Brittany Shane

Brittany Shane/Decked Out

By David A. Kulczyk


Decked Out, Brittany Shane’s third CD, is a big leap from her acoustic days. Rarely has a folkie made  such a smooth and unpretentious transition to rock as Shane has. A veteran of the Bay Area coffeehouse/bar circuit, Shane has a new electric style and backing band that fit her like the size 2 dresses she wears. Her lyrics are so personal that you feel like you are listening to a phone conversation or reading her diary. And crystal clean and tasteful guitarist Bob Spector leads Shane’s crack backup band like a cavalry charge. Such songs as “Come Around,” “This Movie” and “Fruits On Your Vintage” may sound familiar, but that’s just Shane’s talent shining. Like a rose that took a long time to flower, Brittany Shane has blossomed. Decked Out is easy to listen to and hard to hate.


 


  - Sacramento News and Review

By: Gert Fridlund 


She doesn’t do much new, this vocalist and guitarist from San Francisco. Her albums could have been recorded in the 70’s. Still this is impressive. The music has a wonderful intensity, and a dramatic rock nerve that grabs you.

 Brittany Shane has played from many scenes at home in CA, and in other states. She’s equally productive in the studio. Her debut “Out of the everywhere” was soon followed by “Moravian Star” and now a third album “Decked out” has come out, with 12 new original songs. The music is still restrained (calm, quiet), but never without an edge.

In comparison with previous acoustic productions, the sound is more sophisticated. Shane’s band has a perfect interaction, lead by producing Bob Spector, a skilled guitarist whose technique often makes you think of an early Neil Young. Associations to more artists can be made. The songs sometimes remind me of Lisa Germano, like in some lyrical ballads. The lyrics in turn have lead to comparisons with Patti Smith-to end the talk about influences.
- Hallandsposten

Local Grooves

The title of singer-songwriter Brittany Shane's third album, Decked Out, might refer to her fashionable appearance on the record sleeve or the Neil Young-style title track. But those who have heard her two previous self-released discs will take it as a reference to a new, fuller rock sound that recalls the moody jangle of heyday REM and the stomp of Tom Petty's band the Heartbreakers. It's a welcome change that lends more support to her alto voice and thoughtful songs, particularly on "Fruits on Your Vintage," where guitarist Bob Spector conjures the Jayhawks' Gary Louris atop Bruce Springsteen-ish lyrics ("He's down by Steve's Tow looking for a fight / He's grown fond of his old friends' whiskey and Kool lights"). Other highlights include the aforementioned "Decked Out" and the melodic "Come Around." There are two missteps, however: "I Was Wrong" wanders aimlessly, and the tongue-in-cheek genre exercise "Club and Disco," while not a bad song, deviates from the tenor of the rest of the album. Shane makes up for it with the pretty folk song "Pocketful of Riches," where her voice comes alive with projection, control, and high notes on lyrics that show an eye for detail ("I've got a feather from November / And a penny from 1963"). (Alex K. Fong) - San Francisco Bay Guardian 8.24.05

Grooves You Can Use


BY BILL PICTURE
Of The Examiner Staff




 Don't call her Britney


    While dreamy-eyed Wallflowers front hunk Jacob Dylan practices looking aloof in a backstage mirror, Madison, Wis.-to-S.F. transplant Brittany Shane will be belting out her acoustic neo-folk up in The Fillmore's Poster Room/Lounge.

    A regular on the Bay Area coffeehouse/bar circuit, Shane has a noticeably country-influenced style and very personal -- and sometimes brutally honest -- lyrics that have drawn comparisons to other outspoken, heart-on-their-sleeve female artists like Patti Smith and the Cowboy Junkies' Margo Timmons.

    Shane celebrates the release of her third album, "Decked Out," due out later this month. - San Francisco Examiner

California Dreamin'
Ex-Madisonian Brittany Shane finds success in San Francisco

06/28/2007

'I always felt like I was a poet before I was a musician.'

Brittany Shane’s musical career began inside the Regent apartments in 1997. She was a sophomore at UW-Madison, majoring in English literature.

