"Tall Trees" single, out now!

Hey Hey Hey!

The first single is out now from my upcoming album Softer Scissors! Listen to it today on your favourite streaming site. I like Tidal, but no judgement here.

Driven by delicate finger-picked style guitar and Clarke’s knack for image-rich storytelling and winding melodies, “Tall Trees” brings its listener a bittersweet comfort. Feeling all at once modern and nostalgic, “Tall Trees” sits somewhere between the dynamic nuance of Jeff Tweedy and the ‘60s singer-songwriter tradition of Simon and Garfunkel.

Written on the balcony of his upstairs neighbours while looking after their cat named Eugene, Clarke braids the comforting simplicity of the sights and sounds of his neighbourhood with the emotional heaviness of pandemic life. Clarke shares, ”We were right in the middle of the pandemic, and I was worried about how it was affecting certain people in my life (“Narratives make strangers of us all”). At the same time, I was doing research into my family history, eventually joining the Metis Nation of Ontario (“Generations weighing on our minds”). I’m not sure if there was a message in ‘Tall Trees’ for other people, it was more of a self-examination. While all these things were going on, I still had a life to live, songs to write, and bills to pay. This song is such snapshot of a time & place in my life, and hopefully it resonates with others in a similar way.”

The track was recorded at Curries Music in Gravenhurst, Ontario with Rob Currie, who recorded, mixed, and co-produced “Tall Trees”. Clarke brought in musician friends Claire Coupland and Sarah Hiltz to add background vocals, with Graydon James (The Young Novelists) on percussion.

Softer Scissors is set for release April 19th 2024

Softer Scissors Pre-Order Campaign

We’re Live! Friends, I need your help. So, the new album Softer Scissors, is recorded, mixed & mastered. The next stage is production, and that’s where a lot of fees happen at the same time. CD & Vinyl production, T-shirts & promotion are all about to happen at the same time.

That’s where you come in!

To help alleviate some of these fees, I’m running a pre-order campaign! You can secure your copy of Softer Scissors on vinyl or CD, book a live solo or band show, get a T-shirt specially designed by one of my favourite screen printers Stacey Case, or pick a single for the album!

Check it out here: Shawn William Clarke - Softer Scissors Pre-Order

Thank you so much for your support, it means a lot.

Mailing Lists are back!

Hey friends, things on the internet have been getting pretty weird. I can’t keep up with the algorithm, and Facebook is taking news away from us… Basically, I don’t think I can reach you the way I used to. So I’m bringing back an old standard, the Mailing List.

So here’s the deal. Each month, on the first Sunday, I’m going to send out an email. In that email I’ll feature music news, a free download, a bit of movie fun (since I love movies, and I want to talk movies ALL THE TIME!), and finally a cute pic of a pet. Probably just my cat Tony, but I do know some suuuuper cute pets.

The September email has been sent out already, but I’d be happy to send it to you if you join the mailing list before October. The free download this month is of Beck’s Golden Age. Great tune, and as a treat I’ll show you the pet pic of the month below.

So sign up for my mailing list! I have a new album in the works, and you don’t want to miss a detail!

Recording my fourth full length studio release!

Hello folks, I just wanted to pop in and update you on some great news, I’m currently finished tracking my fourth full length studio album! I went back to my favourite place in the world, Curries Music in Gravenhurst Ontario, and I’ve been working closely with Rob Currie in making this release. Rob has been engineering and co-producing the album with me, and he’ll start mixing very soon! Here are a few pics from the sessions, hope to get some new music to you very soon!

