The Undiscovered: Shony

Guitarist Shony submitted his DAM CD-R Guitars Only Please for review. It features twelve songs, ranging from three minutes to over seven. Apparently the title does not mean guitars exclusively, since track two, "Karin" starts out with a child singing "Mary Had A Little Lamb" and track three is a keyboard and guitar duet. Shony is a competent guitarist, but his longer compositions tend to lack focus. Less an album than a collection of tracks, and stylistically very diverse ("Jingle for Django" has a loose jazz feel, "Cosmic Morning" is new agey improv, "Bad Bad Guitar" is rock, etc.), the music serves as a demo of the genres that Shony feels affinity for. The production is quite uneven, with some stock drum machine work that tends to distract from the live instruments. Hopefully Shony will get a chance to use some better equipment, work with a producer, and get the opportunity to collaborate with some other musicians in the future.

Born and raised in Israel by a Turkish mother and Russian father, Shony absorbed all the diverse elements, from his environment as he grew up. He has been playing the guitar and writing music since the age of 14. At 17 he formed a rock band and continued to perform during his military service in Israel. At the age of 22 Shony enjoyed national TV and radio recognition as a member of a popular band backing a national Israeli superstar. Since 1993 he has been teaching his unique approach to guitar playing and has written a guitar book specifically for non-music readers.

Shony continues to write, produce and perform new material.

Shony Bar-Elan
Canada

Web site: www.shonymusica.com