“There was a guy who lived just across the hall, and I could hear him playing guitar through the door,” says Shane. “After I met him, I asked him to teach me how to play. He said he would in exchange for a pack of cigarettes.”

A decade later, Shane is one of the top singer/songwriters of the San Francisco music scene. She’s a regular at Bill Graham’s legendary Fillmore. Her latest EP was produced by Zach Smith from the ’80s band Scandal (“Goodbye to You,” “The Warrior”). The bands she’s shared bills with lately have included the Indigo Girls, Travis and the Wallflowers.

It’s a California dream come true for this Baraboo native, who’s been attracted to the City by the Bay ever since a high school trip there.

“I didn’t know how I would ever get to San Francisco,” says Shane. “But I was determined to find some way.”

Since her musical baptism inside the Regent, her development as a singer/songwriter has steadily progressed. She attended open-mike nights at the Rathskeller during her junior year. She placed an ad in Maximum Ink to avail herself as a vocalist. She was soon fronting a short-lived band called Subversion.

“We played Dudley’s once,” she says.

Shane performed in those days as Brittany Safranek. “When I got to San Francisco, a lot of people had trouble spelling my last name, so I started using my middle name as my last name.”

Shane recorded two full-length CDs before she left Madison in 2000. Her second CD, Moravian Star , was released at a Steep & Brew show on State Street that year. Her Madison backing band included Jay Iverson (Electric Automatic) and her brother, Dustin Safranek. She’s looking forward to her July 3 show at the King Club for the chance to play with both of them again. “It’s our reunion,” she says.

After graduating from UW-Madison in 1999, Shane worked for a year as a receptionist to save money for a San Francisco move.

“I really wanted someone to go with me, but no one could do it. My aunt had a friend in Danville [on the east side of the San Francisco Bay] who told me I could stay with her for a while. So I bought a one-way ticket and made the move.”

Three months later, Shane had saved enough to rent “a tiny box” of an apartment in San Francisco. She started playing solo acoustic shows at a neighborhood coffeehouse and joined a female songwriter collective called the DivaBand.

In 2002, Shane married a guitarist named Bob Spector, who makes his living editing television commercials. Spector and Shane began performing and recording together. Their 2003 album, Decked Out , was named one of the Top 20 local releases of the year by the San Francisco Chronicle .

“That kind of put me on the map in San Francisco,” says Shane.

Meanwhile Spector had met former Scandal guitarist Zach Smith through a professional contact. Spector increasingly called upon Smith to make music for the commercials he edited.

Last year, when Spector and Shane began working on their follow-up EP, Smith agreed to produce it. He lined up experienced session musicians (whose credentials included Norah Jones, Foo Fighters and Aimee Mann) to play on the EP.

The five songs on Shane’s new self-titled EP, especially the lead track, “Better,” are the kind of polished pop-rock that would be rotating on stations like Magic 98 if Shane were backed by major-label promoters.

“Lyrics are very important to me,” says Shane. “I always felt like I was a poet before I was a musician. I like using the imagery of darkness and light.”

The last song on Shane’s new album is called “Sunsets in Bloom.” “I wrote that song when I first moved out here and I was just blown away by the sunsets over the ocean.”

The song is Shane’s favorite composition — evidence that her California Dream still burns bright.
- The Isthmus

Baraboo Native Rocks Music Scene

By Brian Bridgeford

A Baraboo native turned San Francisco rock performer will be home for July Fourth to visit family, to celebrate the release of her third album and perform with her band Saturday in Madison.

Brittany "Brittany Shane" Safranek will perform at the Anchor Inn bar at 9:30 p.m., Saturday, July 5. The venue is at 1970 Atwood Ave. on Madison's East Side.

Safranek, who uses the name Brittany Shane & Band for her show, said she recently released her new album "Decked Out." Shane is her middle name.

She is the daughter of Clem Safranek of Baraboo and Kathy Smith of Algonquin, Ill. She and her siblings, Dustin, Josh and Brooke Safranek, are Baraboo High School graduates.

After graduating from BHS in 1995 Safranek said she gained a measure of fame performing in Madison for several years and produced two other albums "Out of the Everywhere" in 1999 and Moravian Star in 2000. In August 2000 she moved, acoustic guitar in hand, to San Francisco to nurture her performing career.

