Shadowdogs

INTERVIEW: JUNE 12th, 2003
SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE / NIGHT & DAY
©Copyright SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE PUBLISHING COMPANY Jun 12, 2003
The Songwriters Showcase concert - including Jack Tempchin and [Bruce FitzSimmons] of the Shadowdogs - will benefit the Fallbrook Union High School District's education foundation.
CRAFTSMEN WITH RHYTHM - Songwriters Showcase
a `benefit for a good cause,' promises skilled wordplay:
Marcia Manna.
The San Diego Union - Tribune. San Diego, Calif.: Jun 12, 2003.

The Eagles recording of "Peaceful Easy Feeling" became a Top 20 hit in the 1970s, and fans sang along for the next three decades. Tomorrow, [Jack Tempchin] will headline a Songwriters Showcase at the Bob Burton Center for the Performing Arts. North County bands Shadowdogs and Peter Bolland With Broken Hills will join Tempchin in a concert that benefits the Fallbrook Unified High School District's education foundation.

When Jack Tempchin finger-picked the melody of "Peaceful Easy Feeling" on a $13 Stella guitar, he was oblivious to the song's future staying power.

A woman beauty spotted at street fair inspired the final verse, scrawled on a flyer in the parking lot of a Wienerschnitzel restaurant. I like the way your sparkling earrings swing / Against your skin so brown / And I want to sleep with you in the desert tonight / With a million stars all around. The Eagles recording of "Peaceful Easy Feeling" became a Top 20 hit in the 1970s, and fans sang along for the next three decades. Tomorrow, Tempchin will headline a Songwriters Showcase at the Bob Burton Center for the Performing Arts. North County bands Shadowdogs and Peter Bolland With Broken Hills will join Tempchin in a concert that benefits the Fallbrook Unified High School District's education foundation.

Tempchin is an Encinitas resident and a hero to many North County songwriters, who admire his success with songs such as "Already Gone" (Eagles), "Slow Dancing" (Johnny Rivers) and "Smuggler's Blues" (Glenn Frey).
"I would like to pick his brain," admitted Bruce FitzSimmons, vocalist for Shadowdogs. "I'd like to ask him about songs he felt strongly about and songs that didn't work. If you listen to 'Peaceful Easy Feeling' you know that was a hit. You hear it; it's just there."

Many of the songwriters performing at the concert have released albums this year. The new Shadowdogs album, "Somewhere ... South of the Clef," is an Eagles-influenced album bolstered with guest performances by guitarist-songwriter Jerry McCann and Dennis Caplinger on fiddle, banjo and mandolin.

"I'm not so concerned about the album selling," said FitzSimmons, a resident of Fallbrook. "We didn't go after a genre; I just hope people will enjoy it."

"Somewhere ... South of the Clef" features five songs written by Rich Maiorano, a childhood pal of FitzSimmons who plays acoustic guitar. Maiorano has written songs and collected them in a shoe box for 20 years.

"I found the song 'Love Gives Up' and I was knocked out by it," said FitzSimmons, who cites honest lyrics and emotion as the components of a good song. "I built a studio two years ago and brought in Dennis and Rick. We built an album around it."

The song was aired on the FM 102.1 "Music Without Boundaries" program and critically acclaimed by radio host Kenny Weissberg. FitzSimmons looks forward to performing "Love Gives Up" at tomorrow's showcase. The concert came about when a group of North County songwriters began a discussion about performance venues where they could introduce their work. They also share a desire to contribute to arts in education and the 500-seat Bob Burton Performing Arts Center allows them to do both.

"It's a benefit for a good cause," said Tempchin. "I'm hoping I can draw enough people to make it worth everybody's while." Tempchin underestimates his impact on songwriters who hope to attain his commercial success. And he knows the synergy of a well- crafted song, radio airplay and public interest can be as unlikely as drawing a row of cherries on a slot machine.

"I guess I would say that it's always been impossible to get a song placed on the radio," Tempchin said. "It's not any different now than it's ever been -- a billion to one. I'm one of the guys that made it from around here."

- San Diego Union Tribune

Concert Review
Fallbrook Village News
June 19th, 2003
ENTERTAINMENT
Time Travel
Nathalie Taylor
Staff Writer
The Eagles weren't in concert on Friday the 13th, but if you closed your eyes you might have thought it was so. Jack Tempchin, writer of several Eagles hits including "Already Gone", and "Slow Dancing", took concert guests back in time with his exhilarating performance. Backed by his talented bass player, Norman Sancho, Tempchin was in perfect form.

