Veteran well-known bassist and guitarist Jim Shaneberger unveils a bluesy new band on Friday and celebrates his solo album debut in June. (Podcast, video)
Band Frontman: Multi-instrumentalist Jim Shaneberger has gone from respected sideman to launching his own band. (Photo/Anna Sinkevics)
Jim Shaneberger will never forget the moment several years ago when renowned bluesman Donald Kinsey strolled into a rehearsal to join him on stage.
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After all, Kinsey – a Chicago guitar legend, longtime member of The Kinsey Report and former bandmate of Bob Marley – had long been a hero to Shaneberger, a Grand Rapids bassist and guitarist raised on the music of The Rolling Stones, Beatles, Doors, Jimi Hendrix and Motown artists.
Jim Shaneberger
Shaneberger had first seen The Kinsey Report play Grand Rapids’ Blues on the Mall series in the late 1990s.
“I was just absolutely blown away and pretty much bought every Kinsey Report album I could find. Then it turns out that Donald played with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Albert King and all these big, big names,” he recalls.
“I consider still to this day Donald to be one of my major, major influences. And by some amazing twist of fate, I was blessed enough to be asked to join his band. I wasn’t believing it. … I remember the moment he walked through the door, I was like, ‘OK, here we are. I’m actually going to play with one of my heroes right now.’ It was really an amazing experience.”
(Read the Local Spins Live Artist Spotlight feature on Kinsey here.)
It’s just one of many noteworthy experiences for a veteran musician also known to West Michigan audiences for his work in guitarist Greg Nagy’s blues band and serving as a member of the house band for Grand Rapids icon Jimmie Stagger’s Sunday night HopCat jams, not to mention previous stints in outfits such as Mercurial Son and The Funky Gentlemen.
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Now, Shaneberger is leaning on all those experiences with the debut of the Jim Shaneberger Band, a soulful blues- and funk-driven trio featuring Shaneberger on guitar and vocals, longtime musical associate Karl Schantz on drums and Robert Pace, from gospel singer Marvin Sapp’s band, on bass.
The band was assembled as Shaneberger prepares for the June 8 release of his debut solo album, “Work in Progress,” recorded at Redwall North Studios in Grand Haven.
As a preview to that album, which Shaneberger has been hammering away at since last fall, the multi-instrumentalist and singer stopped by Local Spins Live this week to perform an original song, “Trouble,” written with his wife, Jen. You can listen to a podcast of the show on News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW) here, and watch a video of his performance at the bottom of this story.
For the album, Shaneberger – who graduated from Allendale High School – recorded all of the instruments and parts himself, with the exception of drum tracks played by Schantz.
Friday signals the public debut of the Jim Shaneberger Band, which headlines the free National Bike to Work Week and Active Commute Week celebration on Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids. That event begins at 5 p.m. with a performance by Ralston Bowles, followed by Silent Bark at 5:30 p.m., an awards presentation at 6 p.m., rock from The Mines at 6:30 p.m. and the Jim Shaneberger Band at 7:45 p.m. A screening of the film, “Bicycle Dreams,” follows. Learn more about the family event at the official website here.
Shaneberger and his band also perform on May 24 at The Mitten in Ludington (learn more about the bar online here). His official CD-release show takes place at 8 p.m. June 8 at Grand Rapids’ Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill; Nagy opens the evening with a solo acoustic performance (as he will at The Mitten). Admission is $5.
In many ways, the late and legendary Hendrix got all of Shaneberger’s musical hoopla started. “I bought (1999’s) ‘Jimi Hendrix: Live at Woodstock.’ I heard that and I was like this is what I want to do with my life. I got really into Hendrix and dove into who his influences were, which turned out to be a lot of old blues players – Albert King, Muddy Waters, people like this,” he said.
Now, he considers himself fortunate to be part of Grand Rapids’ burgeoning music community. “The music scene is definitely huge here,” Shaneberger says. “There’s so much talent going on around here and it’s amazing to be part of it.”
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music
