The Undiscovered: Shawn Needham

Guitarist Shawn Needham submitted his seven song demo CD-R entitled It's Been Said, which features a variety of instrumental fusion and jazz tracks, all instrumental, and puts the spotlight on the fluid fretwork which holds it all together. Unlike a lot of fusion players who dial in a favorite tone and stick with it for years, Needham likes to use a number of different tones, selecting a tone that best suits the composition. He uses a tough overdriven tone to supercharge the energetic "Lunchbox", while selecting a more Metheny-esque sound for the jazzy "Crash And Burn". His cover of "Feel Like Makin' Love" features a buttery smooth chord melody and double tracked comping, before giving way to a flowing overdriven solo - nice! Needham has mastered the delivery of lush, lyrical and melodic lines while throwing in harmonic surprises to keep the listener engaged, which should give fans reason to anticipate his upcoming new albums.

Shawn has been a professional musician for many years. Beginning his guitar studies at the age of 7, he has developed into a well-rounded, intelligent musician. Versatility as a guitarist has enabled Shawn to work steadily for many years. He has been active in many groups including the East coast rock band Cape Fear, the Boston based jazz/funk group Nothing Nice and the original project Cold Fusion, to name a few. Shawn has also appeared on various records as a "hired gun" studio player - not to mention he's managed a successful private teaching practice for many years. Before relocating to the Nashville area to pursue his performing career, Shawn was one of the most sought after guitar teachers in Eastern Massachusetts, at times having an eight to twelve month waiting list of students.

In the past few years Needham has dedicated all his efforts to his own music. He is recording two albums with his trio and plans to soon be releasing his third as a leader with a larger group.

Shawn Needham
United States

Web site: www.shawnneedham.org