Since then she has performed around the SF area and done tours through Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago.

The newest album is a big change for her, since she plays with an amplified band rather than as a solo performer on acoustic guitar, she said. And she even plays electric guitar.

"I think it's definitely a rock record," Safranek said. "My past two records have been more folk-rock, very acoustic. The first two years it was me and my guitar for shows, now I have a band together to play shows."

Brittany Shane & Band includes: Bob Spector-lead guitar; Rob McCordindale - drums; William Crawford - bass and Brittany Shane- guitar and vocals.

"These guys are so great," she said. "We all have just become such good friends. It's become very easy and I enjoy it a lot."

Safranek said the use of her middle name for her performing identity was simply a matter of ease of promoting her music. "I like my last name, Safranek, but people were having a tough time spelling it and pronouncing it," she said. "I just decided to go with my middle name. It's more memorable."

The young musician said she will be in town around July 4 to spend time with family, as well as enjoying the fireworks and sharing the life she loves in Baraboo with her bandmates. "We're gonna watch the fireworks together," she said. "We'll be hanging around town, you'll probably see us."

With her third album having steady sales and performances scheduled through August, Brittany Shane and her band are looking toward more good things in the future.

"Moving to San Francisco was a big step for me, and it definitely worked out very well," said Safranek. "I think I'm definitely where I'd like to be." - Baraboo News Republic

UW Grad Back From SF for Show

By Tom Alesia

A rootsy singer-songwriter and 1999 UW-Madison graduate, Brittany Shane will return to the city from her current residence in San Francisco for a concert at the Anchor Inn Saturday night.


Shane – whose last name while in Madison was Safranek – is a regular performer in San Francisco area clubs. Her most recent effort, the CD "Decked Out," showcases a folk-rocker who leans toward the latter half of that description.


She will be joined by three bandmates at the Madison show, which is the only Midwest date for her. Instead, Shane, a Baraboo native, has several Bay area gigs, including an opening act spot for The Wallflowers.


Shane's Madison concert will begin at 9:30 p.m. at the Anchor Inn, 1970 Atwood Ave. The cover charge is $8.


  - madison.com

Bay Area's embarrassment of musical talent makes for stunning selection of CDs for 2005




Aidin Vaziri, Chronicle Pop Music Critic
Tuesday, December 27, 2005


While the rest of the world was stuck listening to the same old noise this year from the usual culprits like the Dave Matthews Band and Mariah Carey, we here in the Bay Area once again got to spoil our ears by indulging in tunes that were truly innovative, genre bending and perfectly thrilling. Here, the 21 best local releases from the past year. And remember, it's never too late to discover your new favorite artist.

"Brittany Shane "Decked Out"

Rising out of the San Francisco coffeehouse scene,
singer-songwriter Brittany Shane delivers a rich slice
of exquisitely produced Americana on this re-release
(originally out in 2003), with nods to Neil Young and
Ryan Adams in his better moments."




- San Francisco Chronicle

Baraboo Native Rocks Music Scene

By Brian Bridgeford

A Baraboo native turned San Francisco rock performer will be home for July Fourth to visit family, to celebrate the release of her third album and perform with her band Saturday in Madison.

Brittany "Brittany Shane" Safranek will perform at the Anchor Inn bar at 9:30 p.m., Saturday, July 5. The venue is at 1970 Atwood Ave. on Madison's East Side.

Safranek, who uses the name Brittany Shane & Band for her show, said she recently released her new album "Decked Out." Shane is her middle name.

She is the daughter of Clem Safranek of Baraboo and Kathy Smith of Algonquin, Ill. She and her siblings, Dustin, Josh and Brooke Safranek, are Baraboo High School graduates.

After graduating from BHS in 1995 Safranek said she gained a measure of fame performing in Madison for several years and produced two other albums "Out of the Everywhere" in 1999 and Moravian Star in 2000. In August 2000 she moved, acoustic guitar in hand, to San Francisco to nurture her performing career.

Since then she has performed around the SF area and done tours through Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago.

