be a successful businessman, but business just isn’t McArthur’s passion. What McArthur does feel passionate about, however, is music.
McArthur is well put together, but not the type to take himself too seriously. Once he begins to talk about his music, it is obvious by his excitement that he is like a little kid trapped in a college student’s body.
Although he may have managed to retain his boyish excitement about music, however, he has definitely grown and learned to perfect his songwriting, a skill that he cherishes. McArthur’s smooth acoustic melodies provide the perfect amount of energy to back his lyrics, which serve as a scrapbook of his experiences—from girls (“Chuck Taylor”) to road trips with friends (“Savannah”) to, well, more girls.
“I am such a sucker for girls,” said McArthur. “If some girl comes and breaks my heart you’re gonna get a damn good song out of it.”
Lucky for McArthur his song writing isn’t completely reliant on heartbreak. Even just sitting around and having fun with his friends is enough to inspiration for a new song.
“When you get a song it just hits you,” said McArthur. “You can’t even explain why.”
Until he actually signs (he currently has two offers on the table), McArthur is not all that concerned about recording albums. He is happy to record his own mp3s in his room at the frat house. McArthur is also always willing to email mp3s to anyone who asks. As for his favorite way of getting his music heard, “Facebook me…seriously.”
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