Member Band Spotlight – Billy Shew interview by Susie Campbell

• Sundays at Dawson’s Bar and Grill in Tacoma from 7 to 11 pm.
• Tuesdays at the Burien Eagles from 7-10:30 pm. (Everybody is welcome. You do not have to be a member.)
• Wednesdays at Gabriella’s in Maple Valley (formerly Stockton’s) 6-9 pm
• Thursdays at Red Dog Saloon in Maple Valley 7 to 10 pm. The Red Dog is basically a country platform.  However, all music is accepted.

Susie: How do musicians hear about your jams? SSBA posts them on our website calendar, however I met a guitar player at one of your recent Sunday jams who never heard of SSBA. So, do you advertise in any way, or is it just word-of-mouth?

Billy: To find out more about my jams, you can go to my webpage and look up my tour calendar.   https://www.billyshew.com/tour   I also send out Facebook weekly reminders.  https://www.facebook.com/billy.shew?

Susie: As I’m not a musician, I am interested in understanding how jams work, and how musicians can come together and make music on the fly together that sounds well-rehearsed. What level of expertise are you looking for at each of these jams?

Billy: The musicians that come to my jams need to at least know what a 1- 4–5 is. However, there are times that I will teach a guitar player what this means. If a new jammer comes in, I’ll interview that jammer real quick to see where they are musically. I traditionally will use easier blues songs. Depending on the musician, we can generally determine how complicated the music should be. Some of the easier songs are the most musically inspired. Given the ability of some musicians, we can open it up to go anywhere musically we want. (note: I had to look up the 1-4-5 rule. In case you’re wondering, check out this explanation: Understanding Music’s DNA: What is the 1 4 5 Rule on Guitar? – Breakthrough Guitar | Online Guitar Lessons)

Susie: Do you have a list of commonly known songs that musicians can learn ahead of time?

Billy: Sometimes musicians will want to know a list of songs that they can learn and come back and play at the jam. Usually, I will direct them to learn songs from Stevie Ray Vaughan or B.B. King that are not so challenging.

Billy Shew

My desire behind the jams, is to establish a community of musicians, young and old, to have a place to continually musically grow, to learn from each other, and to have a space that we can grow as a music community. The blues is a great platform for everybody to develop their skill and their love for playing music.  Moreover, it’s nice to mentor young people who will one day be handed the torch here in Washington. The players that I’m really excited about are Gavin Stone, Dragan Delao, Nick Mardon, Benny Bostrom, Nate Sharp, Devan Bland, to name a few. Keep your eyes out for these young musicians.  It’s great to watch the young group of musicians develop and go beyond.

Susie: In addition to hosting jams, you also perform with your band, Billy Shew and the Sole Providers. I see your tour dates on your website: https://www.billyshew.com/tour. You’re venturing beyond local gigs to Oregon, and even Kentucky next month.

Billy: When I am not doing jams, I will usually be playing local clubs. If not here, I’ll be in Oregon, Wyoming, Kentucky and Nashville.

Susie: You play a variety of genres of music from country to blues. What would you say is your signature style, currently?

Billy: Usually, the gigs that I play on the weekends cater more towards country and classic rock.  However, I enjoy doing my blues anywhere I get the opportunity. Depending where I’m playing on the weekends, I’ll sneak in some of my Blues.

At this point in time, I’m in the studio recording my original material which is centered around the blues. You can find my newest and oldest material on all music platforms. My music has a combination of fusion, funk, and blues. Lately I’ve tried to write music that caters to more of a live performance. This allows me to take the music anywhere I want to take it. I have four songs being released coming up called the Nashville Takes. That’s more of some classic rock, country and blues material. In February, I’ll be releasing four or five songs that I did during Covid.  When I’m in Nashville at the end of February, I’ll be recording a song and collaborating with Stacy Mitchhart amongst others. I have a few more originals to release this coming year as well, so stay tuned.

Susie: How did you get into music and decide to become a full-time musician?

Billy: When I was five, I knew this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to become a full-time musician. I had to go through a lot to get here. I was raised with a single mom. It was just my mom, my brother and my grandmother. My mom bought me my first guitar when I was eight, at which time I started taking lessons.  We moved around a lot and I had many instructors. I tried to learn as much as I could with different types of instruction.

When I was in high school, I played guitar for the jazz band. I also played bass drum and tuba in the marching band in Leavenworth, Washington.  Right out of high school, I joined the military. I kept my guitar with me as much as I could.  When we were down range, I’d sneak my guitar in my duffel bag and practice quietly, so as not to get caught by the first sergeant.  I could’ve stayed in the military, but I wanted to play music, so I got out after my 6 1/2 years. I realized that I needed something to fall back on, so I became a math teacher which I did for close to 20 years. I think that experience of being a teacher helps me with organizing my jams and relating to people, especially the youngins, lol. So, on this journey, nothing is ever wasted.

I like all types of music. My first love is the blues. When I was younger, I generally connected to musicians like John Denver.  However, when I heard people like Jimi Hendrix, Robin Ford, and Eric Johnson I was all into the blues.

Back in 2010, I started taking country guitar lessons online. I then was able to join a Country Band, 8 Second Ride. 8 SECOND RIDE. My good friends, Dave Dorning and Kimberly Kaye taught me a lot.  Now I have my own country band, Billy Shew and the Sole Providers.

I’d like to be able to take all these influences that I have, whether it’s country, classic rock and/or blues, and put them all together and just play. I enjoy playing the blues, but I also enjoy playing other genres and combining them. I think jazz will be my next ambition.  That’s why I like Robin Ford, Oz Noy. They tend to be able to take a mixture of blues and jazz and put them together to create something that I personally can relate to. You’re always learning when playing music. It doesn’t matter if you are starting out or have been playing for many years. What keeps me going is the ability to learn.  My special guest that I have each week at my jams always has something to give. For me, that’s what I feed off of.  I’m hoping I’m able to contribute to that learning environment as well.

Susie: Thank you, Billy, for taking the time to answer my questions and share your story with our readers, and for all you are doing to keep the blues alive!

To catch a Billy Shew performance or jam be sure to check out his tour schedule here: Tour — Billy Shew – Official Website