Shawn Brown

PDX singer-songwriter Shawn Brown has released his newest single "Find Another Way" along with details on his upcoming EP, entitled ‘The Rain Parade'. The 6 song release is set to drop on 8/19 and "Find Another Way" is available now on Spotify, Apple Music and all other streaming platforms.

Soaked with folk, R&B and roots inspiration, "Find Another Way" sets an emotionally powerful and balanced tone for the EP, and promises to be Brown's most deeply personal work to-date. Brown continues to evolve as a songwriter, with his unforgettable falsetto voice he has carefully crafted these 6 tracks to tell new stories of his life, struggles and personal growth. After nearly a decade of not playing music, longtime friend and musician Rafa Cirne Lima motivated Brown to pick up the guitar and work together on what would soon become 2021's ‘Angel of Oakland' EP and eventually the recently completed EP ‘The Rain Parade'. Prior to these sessions, Brown released ‘Chasing Streetlights' in 2011 to high media praise.

The genesis of this new project took off as Rafa Cirne Lima pulled together a writing and production alliance that also includes co-producer Grecco Buratto (Shakira) and is topped off with session performances from respected industry players including Brendan Buckley (Morrisey), Daniel Clarke (Ryan Adams) and much buzzed singer-songwriter Alexia Anne. Lima contributed bass on the EP while Buratto mixed the EP, played guitars, keyboards and contributed backing vocals. The EP was mastered by Justin Moshkevich (Rufus Wainwright).

Brown speaks further on the EP - "This whole thing came out of pure friendship. I'd been out of music for about 10 years and Rafa just wasn't having it. He had this magical way of coaxing me back into writing, which turned into jamming, which turned into a full blown recording project. Myself, Grecco Buratto and Rafa - we were making music for ourselves and all these other hugely talented people just kept jumping on board with what we were doing. Turns out, I had a lot to say in these songs, so I'm grateful people get to hear it. To me, the whole EP just sounds like friends lovin' on each other."

"Pure guitars, light drive, emotional and romantic vocals"
-The Indie Dock Music Blog

"Shawn Brown's songs have got soul. Not to mention a little rock, pop and a bit of garage grunge..."
-San Francisco Chronicle

"Drawing on influences from soul to guitar-based pop, Brown blends them together to form his unique sound."
-The Other Side

Shawn Brown:

www.shawnbrownmusic.com

Ben Landsverk

Ben Landsverk is an American composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. Hailed as a "prominent Portland composer" (Bloomberg Magazine) and praised for his "stunning prowess on viola and mandolin" (Willamette Week), he is best known for his work as one half of the duo Wonderly. Their compositions include numerous podcast/radio theme songs, including the New York Times' The Daily and Cheryl Strayed's Dear Sugar Radio; many indie film scores and soundtracks, including James Westby's At the Video Store and Jon Garcia's Luz; and two studio albums, We Are and Story We Tell.

An active session musician and orchestral/choral arranger, Landsverk has worked with such musical luminaries as Father John Misty, Pink Martini, Storm Large, Smokey Robinson, Van Dyke Parks, Rachel Taylor Brown, Ruby Friedman, Holcombe Waller, Liz Vice, Kasey Anderson, Box Set, and Alela Diane. He is also the director of the Low Bar Chorale, Portland's own no-commitment, drop-in live rock/pop/alt-indie music singing experience.

Stephanie Cooke

Stephanie Cooke is a pianist and vocalist based in Portland, Oregon. Her sound is at once smooth and hardcore, drawing influence from Stephanie's jazz and classical roots, with flavors from artists such as Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell and Robert Glasper. After receiving her Master's degree in Classical Piano in 2012, Stephanie spent two years touring as the pianist for indie-pop group The von Trapps in addition to making guest appearances with internationally-renowned ensemble Pink Martini. In 2017, she formed the jazz-pop group Sarca and now has branched out into a career as a solo artist. Stephanie's music and live performances are an expression of raw vulnerability and honesty; Stephanie believes that by owning her authentic voice, she can empower herself and her audience. Stephanie's mission is to encourage others to embrace their own creative, unique voices.