INFO
Shawn Stelton is a singer/songwriter based out of Minneapolis. His first release, Wallflower’s Lament, has a pleasant combination of catchy melodies, engaging arrangements, and lyrics that tell stories. The songs were written over a 14 month span and were spurred on by Shawn’s participation in the Jeremy Messersmith Songwriting Sessions. The guidance of Messersmith showed Shawn a new approach to songwriting that is evident in his poignant, touching songs.
Rift Magazine writer and co-editor Rebecca Marx wrote, “His soaring vocals are reminiscent of vocalist Grant-Lee Phillips of Grant Lee Buffalo fame.” The influences of Elvis, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys can be heard in his vocal styling as well. He is just as comfortable singing “God Only Knows” as he is ripping into “Suspicious Minds.”
It all started for Shawn at the age of 10 singing his own compositions at the Redwood Deck at the Polk County Fair. This love of writing was highlighted with a first place finished in the City Pages “Rock Out Romeo” songwriting competition in 2010. The song, co-written with his good friend Steve Sanders, was a rewrite of the classic story. Next came Jeremy Messersmith. “I saw a post on Facebook announcing the lessons. I was thrilled with the opportunity to learn from someone who I greatly admired,” stated Shawn. Most of the focus was on carefully editing lyrics and writing songs to fit genres and topics. The experience was both challenging and rewarding inspiring to him have his most prolific songwriting period of his career.
In 2015, Shawn kicked-off an active year of performances starting with his first Mad Ripple Hootenanny with author and songwriter, Jim Walsh. Shawn also enjoyed playing at such places as The Aster Cafe, The 318 Cafe, The Beat Coffeehouse, and Gingkos. The momentum continued into 2016 with the release of his new album, Wallflower’s Lament, on April 9th with a release show at Studio 2 in Minneapolis.
2017 has been filled with a lot of excitement. Shawn was voted one of the top 5 local artists in Rift Magazines 100 days of Local Music. Performing in the SLP Open Mic series was a show that was unforgettable. It literally is unforgettable as anyone can watch it in it's entirety on Youtube!!! Shawn and Chris have also been spending the summer working on the new album All Is Quiet. The album is available in all of your favorite digital stores!
Press
Rift Magazine Top 5 Local Artist Interview
