Music
Press
"Finding inspiration from a number of artists has allowed Shuttleworth to develop his own distinguishable style that fuses the very best elements of soul, rock and hip hop music with lyrics of depth and honesty to create a sound packed with vitality."
-- Joel Crane, Mojo Magazine - Mojo Magazine
"Shuttleworth is beholden to the greats. By turns searing and soothing, he's the rare performer who can credibly ply his craft alongside both sensitive icon Pete Yorn and righteous hip-hop poet Saul Williams. Though he can play...with the best of the young bucks, Shuttleworth's politicized voice sets him well apart from the pack."
-- Paul Davis, Metro Santa Cruz - Metro Santa Cruz
Discography
Album Witnes produced by Kyle Kelso and Mike Shimshack.
Photos
Bio
Through an unstable childhood, Shuttleworth found consistency in music. �When I was ten, I was in a dusty record store in Boston and an older man handed me a copy of, �The Sky Is Crying� by Stevie Ray Vaughn. This was perhaps the most definitive moment in my entire musical career.� Shuttleworth laughs. �It introduced me to a range of emotion which eventually grew in to my purpose for writing.�
Growing up, Shuttleworth was mentored by his grandfather who encouraged him to pursue a career of music and teaching. �When I was younger I moved a lot and spent an unusual amount of time by myself. I found my first guitar at a tag sale in Boston. I remember paying twenty dollars for a busted black electric that didn�t even work.� Shuttleworth admits. �I would spend most of my free time obsessively trying to copy the licks that gave me chills. I would close my eyes and pretend I was playing in front of thousands.�
Growing older, Shuttleworth began composing songs that addressed the turmoil of his past and the relationships in his life. �Initially, I never shared my work with anyone. I was insecure about my voice and my words,� Shuttleworth admits, �but as the years went on I learned that the content of my work was much larger than myself and that people needed to hear what I had to say.�
�In school, I studied guitar and struggled with the process of learning to read music. My teacher told me that my inability to absorb his teachings would explain the reasons for why my musical career would inevitably end where it began, in failure.� Shuttleworth explains. �This is the point at which I began to understand my music beyond the standards of others.�
At 22, Shuttleworth packed his belongings and moved to New York City with 63 dollars in his bank account. �I convinced one of my friends to act as my boss and help me sign a lease for an apartment in Brooklyn.� Shuttleworth says with a smile. �I began doing smaller shows and playing at as many places as I could. I started recording in my friend�s basement and selling my work at shows.�
In the past 2 years, Brent Shuttleworth has become one of most sought-after musical acts in the northeast. With his unparalleled live show, Shuttleworth has floored audiences and critics from Cape Town, South Africa to New York City. Shuttleworth has shared the stage with such artists as: George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars, Pete Yorn, Immortal Technique, Maya Azucena, Pete Rock and Saul Williams. Last fall Shuttleworth released a live EP to a sold-out show at the legendary Bitter End in New York City and earlier this year another sold out show at New York's Zipper Factory to release his debut Album Witness.
With the recent passing of his grandfather, Shuttleworth is no longer able to turn to the lifelong mentor that supported him throughout his musical journey and is, once again, left alone with that same person he spent so many lonely hours with moving from place to place now staring at the road ahead � himself.
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