David Gluck on bass, Rob Currie engineering. Photo by Bet Smith

Katie McLeod joined us one day for organ & vocals

Graydon James played drums, then later we recorded percussion at his place. Photo by Bet Smith

Special guest vocalists Claire Coupland & Sarah Hiltz joined on a few songs

my musical brother David Gluck flew all the way from Portland to join us. Photo by Bet Smith

Photo by Bet Smith

Photo by Bet Smith

A few words about Gordon Lightfoot

I spent the first half of my life in Orillia Ontario. Growing up I didn't have many hometown heroes; people who made it out of this sleepy boring city to make something of themselves. The city would desperately harp on about Stephen Leacock, a man who happened to have a cottage there, and wrote an incredibly mean spirited book about Orillia. The only other name mentioned was Gordon Lightfoot. There was never a time in my life where his music wasn't around, but when I was young, to me his music was the corny, AM radio stuff I'd hear at the local breakfast restaurants. (Though, quietly to myself, "If I could read your Mind" always moved me, and "Sundown" was always badass).

Orillia didn't have a music scene to speak of back then. Mariposa Folk Festival was long gone (wouldn't come back until 2000, a year after I left for Toronto), and if you wanted a gig you had to rent out the Oddfellows hall, or maybe play a high school event. Some of my first gigs were in surrounding areas, Stroud, Barrie, Newmarket. Kids had nowhere close by to play and nowhere to see live music. Thankfully, that seems to have changed a bit. I hope it has.

So i got out. I took the first chance I could to move to a city that had an abundance of music, and I soaked it up. The funny thing is, as time progressed, I would begin hear Gord's tunes differently. I didn't understand his songs before, because I'd never lived. The more I lived, the more his songs made sense to me. The more I travelled, loved, felt, played, interacted with other people... the closer I felt to his songs.

I owe a great deal of my guitar style, and my 2014 album "William" to Gord's early albums "Lightfoot!" and "The Way I Feel". Without his 80's albums "Salute" and "Shadows", my 2017 album "Topaz" would be entirely different, or maybe wouldn't exist at all.

A few years back I got a chance to interview him for a friends radio show. I showed up early, and because of that I got a whole 10 minutes to talk with him. I recorded our conversation, but I haven't listened to it since, and honestly I was never going to give that interview to anyone. It was too precious. To me it was an excuse to talk to a hero, a fellow Orillian who "got out", if just for a few minutes, and I will always cherish that brief interaction.

See you at Mariposa this year. Let's sing some Lightfoot songs.

SA vol 4: Dexter Parks + Bandcamp Fundraiser!

Hello friends! It’s been a minute, but I have some new exciting things coming up, maybe you’ll be interested!

First off, I’m releasing the 4th part of my Spectral Acoustics series! This series became sort of an archive project, and we’re reaching back to the mid-2000’s to bring you Dexter Parks! What is Dexter Parks? Well, he was my dance music alter ego…. or something. Back around 2005 my partner had a macbook with a program called GarageBand. I had no idea how to use it, so I started making music only using their stock samples. It was fun, silly, naive, and completely different from anything else I’ve done. Earlier this year, I was cleaning off an old computer and found the GarageBand files. I was able to clean them up and edit them a bit, and asked my good friend David Newberry to master them, and now they sound better than ever! To get a taste, check out the video linked below.

This release is going to tie in with a fundraiser project. I’ve been denied by every granting agency I can apply to, but I’m desperate to raise money for a new album. I have some great songs, and they need the right production & musicians to bring it to fruition. So this Friday (Bandcamp Friday!), everything on my page will be PWYC. Digital downloads, merch, you name it. Every penny will go towards that new LP, so it all helps.

Check out my page here: SHAWN CLARKES BANDCAMP PAGE

Without further ado, here’s the video for the first track “This Is A Song About Friendship”, edited by myself using found footage from some sort of 90’s Robotics convention!

Pandemic Trilogy

Hello friends! I haven’t posted on the ol’ website in a while, but a lot has happened! During this pandemic I conceived and put out 3 releases. The “Spectral Acoustics” series covers a wide array of genres, featuring covers, collaborations, re-imagined songs and more. All three have been released on limited edition cassette, and if you buy all three (here!) you’ll save some money! Sounds good no? They all come with downloads too, or you could just buy it digitally at bandcamp.

Spectral Acoustics Vol 1 features 5 songs recorded at Curries Music in Gravenhurst, edited and mixed at home using found sounds to create a cohesive listening experience! Featuring two originals and three acoustic reimagining of older songs.

