ARTIST INTERVIEW BY: Aaron Burton

FIZZKICKS: Tell me a little bit of how you got started in music?

SHAWN BROWN: For me, it was one of those really organic things. In my house growing up, things were pretty tense and we weren¹t allowed to watch much TV. So there was a lot of escaping into the arts. My brother is now an actor, so you can see how that played out. Music was my thing, man. I loved it early on. I had big ears and I was always listening. I was fortunate enough a freshman in high school, living in the Seattle area, in 1990. It would have been pretty tough to not have been deeply shaped by all that amazing music going on right there in my backyard. By that point, I had the bug something fierce.

FIZZKICKS: Your songs "Testify", "Get In Line" and "Move of Your Life" shows a wonderful blend of R&B and Pop-Rock style of song writing. Who are some of your music influences and how have they help you develop as an artist?

SHAWN BROWN: My music has always had some degree of soul to it. Maybe it¹s because I live in the Bay Area, I¹m not sure. But it¹s always been there. My band is made up of some of best and well known funk/R&B guys in the Bay, so they would probably tell you it¹s because of them. Truthfully, I always wanted to be Bill Withers. I wanted to play like him, sing like him and have a funky band like him. His live record, Live at Carnige Hall, had a profound effect on me and how I wanted to play. Lots of the soul greats too, Otis Redding and cats like that. Van Morrison is another guy who I really have emulated over the years ­ big voice and emotional songs. You kinda have to toss Jeff Buckley into the pot too and stir him around. Any singer ­ songwriter who has come after him and claims they weren¹t influenced by that guy is straight up fibbing. For me, I spent a lot of time emulating these guys and finally who I am as an artist sorta popped out and I started hearing my own voice. It just happens finally.

FIZZKICKS: Are your songs a reflection of your personal experiences? If so, in what way and how?

SHAWN BROWN: Sometimes yes and sometimes not necessarily. Most of the time, I start out writing a song that is deeply autobiographical and by the end it isn¹t ­ but still has some autobiographical flavors too it. Of course there are songs like ³Just in Case² that is pulled directly out of my life and is so emotionally charged that I rarely can even put it in a set list. It can be scary writing straight from your life, you also want the songs to relate with as many people as possible ­ so tailoring them too much towards just your own experiences can be limiting from an audience prospective. There is definitely lots of me in those lyrics, I just try and express myself as much as possible, while still including the listener in that too.

FIZZKICKS: When it comes to writing songs, what is your process like? Do you collaborate with other musicians?

SHAWN BROWN: I love to collaborate. Music is a collaborative art. Lately, I write and scratch out a song and take it to the studio. My producer Pat (Mosca) then takes my basic idea, plots it out and we go to work hammering it all out together. The more sets of ears the better. When you are a writer it¹s so easy to fall into little habits and things. When you throw other folks into the mix, the music takes on dimensions that you never would have figured out if those other people weren¹t around. I work a lot on other people¹s songs as well. Its one of the best perks of this job.

FIZZKICKS: Which one of your songs connects best with your audience?

SHAWN BROWN: A couple of the old standbys- Lucky Boy, Get in Line, on a good night Testify can blow the roof off a venue. My crowds are great, man. I have a blues tune that closes most shows called ³Flip-flop Blues² that they¹ll yell for all the way through until then end. I always tell um not to worry because I will get to it, enjoy the other songs!

FIZZKICKS:Any plans of touring this summer?

SHAWN BROWN:Yeah it appears a summer tour is happening. Late July through August I¹ll be out nationally. My Aussie buddy Kai Brown (no relation) will be out with me so those shows will be a blast.

For more information on Shawn Brown check out:
www.fizzkicks.com/shawnbrown
www.shawnbrownmusic.com
www.myspace.com/shawnbrownmusic
www.sonicbids.com/shawnbrown