(Staff Photo: Richard Davis) The Shady Janes — Brad Hahn, Jayce Bannister, Damon Dugdale and Jeremy Mock — perform in September at the Restaurant On The Corner & Grill in Fayetteville. Pictured from left are Bannister, Mock and Hahn. The band will hold it’s CD release party for “Silence And The Sway” from 9 to 11:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 29 at the Boom Boom Room in Fayetteville.
The Shady Janes’ Facebook page describes the group as well or better than I can: “The band evokes the somber and the hopeful with equal fervor.”
The four-piece group is a straight-forward rock and roll band with a perfect balance of flavors — a taste of despair here and a drop of hope there. A rarity, The Shady Janes manage evoke sadness without being whiny. They harmonize without coming across as sissyfied.
I was lucky enough to catch The Shady Janes at the ROTC Grill for a Saturday show following a Razorback game. You never know what to expect hearing a band for the first time, and it’s always a pleasure to discover the group is good.
It’s even better to find yourself not only impressed with their musical ability, but their songwriting craft. Even after hearing their song “Post Its” just once, I found myself haunted by it for weeks afterward:
“Don’t get overwhelmed. It’s just a list of maybes. And panic has a smell. Anxiety is reigning …
“Don’t get overwhelmed. It’s just a list of daydreams. You can never fail. As as you keep breathing.
“Shut off the lights … take off your clothes. Lay in the dark forever. And I remind you to forget.”
“Post Its” is one of the 10 tracks appearing on the Janes’ debut CD “Silence And The Sway,” now available through iTunes and CDBaby. Or better yet, you can wait until Friday night, hear the band live at the Boom Boom Room on Dickson Street and purchase a hard copy. I haven’t had a chance to listen to the album enough myself and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the repeat listenability of the band’s freshman effort.