Vol 2: Pandemic Singles, is a collection of works made in 2020 for other projects. Podcasts, mixtapes, etc. This features a rare cover (of brilliant Toronto songwriter David Newberry), 3 original solo tracks and the first two tracks by Donut Dust (a krautrock collaboration with my partner Katie McLeod!)

Vol 3: The Complete Will Moor is a an ambient instrumental album, co-created by myself and David Gluck. Featuring mostly acoustic instruments. Recorded in 2016, but now available in physical form for the first time in Canada. Download comes with two extended tracks! For all your brooding ambient needs!

I hope you’re all doing great, and let’s chat soon!

New lyric video for "Leonard Cohen"

On Friday November 6th, I’ll be officially releasing my newest EP “Spectral Acoustics Vol 1” on all streaming sites! In the meantime, today I released a video for the single “Leonard Cohen”. I’d love to know what you think!

On the night of Leonard Cohen's passing (Nov 7th 2016), I quickly wrote this song. "Leonard Cohen" is a contemplative finger picked ballad alluding to the songs and themes of his life. This tune was considered for 2017's TOPAZ, but didn't quite fit. A year later, I found myself at Rob Currie Recordings in Gravenhurst, and we tracked a few songs, including this one. I used a 1967 Arcangel Fernandez classical guitar, tracked live, only using a couple takes. I hope you enjoy it!

New bandcamp exclusive "Spectral Acoustics Vol 1"!

Spectral Acoustics Vol 1

Friends! Today (May 1), I released a Bandcamp exclusive album called “Spectral Acoustics Vol 1” and I’m super proud of it.

This music is about looking back. Thinking about the people we look up to, our friends, family, acquaintances. The places we miss, the things we miss doing. This is an isolation album. Spectral Acoustics Vol 1 is a 5 songs EP, but you also get the complete album as one track for the complete experience.  Best listened to from start to finish with headphones.

It features some synths by Kristian Noel Pedersen, but most of the instruments / samples are me. It was recorded by Rob Currie in Gravenhurst, and mixed by Rob, then by me. My good friend David Newberry (who has a single out today!) mastered it. Listen and buy it here:

You can also buy it on cassette! Yah girl. Pre order it right here!

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In Basements: In Isolation Vol 2

Did you know that the we did a second volume to our In Isolation mixtape??? I have a new Instrumental tune on it, and I think it’s preeeeetty dope. Check that all out right here

New tracks while in Isolation

Hey friends, as I had mentioned a couple weeks back, I’ve been spending my isolation working on a music project. In Basements: In Isolation is a mixtape featuring 18 musicians, with the sole rule being they had to record a song using only what they had in their homes. There are low fi iPhone songs all the way to nice home studio recordings!

When No 1’s Around - Shawn William Clarke

When No 1’s Around is a tune I’ve been playing for a few months. It was written at home and during a transitionary stage for me. I had a wonderful roommate, who had a great partner living at the house. But I find I have trouble practicing and writing when people are around, ultimately a product of low self esteem.
I think of this song as a low-fi tune from the 90’s. Something Beck or Hayden might of done in those days. It features sounds of the streets of Roncesvalles outside my window.

Donut Dust Theme - Donut Dust

Me and my partner Katie McLeod have been talking about starting a Krautrock band since we began dating. Both of us are big fans of Can, Neu!, Cluster, etc. We first needed a name. It’s hard to say how Donut Dust came about, but it’s kinda perfect if you ask me. Our hypothetical Krautrock band had it’s first show as real DJ’s. We spun a couple nights at Little Jerry here in Toronto. We are spending A LOT of time together now, so the time was right! I fooled around with the drummer feature on Garageband, put down a straight ahead driving bass line. Then Katie came up with all the synth parts. I added some guitar, edited and now we have Donut Dust Theme!

In Basements: In Isolation

I’d appreciate it if you went to the bandcamp site and gave the whole mixtape a listen! It features 18 tracks, and it’s really special. Volume 2 will begin very soon, so keep checking in!

IN BASEMENTS: IN ISOLATION VOLUME 1