The newest album is a big change for her, since she plays with an amplified band rather than as a solo performer on acoustic guitar, she said. And she even plays electric guitar.

"I think it's definitely a rock record," Safranek said. "My past two records have been more folk-rock, very acoustic. The first two years it was me and my guitar for shows, now I have a band together to play shows."

Brittany Shane & Band includes: Bob Spector-lead guitar; Rob McCordindale - drums; William Crawford - bass and Brittany Shane- guitar and vocals.

"These guys are so great," she said. "We all have just become such good friends. It's become very easy and I enjoy it a lot."

Safranek said the use of her middle name for her performing identity was simply a matter of ease of promoting her music. "I like my last name, Safranek, but people were having a tough time spelling it and pronouncing it," she said. "I just decided to go with my middle name. It's more memorable."

The young musician said she will be in town around July 4 to spend time with family, as well as enjoying the fireworks and sharing the life she loves in Baraboo with her bandmates. "We're gonna watch the fireworks together," she said. "We'll be hanging around town, you'll probably see us."

With her third album having steady sales and performances scheduled through August, Brittany Shane and her band are looking toward more good things in the future.

"Moving to San Francisco was a big step for me, and it definitely worked out very well," said Safranek. "I think I'm definitely where I'd like to be." - Baraboo News Republic

Last month, San Francisco singer-songwriter Brittany Shane set out on a six-month tour across America. We asked her to keep a diary of the first few days of the journey as she and her band began their travels in the Pacific Northwest. We were just hoping to hear about her secret crush on Robert Pattinson and pilfer some unicorn stickers. Typically, Shane had something else in mind.
Images
View Larger Image

"This summer my dad called me from his house in Wisconsin and said, 'Sweetie, I like that you are playing music, but please just don't go on tour - it's just too darn hard,' " Shane said. "Like any rock 'n' roll bitten, Midwestern-raised girl, I love my dad, but when the opportunity came I was going to jump high and fast."

Shane circles back home tonight for a free show at Mojito in North Beach before continuing the journey east on the 90-date trek in support of her new album, "Have Heart Live Young."
Nov. 28 Diablo's Eugene, Ore.

"All wide-eyed and excited, we piled up our gear, the three band members and myself all squished into the SUV, and we took off for what would be one of our longer drives - eight hours to Eugene, Ore. We saw three rainbows on the way, and as our legs got cramped we researched car yoga on our phones and popped in a Poison live DVD. We walked into our first venue Diablo's and to our surprise there was stand up comedy going on, which gave us time to play pinball and shake off the chill from outside. It was my first time playing live with this touring line-up and the adrenaline was pumping. We couldn't stop smiling at each other. When a woman got up and started dancing to a mid-tempo song, I knew we had achieved success."
Nov. 29 Music Millennium Portland, Ore.

"First morning we got to see each others' pajamas - someone brought a duck pillow with matching slippers - and we were off on a two-hour drive to Portland for an in-store appearance at the record store Music Millennium. Carrying all our heavy gear, we were led to the second floor by a sound guy who looked like Chris Martin from Coldplay. Two employees pushed three enormous racks of record shelves to the side and voila our stage floor appeared. It was an easy show and at 5 p.m. the earliest we'd probably ever see in our lifetimes."
Nov. 30 Charlie's Bar Olympia, Wash.

"At this point, our bags started to get jumbled and grow into weird shapes. The packing was getting sloppy so we really had to push to get all our bags in the car this time. The 90-mile drive to Olympia, Wash., was a breeze. We walked into Charlie's Bar and Grill, and I was immediately taken back to my Wisconsin sports bar and tavern days. We were told very nicely to load in the back by the pool tables because the regular sport watchers do not like to have their games interrupted by bands carrying their gear. After loading in, we were told we'd receive three free pitchers of beer. When they hit the stage, I could feel something happening, maybe it was the colored lights coming from the floor or the dude peeking out from the smoking area or when I mentioned we were on the road and someone yelled "living in a van!" and everyone cheered. We were starting to take control of the stage."
Dec. 1 ToST Seattle

"ToST was cool. It reminded me of a San Francisco bar and made me miss home a little. We were getting to be pretty fast at setting up at this point, so the people we didn't know would stay and hear our wonderful songs. Wherever, whenever or if ever this road-trip ends, the songs are getting to people who might never hear them or people we might never have met in our lives. Experiences and stories are what keep us alive and a tour is a trip."
Dec. 2 Bob's Java Jive Tacoma, Wash.

