Backstage Pass - Sheldon Vance - Interview

ATP

Do you have a title for the upcoming cd?

SHELDON VANCE

"Hills, Pills, and Unpaid Bills." I know the title may be humorous to some, confusing to others, but in reality the title was meant to reflect the poverty and desperation of the area I grew up in, Logan, West Virginia. It's about trying to escape the poverty, hopelessness, depression, and drug addiction rampant in my home town.

ATP

Is this your first CD and if not, how will this one be different from the others?

SHELDON VANCE

This is my 2nd solo release, the last one was definitely more balls to the walls. This one still has plenty of energy, but the songwriting is more focused. It has a bit more of an Appalachian roots feel, and a bit more outlaw honky tonk country feel to some of the songs.

ATP

Have you written all the songs or will you be writing them as you record?

SHELDON VANCE

Everything was already written, some I was working on for several years, others were written really recently. Most of them had been put through the fire of playing them live, to see what was working, or what needed to be changed or improved.

ATP

Walk us thru the process of writing your music?

SHELDON VANCE

It varies a lot, but one constant is every song comes from personal experience. I firmly believe you have to write about what you know, and you have to be honest and real. Sometimes I'll play something on guitar, and get a lyrical idea. Other times the lyrics come first. Either way it has to make me feel something, it has to genuine.

ATP

Where will you be recording and why?

SHELDON VANCE

I'm lucky to have Corey Hensley of For the Record Studio, and the bluegrass group Monroeville producing and recording my album. The talent and knowledge this man has as a musician and recording engineer is unreal. I made a post looking for some help recording, and when Corey offered, I jumped at the chance. I know I will get a top notch recording working with him.

ATP

How are you paying for your recording?

SHELDON VANCE

I have an Indiegogo campaign going right now, that's about the only way I'll be able to afford to record and release the CD.

ATP

Will you have a producer or will you self-produce? If so, what kind of input will the producer have. If your self-producing, why?

SHELDON VANCE

Corey will be producing, but it's mostly in the sense that he's gonna push me to get the best performance of each song. He has a much more developed ear than I do. He really knows the ins and outs of what makes a good song, and how to approach the recording of the song to get the best result.

ATP

Will you try to capture your "live sound" or are you going for something else?

SHELDON VANCE

Oh absolutely, we are gonna track the guitars and vocal seprately, and maybe add a 2nd guitar track or some simple backing vocals here and there, but we're gonna keep it simple and straight forward. That's what give my songs life, is they are written for live performance. So I want them to be represented that way on the recordings...kinda what you hear, is what you get.

ATP

Does your record label have any input into the music you'll be recording?

SHELDON VANCE

No label at the moment, so no.

ATP

When can we expect the CD to be available?

SHELDON VANCE

Most likely, the album will be available by November.

ATP

Where will we be able to pick up a copy?

SHELDON VANCE

Any live show, mail order directly from me, and I'll probably have it up on Bandcamp and iTunes.

ATP

Will you be touring to promote your CD?

SHELDON VANCE

In the past I used to tour quite a bit, but being married and having obligations limits any extensive touring. I average 6-8 shows per month right now. I play as much as I can within reason. I play within the locally and regionally, and in the surrounding States. I might try to work out a couple 3-4 runs of shows here and there.

ATP

Would rather be recording or playing live shows?

SHELDON VANCE

Definitely live shows! Recording can be fun, and it is a great tool for self evaluation, sometimes it takes recording a song, and hearing it played back to hear where you need to improve...it helps you grow. But I'm all about playing live, that's the whole reason I write these songs, to play 'em for folks.

ATP

Anything that you'd like to say to your fans while they wait for the album to come out?

SHELDON VANCE

Thanks for the support! In all sincereity, if I didn't have folks backing me up, singing along at shows, and taking the time out of their day to tell me what I do means something to them, I would have a hard time finding the strength to carry on....Thank you!