Album Notes

Imagine The Beatles’ “White Album” crashing head-on with Wilco’s “Summerteeth.” It’s an electric folk, americana, and brit-rock mix influenced by the likes of Tom Petty, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. Singer/songwriter Steve Shaw has put together an array of instruments and musicians to create his 20-song vision, “Lay This Burden Down”.

An abundance of guitars mixed with flute, mandolin, melodica, harmonica, banjo, piano, organ, fiddle, and dobro creates a variety and flexibility to this recording that reminds one of the pop rock of ELO and The Beatles to the acoustical folk quaintness of Damien Rice.

Shaw’s lyrics are filled with both pain and understanding; hope and despair. He questions spirituality, religion and politics. Raised in a middle-class family that was deeply rooted in the union trades, Shaw often champions the working class and the social aspects of the poor versus the rich; the powerful versus the powerless.

Shaw also writes from a very personal level, however, as he tries to find a common thread with his listeners. “I know I’m far from perfect, so I don’t preach in my songs. I write from emotion; from the pain I feel about things, whether it’s immediately around me or my weaknesses or fears or questions. I’ve been blessed with one addiction - music. I often write about that relationship I have between me and my music. I’m really just writing from my soul and I think people can relate to those types of vulnerabilities.”

Also included is a 12-page booklet of photos and lyrics. As the leader of the modern rock band Freeze the Hopper from 1994-2000, Shaw toured extensively, recorded two full length albums on the Prometheus Disc indie label, and received rave reviews for both recorded and live performances throughout the Midwest.

"Lay This Burden Down” is 70 minutes of soul purging musicality that has the substance to stay in the mind forever.