Over the course of a prolific 40+ year career, 32 releases and 17 solo albums, Rees Shad has crafted music that is both poignant and profound. He creates stories shared from his heart that resonate with universal appeal.

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Shad’s new album, Porcelain Angel (slated for release March 21st on Shadville Records) is no exception. Following on the heels of his critically acclaimed album The Galahad Blues, his latest work opens new doors to tales that are both personal and provocative. From the bluesy designs of “Coda Blues” and “Thumbing the Scales,” to the pensive approach of “Ain’t That the Way,” the easy celebratory ramble of “Great Big World,” the cool, confident and soulful “A Man Like Me,” the tender if unsettling narrative “Magic Lantern Presentation,” and the expressive piano ballad “Isn’t It A Lovely Day,” Porcelain Angel unfolds as a series of striking soundscapes and vignettes that catch the listener’s ear from the outset. 

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The album features an expansive array of gifted contributors accompanying Shad’s vocal, guitar and keyboard work. Along with his band The Conversations (saxophonist Marcus Benoit, bassist Jeff Link, and drummer Bobby Kay), vocalists Eleanor Dubinsky, Kemp Harris, Wanda Houston, and Natalia Zukerman (also on lap steel), guitar virtuosos Rick Ruskin & Dario Acosta Teich, and harmonica wizard R.B. Stone all bring a refined filigree to the stories woven here.  The comradery and joy in the performances comes through song after song culminating in a solid collection that make this one of Shad’s most intriguing albums to date. Here he returns to what many will recognize as his essential Americana roots. Shad demurs on this point, however, “I don’t really see it as returning to a form. I compose music to convey story.  I’m not committed to a genre; I’m committed to building the appropriate landscape for the tale.”

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Born and raised in New York City, Shad’s interest in music was encouraged by parents who exposed him to Broadway musicals, concerts of Jazz and Classical music, and who encouraged him to wander Greenwich village playing open mic nights as a teenager. He became immersed in New York’s iconic music scene, from Gerde’s Folk City to CBGB and was soon adopted by older artists as a sideman for shows and recording sessions. Eventually Shad settled in upstate New York in an area of old farms and post-industrial towns, where he built a professional recording studio and began to compose music in earnest.

“This gave me the ability to focus on the studio as creative instrument” says Shad. “But since it was a business, I had to be economical with when and how I worked.  I developed a work ethic in my craft that has continued to be important to how I work.” The result has been a large and ever-growing catalog of material (500+ copyrights!). Three decades later Making a Scene noted Shad continues to be “one of the most prolific artists on the scene.”

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That work ethic and the resulting knowledge base has allowed Shad to constantly expand his range.  He has consistently maintained a reputation as a passionate and profound singer/songwriter while also delving into the realms of electronic music with his alter ego, Fester Spunk. Spunk released four albums, composed and recorded scores for several plays and independent film shorts, as well as for the classic silent film ‘The Golem.’ In addition, Shad composed and recorded an operetta about a serial killer on the Underground Railroad.

 

At heart, Shad is an aspiring polymath. He holds three master’s degrees — in Educational Policy, Technical Communication and Design & Technology — and spent two decades developing media design curriculum for colleges and universities. He created the first Game Design program at CUNY, was CASE New York Professor of the Year in 2013, authored a game design textbook, and created several educational board games. He has had gallery shows of his installation art involving non-linear narratives and is an avid woodworker and luthier.

“Ultimately, It’s all about an evolving communication for me,” Shad says. “Whatever I create, the audience needs to understand my intention in order to connect viscerally. What keeps it all interesting for me is that the audience continues to evolve. So, I get to evolve as well.”