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Founded 05-05-05

Finally Ready To Get After It Again

Shannon Whitworth Plays Boone Saloon This Saturday

By David Brewer

In late April 2006, Brevard-based multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Shannon Whitworth and her Biscuit Burner bandmates were turning thousands of heads with packed, stellar performances at MerleFest in front of eager bluegrass fans from across the world. Within the year however, Whitworth had decided that four years of crisscrossing the nation with the rising bluegrass band from Asheville had been enough, parting ways with the Burners without so much as an idea of what to do next.

In the last two years, Whitworth has enlisted the help of a variety of musical cohorts to help guide her through the “disorienting” experience and “weird emotions” of leaving the band. In a matter of months, she emerged with a fully realized and solid solo disc in last year’s No Expectations, and perhaps more important, a renewed sense of musical purpose.

This Saturday, April 5, Whitworth and her band will perform at Boone Saloon. The show will start at 10:30 p.m.

Moving around the Southeast as a kid, Whitworth’s travels—both musical and personal—have taken her across the United States and beyond, informing her songwriting and imbuing her with a sense of restlessness.

“Traveling definitely inspires me,” said Whitworth.

In the late 1990s, Whitworth moved into Frank Dorm at ASU, beginning classes during the spring semester, but instead becoming far more interested in her roommate’s guitar. She began penning original tunes and turned up at acoustic jam sessions in what used to be a vacuum cleaner repair shop beside what is now High Country Glass. A basic book of bluegrass chords and basic songs became her most important text. While her formal studies suffered, her musical education was just beginning.

Following a stint as a river guide in Tennessee, time spent in Chapel Hill and trips to South America, Whitworth landed in the Asheville area in 2001. There, surrounded by roots musicians, picking parties, music venues and bands, she again unpacked her suitcase, this time to stay.

Whitworth was candid about her feelings following her exit from the Biscuit Burners, the band that she co-founded with bassist Mary Lucey following a meeting at Asheville’s Jack of the Wood.

“I was just sort of confused about everything. I didn’t even know if I wanted to play right off the bat,” said Whitworth. “I didn’t have a band; I didn’t have anything going. I’m finally ready to get after it again.”

On last year’s solo debut, Whitworth and her cast of players revealed that she is far from finished with music. Straying slightly from the bluegrass and old-time sensibilities that informed much of her work with the Biscuit Burners, Whitworth’s bluesy drawl shines on laid-back country numbers, particularly the title track, which, according to the artist, completely summed up her feelings about the disc at the time.

“I’m sort of letting the songs arrange themselves,” said Whitworth. “[No Expectations] came together in a real magical way.”

Although she is handy with the banjo and guitar among other stringed instruments, Whitworth’s greatest instrument is her unfailingly relaxed, dusky alto. No Expectations’s 10 songs feature Whitworth’s breathy and bluesy vocals in spades on the relaxed country roots tales as she lovingly caresses each syllable more than the last.

As much as Whitworth was excited to be back in the saddle, the idea of fronting a band with her name on it in front of large crowds was tougher to warm up to. Whitworth said that the prospect of having her name on the marquee was embarrassing to a degree, not to mention being expected to be the constant focal point of the show.

She eventually put her anxiety behind her, agreeing to appear at music festival in Maine. The show would serve as the genesis of Whitworth’s band, as well as an important confidence builder.

“If I hadn’t done the CD, I probably wouldn’t have accepted the gig,” said Whitworth.

A look at Whitworth’s MySpace page and her upcoming schedule leaves no doubt about her future plans. With more new material waiting to be recorded and a bevy of club and festival dates on the horizon, Whitworth is ready to embrace her new solo persona and brace for the road ahead.

“I know if my creativity is working and I’m writing and painting simultaneously,” said Whitworth. “I feel like I’ve got more balance than I’ve had in a while.”

Want To Go?

Date: Saturday, April 5
Time: 10:30 p.m.
Location: Boone Saloon
Cost: $6