Brandi Shearer grew up on a small farm in rural Oregon. Her parents were both carpenters, and not particularly musical. “The only albums they had were “One” by Three Dog Night and the soundtrack to War of the Worlds, which was obviously too scary to listen to,” Shearer recalls. The only musical ray of light was her grandmother who could any song on the piano by ear. “My grandmother worked her whole life on dairy farm, but she was a divine singer. She had a plastic Sears Roebuck organ and taught me to play ‘Frankie and Johnnie’ and ‘Paper Doll.’ Watching her play and listening to her sing made a huge impression on me.” A cowboy neighbor also took an interest in Shearer and taught her how to harmonize by singing western songs with her.
“When I was eight my dad got me a guitar. I guess he saw how much I enjoyed playing with my grandmother. He threw in some lessons and a Mel Bay book.” While she was doing her chores and teaching herself to play guitar, Shearer started inventing long operatic performances to amuse herself. “Before I knew how to be embarrassed, I’d sing them for my mom; lengthy free form epic songs about horses, dragons and robots.”
When she was a teen Shearer switched gears and started studying classical guitar. She became an accomplished classical player, until a Tuck and Patti tape she discovered in a bargain bin changed her musical perspective. “I’d been writing and singing my own songs at proms and any sort of romantic high school event, but I’d never heard any jazz in any form. I’d been trying to sing higher and more ‘girly’, but [Patti’s] voice was so deep and throaty it got me to accept my natural range.” That was the beginning of the smoky, improvisational style that Shearer still uses to great effect in her music.
After High School, Shearer won a scholarship to a small local college to study operatic voice. She took advantage of a student exchange program to study in Hungary. “I’d never even heard of Hungary, but it was not Oregon, so I went.” Shearer dropped out of school, but stayed in Hungary and made a living singing American blues and pop standards in small clubs and bars. “I was introduced to the music of Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and other jazz and blues singers.” Under their influence Shearer broke out of the standard pop and blues progressions and started developing her own style. For the next few years Shearer moved between Hungary, France and the West Coast singing originals and standards and honing her stage presence.
In 1998 Shearer settled in San Francisco, put together a band and recorded Museum with the help of guitarist Ted Savarese. The album consisted of tunes Shearer had been singing for years in Europe; putting them down freed her up creatively and pushed her writing on to a new level of complexity.
“After the first album I took a break from writing and joined Drizzoletto, Ted Savarese’s jazzy Americana band as rhythm guitarist,” Shearer says. “Playing in a band taught me a lot about putting chords together and group dynamics.” In 2003 while making a living walking dogs, teaching knitting, cleaning houses and any other work she could find, Shearer put together her own group and cut Music of a Saturday Night in one day. A few months later they returned to the studio and cut The Sycamore in one intense four hour session. The Sycamore and Shearer’s live gigs were earning rave reviews from local and national press. KFOG, San Francisco’s progressive rock station, was an early supporter.
David Prinz, owner of Amoeba Music and head of the new record label, caught one of Shearer’s gigs in 2005. He suggested a session with the Robin Nolan Trio, a gypsy jazz band that was part of the Gypsy Caravan Tour Amoeba was promoting to celebrate the music of Django Reinhardt. “I was used to singing standards, so I agreed to a recording session with Robin’s band,” Shearer says. The sessions for Rendezvous at the Nightery went extremely well. The one original tune from the set, Shearer’s “Sao Miguel,” got the lion’s share of attention from critics and fans. Reviews of the three showcase shows Shearer did as a solo act, as a guest singer with the Robin Nolan Trio at SXSW, and the subsequent Gypsy Caravan Tour with David Grisman’s band agreed that Shearer’s smoldering stage presence stole the show. When Amoeba offered to produce an album of Shearer’s tunes, she went into the studio to cut Close to Dark with the help of celebrated producer Larry Klein.
08.06.07 The Paradise Rock Club & Lounge w/Julian Velard
08.09.07 The Living Room
08.11.07 WORLD CAFE LIVE w/Anthony Lattanze Band - Upstairs
08.16.07 The Living Room
08.23.07 The Living Room