"You can go home but you can never go back." Temchin told the audience at the Bob Burton Center for the Performing Arts during the benefit concert for the Fallbrook Unified School District Education Foundation. His performance, Punctuated with clever stories about where and when he penned his songs, gave listeners a ‘peaceful easy feeling.'

The energetic evening began with entertainment by San Diego veteran songwriter Peter Bolland leading his band Broken Hills, through a delicious trove of mellow alt-country tunes.

Jerry McCann who has performed in concert with Credence Clearwater Revival. Chicago and several other popular groups, gave a soulful performance of songs from his new CD ‘All Lit Up Like The Moon.'

Fallbrook's own Shadowdogs with Bruce FitzSimmons (vocals/guitar/piano), Jon Scarantino, Kevin Glasse, and pedal steel guitar master Rick Schmidt, thrilled the audience with sounds from their alt-country repertoire. "I particularly liked FitzSimmon's vocals and Rick's playing." Said jazz vocalist Robin Adler who had a chance to sit in the audience Friday evening.

Rick Gord, who records the Padres broadcasts on Channel 4, was glad he came. "All I can say is wow!" he exclaimed. Over $500.00 was raised during a raffle for a beautiful Taylor guitar, won by Larry Robinson. The concert, which lasted almost three hours, was recorded to video and 32-track digital.
- Fallbrook Village News

CD REVIEWS
"Somewhere South of the Clef"
Shadowdogs
Released By: Mindful Eye Music
Bill Fark
For the North County Times

On the Shadowdogs' debut CD "Somewhere South of the Clef", the new Fallbrook-based alt/country band takes the country-western genre in a slightly different direction.

The group (which has performed locally at the Fallbrook Farmer's Market) performs songs in traditional style, along with a mix of others influenced by genres from blues to rock. Shadowdogs are a five-member ensemble –Bruce FitzSimmons, Rich Maiorano, and Rick Schmidt, playing various guitars, bassist Jon Scarantino and drummer Kevin Glassel—but for this CD, guests boost the number to 11. This makes for a full-bodied sound and some very interesting arrangements.

"Until You Smile" demonstrates the extent of guitar possibilities. It features spectacular fingering by guest guitarist Jerry Glassel playing an acoustic instrument, as well as guest Ed Casey on pedal steel guitar, and FitzSimmons on a second acoustic guitar. The trio team again on the sentimental "Lean On Me", and Glassel switches to electric guitar on "Baby Don't Like to Be Left Alone," with Maiorano (who wrote the piece) on acoustic guitar.

FitzSimmons is the most versatile musician. He wrote eight of the 14 songs and collaborated on another. He is also the principal vocalist and plays acoustic guitar on all but two tracks.

Maiorano shares creative honors on five of the songs. His "One More Drink" is in typical Western style, with novelty dobro passages. His other numbers are "Dancin'" and "Love Gives Up". Other guest musicians, soloists in their own right, are Dennis Caplinger, on fiddle, mandolin, and banjo, and Scott Sekol, Jim Hollingsworth and Jerry McCann on various guitars.

- North County Times

SAN DIEGO TROUBADOUR
Alternative country, Americana, roots,
folk, gospel, and bluegrass music news
Vol. 2, No. 10
July 2003
SHADOWDOGS
Somewhere...South of the Clef
By Phil Harmonic

Shadowdogs is a very talented country-rock group with a sound spawned in Southern California by such bands as Poco, Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, Eagles, and Flying Burrito Brothers. Their new CD, Somewhere... South of the Clef is right out of the mold shaped by Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman, et al. The group, headed by Bruce Fitzsimmons, is made up of well-seasoned musicians, including such notable guests as Dennis Caplinger and the late Jerry Glassel.

Fitzsimmons wrote nine of the songs and Rich Maiorano wrote the remaining five. Besides handling all the lead vocals, Fitzsimmons also mixed and produced the CD. His voice is pleasant and quite suited to this style. Bassist Jon Scarantino is listed as the only background vocalist and, if this is so, adds excellent well-balanced, full textured harmonies that remind me of Timothy B. Schmidt and Randy Meisner, two accomplished bass-playing vocalists who both played in Poco and the Eagles.

