If there was ever an "Influence: Volume 2" CD, and you could request a song, what would you like to hear Shaw Blades cover?

The Shaw Blades Team

Hello Friends,

As I look out my hotel room window at the overcast skies, with my flannel shirt, wool coat and scarf on, about to head out to the store here on the day of our seventh to the last show of the tour, it's very clear that the seasons have changed since we hit the road in early November.  The show has evolved in a beautiful way since the first night in Petaluma.  On that night, so infused with adrenaline, what may have been lacking in nuances that only come from playing night after night, the performance was more than compensated by the pure enthusiasm and excitement of getting back together after months of anticipation.  We've come a long way since then.

Now, with eighteen shows under our belts, we have gotten to that wonderful place which in my own personal experience  seems achievable only when your body is feeling the cumulative effect of all these elements: The miles you have to log to make it happen, the strange mix of food and dining times (it's not unusual to have breakfast at noon, skip lunch, get creative to find time for dinner, and often abandon that concept rather than eat before you go to bed), the erratic sleep/no sleep patterns, trying to avoid overusing your our voices during the day as we try to explain why we are not doing interviews or meet and greets, taking what might appear to be extreme measures to avoid exposure to people with colds and flu, and all these things that at the end of the day determine whether you have a great performance or a marginal one.

The net result is that we've been having some incredible nights on stage, finding moments of synchronicity that make all these daily obstacles virtually meaningless to us.  There are so many little moments where magic happens, a new little dynamic shift, a vocal crescendo or decrescendo, a mistake that's picked up on by the other two members and turned into a new creation, that we are immediately renewed and refreshed and realize it's our small price of admission into this all too brief bubble of musical nirvana.  

As much as we all can't wait to be reunited with our families, to be home to enjoy this holiday season, we know that there are only a handful of opportunities remaining to reach the summit of this mountain before we pack it in until the next time, whenever that is, there is a mixture of emotions as the days click by.  

To the family of Lonny Heckman, who sadly passed away on Tuesday, thank you for sharing your experience, allowing us get to know your son by letting us see where he came from when you all showed up to see us in Allentown.  In this strange twist of fate we have come to know and respect Lonny and the beautiful example he set in how he lived his all to short life only after it came to an end.  His rise to fame and public awareness during his last days is a beautiful story which will live on for years to come.

Had we stayed home and not accepted these offers to perform, we would have missed out on all these beautiful life experiences.  

We thank you all for these unforgettable days and nights.

Join us if you can while it lasts!

With love,

Tommy Shaw

Greetings again!

Yes, Jack, I, with the help of Will Evankovich will soon be at it again, touching down as many times as possible between November 7 in Petaluma, CA and December 8 in Nashville.  It's been a busy year for us in our other lives, but we didn't feel right without taking a lap around the country for second serving of our own special recipe of music and fun.  

We hope you will join us if you see us on the map anywhere close to your address.  Come prepared to sing along and have a few laughs at our expense.  As you may have noticed, it's a no-holds-barred, no-notes-too-hi-for-us-to-attempt and no-song-unworthy-of-taking-a-shot-at-if-we-feel-like-we-can-pull-it-off kind of an evening when we strap on the acoustic guitars and park ourselves in front of you in our traveling living room, where as always, you may just be invited to be a couch potato and even sing along.

In the meantime, listen to us on Howard Stern's Sirius Radio program on October 24th where we will once again show you that we are willing to get up at sunrise, shower, warm up, and make it to his studio in Midtown Manhattan and perform for you at 8 AM with Howard as the ringmaster.

Counting down now, to the next chapter of Shaw Blades!  

See you soon!!!

TS

Hey everyone,

Shaw/Blades is hitting the road again! The first few dates are now posted, but there are more to come, so stay tuned!

See you on the road, and if you haven't already checked out our latest album, "Influence", what are you waiting for?