"What an original venue. The club is a giant teapot and the bands play inside. The interior reminded me of 'The Flintstones' meets 'Pee-Wee's Playhouse.' We played our rock 'n' roll set facing the Tarzan and Jane-labeled restrooms, and couldn't help but look around and imagine everyone hanging out there in the '30s, drinking and having a good time. When we finished we passed the huge jars of pickles and decided we were now really ready to start making our own food in the hotel room. Our drummer Aden Liggett, who is a macrobiotic chef in the Bay Area, brought a camping stove and cooked us up some tacos with eggs as we watched 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.' We were in heaven as our heads floated down to the Best Western pillows while visions of Chevy Chase and the last song of our set danced in our heads." {sbox}

Brittany Shane: 9 tonight. Mojito, 1337 Grant Ave., San Francisco. Free. (415) 398-1120. www.mojitosf.com.

To hear Brittany Shane's music, go to www.brittanyshane.com.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/20/PKT81B1FR2.DTL#ixzz0aRasXSU4
- San Francisco Chronicle Dec. 20, 2009

A singer with a big heart
By: Tom Lanham
Special to The Examiner
December 17, 2009
Move into light: Bay Area-based singer-songwriter Brittany Shane maintains a positive attitude on her latest album, “Have Heart Live Young.” (Courtesy photo)

Anyone who has met local singer-songwriter Brittany Shane will probably agree: The bright-eyed bohemian is so perpetually cheerful and optimistic, she could shame Pollyanna.

That upbeat attitude — which has sustained the Marin resident for 10 hardscrabble years in show biz — is the direct result, she says, of growing up in the small town of Baraboo, Wisc., population 10,000.

She says, “My dad’s that way, too. He’s full of life and he’s the guy in town that everyone knows will walk in with a huge smile and make everyone happy. And he always tells me, ‘Make sure you go out there and you smile!’ So I get that from him. I’m the one out of his four kids that got the smiley bug.”

Shane, 32, was destined for the spotlight; the indie pop rocker will be under another at Mojito in The City on Sunday, playing from her most recent recording.

At 2 years old, she demanded to study dance. Later, she was skilled enough to make her stage debut, doing soft-shoe to a Vanilla Ice song at her school’s annual recital.

“That’s when I got the entertaining bug,” she says. “I just loved the whole rush of being up there. Even though the stage made me very nervous, it was also a big high for me. I felt comfortable in front of a big crowd, being part of a big production.”

Shane still maintains a day job, teaching children’s tap and ballet at a Bay Area dance academy. She imparts her wisdom to the kids, and they, in turn, remind her to “have fun, dance around, be goofy and not care about what people think,” she says.

She maps out her rosy philosophy on her chiming, charming new hookfest “Have Heart Live Young,” on her own Painted Lady Records.

Produced by Scandal’s Zack Smith, songs like “Better” and the title track imagine a world with no cell phones, where everyone slows down long enough to enjoy everyday beauty.

“That’s what the album’s about — feeling happiness again,” says Shane, who’s married to her band’s guitarist, Bob Spector. “During the transition from child to adult, you can refer back to those little things from childhood that make you happy. And you can look around at life’s simple things and make your heart warm again. That way you can keep the light inside of you alive.”

Does this artist ever get depressed? “There have been some tough gigs, shows with nobody there,” she admits. “And I’ll think ‘Am I on the right path? Should I keep going?’ But if you do keep going, powering through, there’s always something good that’s ahead of you.”