The lush sound is extended and embellished by Rick Schmidt's pedal steel guitar and Dennis Caplinger's fiddle, mandolin, and banjo. Normally I don't like to see musicians produce and mix their own work, because they tend to overproduce and polish. However, Fitzsimmons, also a multi-instrumentalist, delivers a fine effort. With a wonderful substance that shows through. There is a lot of good listening here, and it is good listening music when you're hangin' around the house. It has pick-me-up flavor that's uplifting. There are also slower songs that create a more melancholy feel, but all in all, this is feel good music, which will find you bouncing in your chair. - San Diego Troubador Magazine

"Halfway to Someday"
Shadowdogs
Shadowdogs Music

North County's Shadowdogs have a great new collection of songs on their upcoming CD, they play those songs with virtuosity and a sense of fun, and the band has some of the warmest vocal harmonies you'll ever hear.
The challenge?
Finding a niche for their music in today's radio formats.
Broadly classifying themselves as Americana, the Shadowdogs (opening for the Mark Jackson Band on Saturday) are more country than most bands found under that banner. But they're too rock for a country station.
Like Poco, the Shadowdogs inhabit the mellow side of country-rock. Not quite as mellow as Pure Prairie League, the Shadowdogs can bring a bit of muscle to their music. And on some songs, like "Best of Me," they even sport an updated alt-country-rock sound not so far from, say, Widespread Panic.
Fallbrook's Bruce FitzSimmons (lead vocals, guitar) is a wonderfully melodic songwriter. If we still had Top 40 and/or AOR FM radio stations like we did when Poco was popular, "Abilene" would be all over the radio. But FitzSimmons (who had his song "Two Hearts" covered by San Diego's Mark Jackson Band on its new CD) is only part of what makes the Shadowdogs so alluring. Franklin Jenkins also knows how to turn out hook-laden tunes ("Open Road" is every bit as radio-friendly as "Abilene"), provides the lush vocal harmonies to FitzSimmons, and can also take on lead vocals.
The entire band plays with confidence but not arrogance. Tasty guitar solos, a rock-solid backbeat and intriguing interplay lend a touch of the Allman Bros. to this release.
---- JT

Pop, Rock, Country, Gospel
A "Love May Take the Long Road Home"

Mark Jackson Band

Long Road Records
Hailing from the (usually) sun-soaked hills of San Diego, the Mark Jackson Band is about as far as you can get from Nashville and still be in the continental United States.
And yet, MJB's newest album (set for a record release party Saturday at Acoustic Expressions in San Diego) is more deeply steeped in country traditions than most anything coming out of Music City these days.
In its straight-ahead approach to country music minus the frills and window dressing, the Mark Jackson Band reminds of old-school musicians like Waylon Jennings and George Strait. With Jackson's smooth singing voice and a sound built around traditional acoustic instruments, the band is somewhere between traditionalists such as Ricky Skaggs and the more modern newgrass acts such as Nickel Creek.
But what is going to keep "Love May Take the Long Road Home" in your CD player spin after spin is the collection of great songs found on it. From the opening cover of "Two Hearts" (written by Fallbrook's Bruce FitzSimmons) through Jackson's own songs like "I'm Sorry (For Making You Feel Like I Do)," "I Wanna Listen to a Love Song" and the title track, this album is full of little gems you won't be able to get out of your head.
Mark Jackson Band performs with the Shadowdogs; 7 p.m. Saturday; Acoustic Expressions, 2852 University Ave., San Diego; $15; (619) 280-9035.
---- Jim Trageser
Staff Writer



- North County Times

CityBEAT Magazine March 23, 2005
http://www.sdcitybeat.com/article.php?id=2987
Local Music Scene
Notables...

Pedal steel player Rick Schmidt of local Americana band The Shadowdogs got the opportunity of a lifetime on March 13 when he received a call from an assistant producer on a video shoot for country superstar Shania Twain. With a video being shot in an old Tijuana building for the tune "I Aint No Quitter," director Wayne Isham (Metallica, Dave Matthews) needed extra musicians for key scenes in the clip, and Schmidt fit the bill. Schmidt's son Cole was also used as an extra, but a few hours of watching Twain's dancers strut their stuff couldn't have been too shabby, either. - San Diego CityBeat Magazine

CD Reviews
By: San Diego Troubadour – issue April 2005
SHADOWDOGS
"Halfway to Someday"
Mindful Eye Music

