Singer/songwriter Shawn James is releasing his new album, A Place in the Unknown February 25 on Parts & Labor Records.
Best known for his multi-octave powerful voice - a combination of the gospel choirs he sang with growing up in the South Side of Chicago, and later on his training in classical music and opera. Shawn James’ music is steeped in blues legends like Robert Johnson and Son House, forever at the crossroads of damnation and redemption, the two inextricably woven into the fabric of his songs.
“I started writing A Place in the Unknown during shutdown and throughout 2020/2021,” says Shawn. “I feel as though all the uncertainty and general feeling of not knowing what was going to happen next definitely had an effect on the lyrical content of the record as a whole.”
“In the past, I had primarily focused on writing songs with just a voice and guitar stripped down. This time, knowing I was going after a more groovy rock record, I started with the drums and beats. After choosing that, I’d then start writing and I can definitely feel the difference it had in the songwriting and flow/groove of the record as a whole. To me, there’s a sense of forward momentum in all these songs that keep it upbeat and lively.”
“Lyrically, I feel as though I leaned into a sense of not knowing and learning to be more comfortable with my “place in the unknown.”
Stream/ buy A Place in the Unknown album HERE
Limited edition vinyl in blue/red marble available HERE
Shawn will be kicking off a Northern American tour beginning March 2 in Vancouver, BC, Canada (full itinerary below) Purchase tickets HERE
SHAWN JAMES 2022 US TOUR DATES:
March 2 Vancouver, BC, Canada @ Fox Cabaret 8:00pm
March 3 Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey 8:00pm
March 4 Portland, OR @ Dante’s 8:00pm
March 5 Bend, OR @ Midtown Ballroom/ Domino Room 8:00pm
March 8 Sacramento, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post 8:00pm
March 9 San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar Music Hall 8:00pm
March 10 Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge 8:00pm
March 11 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom 8:00pm
March 12 Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole 8:00pm
March 18 Houston, TX @ The Secret Group 8:00pm
March 19 San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger 7:00pm
March 20 Dallas, TX @ Amplified Live 8:00pm
March 22 Denver, CO @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom 8:00pm
March 23 Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theater 8:00pm
March 24 Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall 8:00pm
A Place in the Unknown Track Listing:
1. Ghost
2. No Blood From A Stone
3. Lead the Way
4. Not Alone
5. The Stones Cried Out
6. Sodom & Gomorrah
7. No One Knows
8. The Devil’s Daughters
9. War
10. Only Cowards Drop Bombs
11. Attached
12. What Dreams May Come
