1.Your Profile
The band all came together because of this album [Wake The Dreamers] I recorded with some friends in Portland. We recorded 11 cover songs for a limited release on vinyl. We did it for the love of the songs, and just to see how it would turn out. It was all recorded live onto tape, and most of the versions we used on the album were the first takes. For the release in Sydney, the band (Darren Hanlon, Steph Hughes, Ben Mason and Laura Jean) and I will play the same songs. It is a really fun kind of show for me to do, since I have always only played songs I have written.
2.Keeping Busy
I am from Portland, Oregon, in the States, but have been in Australia since the beginning of March. Before I left we had a big release show in an old theatre in Portland with the original Sure Shots … It was a really fun but nerve-wracking night. Michael Hurley opened, and that was really special because he wrote one of the songs we covered for the album. Then when I got here, I went on a little tour singing with Darren Hanlon when he played some special venues that had pianos in them, and when he opened for Neko Case.
3.Best Gig Ever
The best gig I ever played was probably at The Hollywood Bowling Alley in Portland. It was one of the first shows I ever played. They made me stand at the end of the lane next to the pins while people bowled on either side of me. There was a level of danger and excitement as strikes were scored, the pins crashed, mixed with nerves of my first show and the cheap beer – how could you beat that?
4.Current Playlist
Right now I am listening to a lot of mixtapes and The Carter Family, The Kinks, John Jacob Niles. I saw Laura Jean play a little house show a few weeks ago. She sang a few new songs she had just finished, and they were so good. I also got to see Dr John and Aaron Neville in Melbourne. What a fantastic double bill!
5.Your Ultimate Rider
My ultimate rider would be a big bowl of steamed broccoli, cut up into bite-sized pieces, sprinkled with lemon juice, salt and pepper. It’s a little invention I like to call ‘broc corn’: a healthy alternative to popcorn, and an ultimate snacking experience.
Catch Shelley Short and the Sure Shots at Petersham Bowling Club with Laura Jean on Friday May 23.Wake the Dreamers out now through Flippin Yeah.
