Meet ShAnnie
The acoustic duo of Shan Kowert + Annie Acton = ShAnnie!
Shan was born in San Antonio, where his Dad was stationed in the Air Force. Shan is a 5th generation Texan with deep roots in the Texas Hill Country, in Fredericksburg.
Shan comes from a diverse group of ancestors comprised of Cowboys, Indians and German immigrants. Musicians also bloomed on the Kowert family tree, with guitar, fiddle and piano players and one great-grandfather that was a professor of music and played the pipe organ. At age 16, Shan got his first guitar; a Yamaha 12 string. He was influenced by music icons such as Jose Feliciano, Dylan, Lightfoot, Folgelberg and many others.
Annie was born in California, but raised all over the world. Annie's Dad also served in the Air Force, which took them to Guam, the Phillipines, Germany and all over the U.S. It was always hard to keep friends, but that just made the family closer. Music was a definite bond shared by her family. Annie's dad was into Rock n' Roll while her mom was swayin' to Motown. It's no wonder her musical influences are very diverse, everything from Patsy Cline to Mel Torme and The Ramones to Allison Krauss.
The two formed their musical duo in 2005 and not much later, released their debut cd Water Over Stones which received a nomination for Vocal Duo at the 2008 Texas Music Awards. "Eclectic Americana Folk" is what some are saying about this duo. Their voices are clean and soothing, and the music is beautifully accompanied by a 12 string acoustic guitar. It's the chemistry of these two people that will not only lure you in, but keep you wanting more.
By the age of 7 or 8, he had decided that he wanted to write songs, like his uncle and grandfather. "I really value the Midwestern musical roots that my family gave me as well as the music I discovered on my own" Earle observes, "but I guess the challenge for any songwriter is forging something original that's still solidly rooted and pays due homage to one's forbearers.
"My parents always said I was born smiling," says Earle, as he demonstrates that very expression. Despite this reputed natural sunny demeanor, Earle has been known to delve into the dark side of human nature and experience. Both of Earle's previous albums, Six Ways to Sunday (self-released, 2004) and Postcards from Home (Mayapple Records, 2007) found him digging up the roots of his family's musical traditions, along with the detritus of human frailty and hardship. Kelly Knauer of Time Life Books likens the songs on Postcards to "an MRI scan of a troubled brain, or a seismograph of a really bad day in Mr. Richter's world." "As a songwriter," says Knauer, "Earle is a brilliant documentarian, a Ken Burns of the ordinary, a chronicler of American life who turns his unrelenting gaze on small conflicts rather than epic battles."
In contrast, Noah's latest album This is the Jubilee, he uses own voice to express a love of life that is contagious to the listener, while avoiding heavy-handed sentimentality and without ignoring the gritty reality that lurks in the shadows. "That was my intention with the new album, I wanted the earnest joy and clarity that I feel at this time in my life, musically and otherwise, to come through in the music without thumbing my nose or flying any flags." In fact, Earle freely explores such themes as love and loss, religious intolerance, and the end of the world in this collection of songs. Its unmistakable message, however, is that life is worth living despite its hardships.
Noah's CD s