IF YOU GO
Brittany Shane

Where: Mojito, 1337 Grant Ave., San Francisco
When: 9:30 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: Admission is free
Contact: www.mojitosf.com - San Francisco Examiner Dec. 17, 2009

Last month, San Francisco singer-songwriter Brittany Shane set out on a six-month tour across America. We asked her to keep a diary of the first few days of the journey as she and her band began their travels in the Pacific Northwest. We were just hoping to hear about her secret crush on Robert Pattinson and pilfer some unicorn stickers. Typically, Shane had something else in mind.
Images
View Larger Image

"This summer my dad called me from his house in Wisconsin and said, 'Sweetie, I like that you are playing music, but please just don't go on tour - it's just too darn hard,' " Shane said. "Like any rock 'n' roll bitten, Midwestern-raised girl, I love my dad, but when the opportunity came I was going to jump high and fast."

Shane circles back home tonight for a free show at Mojito in North Beach before continuing the journey east on the 90-date trek in support of her new album, "Have Heart Live Young."
Nov. 28 Diablo's Eugene, Ore.

"All wide-eyed and excited, we piled up our gear, the three band members and myself all squished into the SUV, and we took off for what would be one of our longer drives - eight hours to Eugene, Ore. We saw three rainbows on the way, and as our legs got cramped we researched car yoga on our phones and popped in a Poison live DVD. We walked into our first venue Diablo's and to our surprise there was stand up comedy going on, which gave us time to play pinball and shake off the chill from outside. It was my first time playing live with this touring line-up and the adrenaline was pumping. We couldn't stop smiling at each other. When a woman got up and started dancing to a mid-tempo song, I knew we had achieved success."
Nov. 29 Music Millennium Portland, Ore.

"First morning we got to see each others' pajamas - someone brought a duck pillow with matching slippers - and we were off on a two-hour drive to Portland for an in-store appearance at the record store Music Millennium. Carrying all our heavy gear, we were led to the second floor by a sound guy who looked like Chris Martin from Coldplay. Two employees pushed three enormous racks of record shelves to the side and voila our stage floor appeared. It was an easy show and at 5 p.m. the earliest we'd probably ever see in our lifetimes."
Nov. 30 Charlie's Bar Olympia, Wash.

"At this point, our bags started to get jumbled and grow into weird shapes. The packing was getting sloppy so we really had to push to get all our bags in the car this time. The 90-mile drive to Olympia, Wash., was a breeze. We walked into Charlie's Bar and Grill, and I was immediately taken back to my Wisconsin sports bar and tavern days. We were told very nicely to load in the back by the pool tables because the regular sport watchers do not like to have their games interrupted by bands carrying their gear. After loading in, we were told we'd receive three free pitchers of beer. When they hit the stage, I could feel something happening, maybe it was the colored lights coming from the floor or the dude peeking out from the smoking area or when I mentioned we were on the road and someone yelled "living in a van!" and everyone cheered. We were starting to take control of the stage."
Dec. 1 ToST Seattle

"ToST was cool. It reminded me of a San Francisco bar and made me miss home a little. We were getting to be pretty fast at setting up at this point, so the people we didn't know would stay and hear our wonderful songs. Wherever, whenever or if ever this road-trip ends, the songs are getting to people who might never hear them or people we might never have met in our lives. Experiences and stories are what keep us alive and a tour is a trip."
Dec. 2 Bob's Java Jive Tacoma, Wash.

"What an original venue. The club is a giant teapot and the bands play inside. The interior reminded me of 'The Flintstones' meets 'Pee-Wee's Playhouse.' We played our rock 'n' roll set facing the Tarzan and Jane-labeled restrooms, and couldn't help but look around and imagine everyone hanging out there in the '30s, drinking and having a good time. When we finished we passed the huge jars of pickles and decided we were now really ready to start making our own food in the hotel room. Our drummer Aden Liggett, who is a macrobiotic chef in the Bay Area, brought a camping stove and cooked us up some tacos with eggs as we watched 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.' We were in heaven as our heads floated down to the Best Western pillows while visions of Chevy Chase and the last song of our set danced in our heads." {sbox}

Brittany Shane: 9 tonight. Mojito, 1337 Grant Ave., San Francisco. Free. (415) 398-1120. www.mojitosf.com.

To hear Brittany Shane's music, go to www.brittanyshane.com.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/20/PKT81B1FR2.DTL#ixzz0aRasXSU4
- San Francisco Chronicle Dec. 20, 2009