By Frederick Leonard

So, yer boots are a bit dusty, are they? Feelin’ kinda parched, are ya? Long day? Sounds like you could sit a spell, pop a brew, and mellow out on the porch as you stare out over the high desert ridge in the distance, listening to the new Shadowdogs release, Halfway To Someday. This dreamy-drowsy Americana sound rolls through your personal space like a tumbleweed in slow motion strolling down and old Arizona highway.
Halfway To Someday contains 14 very polished tracks that would take a likely slot on the record store shelf halfway between the Allman Brothers and the Eagles. Pedal steels and guitars are the signature of this sound supported by a snappy rhythm section, piano, and generous dosages of harmony. This is the kind of effort that explores the traditions of the music the Shadowdogs love over any determination to set new-fangled trends. You can hear respects paid to Dickey Betts and Don Henley as well as Jack Tempchin – all the while the while remaining true to the Shadowdog point of view.
Bruce Fitzsimmons, Franklin Jenkins, and Jon Scarantino do the bulk of the writing and singing. Scarantiono plays bass while the other two play a variety of guitars. Kevin Glassel keeps the band together on drums and percussion, along with an able roster of special guests who also contribute more guitar work. Steve Wetherbee is credited with this slickly recorded bare-bones documentation of the sometimes melancholy, sometimes dreamy, and at other times upbeat band.
The thing I especially like about the work is the constant element of elegance. Every song is graceful and beautiful regardless of tempo or mood. And every song – all overtly Americana in style – seems to contain one extra layer of influence that lends its subtle complexity to each track and, therefore, its own identity. Well done. You can see where the tumbleweed wanders at www.shadowdogs.com.

- San Diegon Troubador Magazine

What they’re saying about Shadowdogs ………


Kenny Weissberg KPRI FM102 Radio Host (2005) www.musicwithoutboundaries.com
"Congratulations on making another terrific record."

Jim Trageser/writer-author (CD Review-Halfway To Someday 2005) www.trageser.com
“Shadowdogs have a great new collection of songs (and) some of the warmest vocal harmonies you'll ever hear.” ……

Raymond Swennen/ Roots Revival Radio www.geocities.com/rootsrevivalatlradio (2005)
“I will give your disc’s regular airplay in our radio show “Roots Revival” because you’re damn good!”

Frederick Leonard / San Diego Troubadour - Halfway To Someday (2005) www.sandiegotroubadour.com
“The thing I especially like about the work is the constant element of elegance. Every song is graceful and beautiful regardless of tempo or mood. Well done.”

Gary Kelley / KGTV CH 10 - US Open Sandcastle Competition Announcement (2004)
"Bruce Fitzsimmons and the Shadow Dogs. As a rare appearance from one of the best bands to ever play here"

James Choe/Production Assistant - Universal (2005)
“I appreciate Rick Schmidt helping us out on such short notice with the Shania Twain video shoot.”

Fallbrook Village News (Tsunami Orphan’s Relief Concert 1/9/05) www.thevillagenews.com
“One of the top performers was Fallbrook’s very own Shadowdogs who gave a rousing 45 minute set.”

Kenny Weissberg KPRI FM102 Radio Host (2003) www.musicwithoutboundaries.com
"I've just listened to the first four cuts of Shadowdogs and it's excellent! I'll be playing Love Gives Up on Music Without Boundaries but I could have chosen any of the songs I heard.”

Nathalie Taylor/Village News (6/13/2003 concert backing Jack Tempchin) www.thevillagenews.com
“Shadowdogs thrilled the audience with sounds from their alt-country repertoire.”

Bill Fark/No. County Times www.nctimes.com
(CD review-Somewhere South of the Clef ‘A’ rating 2003)
“…features spectacular fingering by guest guitarist Jerry Glassel”

Phil Harmonic/San Diego Troubadour (debut CD review- 2003) www.sandiegotroubadour.com
“Shadowdogs is a very talented country-rock group with a sound spawned in Southern California by such bands as Poco, Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, Eagles, and Flying Burrito Brothers.”










- quotes from various publications

EXCERPT FROM DAVID ALLAN COE REVIEW - COACH HOUSE 11/10/05

Opening for Coe was John Corbett whose stardom as an actor (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Sex In The City, Northern Exposure) has allowed him to launch a serious music career. The crowd got a high energy set dedicated to rockabilly and blues based roadhouse music. This tour is promoting his self-titled debut CD recently recorded in Nashville. Corbett delivered a stellar performance while giving off a vibe that these would be great guys to hang with. Corbett was as accessible as Coe was mysterious and both delivered in full.

Not lost on the crowd was the opening set by the fast rising local band Shadowdogs who even got a shout-out on stage from Corbett for their ability to go on without a sound check and not miss a beat. Shadowdogs’ debut CD was nominated for “Best Americana Album” San Diego Music Awards 2005 and this six piece band showcased their unique 3 part harmonies and tight arrangements in a 30 minute set comprised of songs from their new CD “Halfway To Someday”. The crowd response to all three bands was loud, raucous and appreciative and made for a diverse night of raw country/rock that left the 400 plus person audience coming back for more “Jack Daniels If You Please”.
- shadowdogs.com