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Shoheen

now on iTunes!

About Me

First things first: Shoheen was meant to be a band.But when singer/songwriter Dami -- the founder and the only member of Shoheen (so far) -- couldn't find anyone else who'd join him on the road, he decided to go it alone.Ultimately, it makes more sense this way: Dami's thumbnail sketches sound best stripped down to the barest essentials, just his delicate voice and solitary guitar. His just-released seven-song EP, "Until You Hear These Words," leads listeners through his intimate world of whispered secrets and dreamy interior monologues."I tend to be more analytical and more passive when it comes to social interaction, and as a result I live more in my mind than I do in the world. I think a lot, I imagine a lot," Dami said from a tour stop last week. "While I'm quiet and demure and somewhat laid-back, there's a lot that's going that's frenetic mentally all the time."In conversation, Dami -- a native of the West African [island] of Lagos -- is well-spoken but seems reserved and a bit shy. He admits that his decision to play 35 Northeast shows between mid-May and the end of June is his way of making sure that being a performer is really the life for him.It's no surprise that he cites Nick Drake as one of his main influences -- the introverted British folk singer released three dream-like albums to near-obscurity in the 1970s, only to find acclaim many years after his death at age 26. Drake's loner ethos and skittish live performances are things Dami can relate to but strive to overcome in his own shows.The songs on "Until You Hear These Words" often display a hushed romantic yearning, whether it's a daydream about a potential office romance ("Holly") or a plan to finally reveal true feelings for someone special (as in the title song). Sometimes there's a need to get beyond ourselves ("Great Escape") and to confront our fears (as in the 2 a.m. confrontation with inner demons in "Minotaur")."Trouble and Consequence," the chronicle of a failing relationship, feels ever-so-slightly askew as it starts with only Dami's singsong vocals (somewhere between a mellower Dave Matthews and Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik), then introduces a guitar accompaniment and eventually morphs into a flourishing instrumental at the end.Only "Sad Panda" and the apologetic "Where Are The Lights" dare to include lusher arrangements, with the latter song reminiscent of the shimmering pop of Austin instrumentalists Explosions in the Sky (best known for the "Friday Night Lights" soundtracks)."The songs don't come from real-life experiences -- they come from the more creative side of my thinking," Dami said, in what may be another shy deflection away from his music's true inspiration. "There are reflective writers -- there are personal writers who write about how they feel about certain things, and there are writers that come the other way and write about things they just create in their heads. There are Lennons and McCartneys, and I'm more of a McCartney -- I'm more of an 'Eleanor Rigby' kind of guy."

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My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 12/27/2004
Band Website: For now, you're lookin at it. :(
Band Members: Thus far I'm the only one. Someday there will be others but as of now it's just lonely old me.
Influences: Kate Rusby, Abra Moore, Adem, Aimee Mann, The Album Leaf, Alexi Murdoch, Alison Krauss, Amy Ray, Ane Brun, Angelou, Ani DiFranco, Arab Strap, Azure Ray, Badly Drawn Boy, The Be Good Tanyas, Bela Fleck, Belle and Sebastian, Ben Harper, Beth Orton, Beulah, Bjork, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Prince Billy, Brett Dennen, Bright Eyes, Bruce Springsteen, Calla, Camera Obscura, Catie Curtis, Charlie Mingus, Cheryl Wheeler, Chris Smither, Christy Moore, Circa Survive, Citizen Cope, Cocteau Twins, Coldplay, Conor Oberst, The Cranberries, Creeper Lagoon, The Cure, Damien Rice, The Damnwells, Dar Williams, Dave Matthews Band, David Berkeley, David Byrne, David Mead, David Rawlings, David Wilcox, Death Cab For Cutie, Deb Talan, The Decemberists, Denali, Devendra Banhart, Devotchka, Doves, Eisley, Elbow, Elliott Smith, Ellis Paul, Emmylou Harris, Even in Blackouts, Everything But the Girl, Frazey Ford, Freedy Johnston, Frou Frou, Gillian Welch, Gin Blossoms, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Grant-Lee Phillips, Greg Brown, Hem, Idlewild, Imogen Heap, Indigo Girls, Innocence Mission, Interpol, Iris Dement, Iron & Wine, Jack Johnson, James Taylor, Jeff Buckley, Jeffrey Foucault, Jesus and Mary Chain, Jimmy Eat World, Joanna Newsom, Joe Purdy, John Coltrane, John Mayer, John Mellencamp, Jolie Holland, Jose Gonzalez, Josh Ritter, Josh Rouse, Joy Division, K's Choice, Kathleen Edwards, King Sunny Ade, Kris Delmhorst, Leonard Cohen, Lighthouse Family, Lisa Hannigan, Lou Barlow, Lucy Kaplansky, Luka Bloom, M.Ward, Mark Geary, Mark Kozelek, Mason Jennings, Matt Costa, Mazzy Star, Melissa Ferrick, Mike Doughty, Miles Davis, My Bloody Valentine, My Morning Jacket, Natalie Merchant, Nic Jones, Nick Drake, Nouvelle Vague, Ocean Colour Scene, Owen, Paddy Casey, Patricia Barber, Patty Griffin, Pearl Jam, Peter Mulvey, Pete Yorn, PJ Harvey, Poe, Rachael Sage, Radiohead, Ray LaMontagne, Redbird, Red House Painters, Regina Spektor, REM, Richard Shindell, Richard Thompson, Ron Sexsmith, Rosie Thomas, Rufus Wainwright, Sarah Bettens, Sarah Harmer, Sean Hayes, Shawn Colvin, The Shins, Shivaree, Sigur Ros, Sinead Lohan, Sinead O'Connor, The Smiths, Snow Patrol, Sonic Youth, Soul Coughing, Sparklehorse, Stephin Merritt, Steve Tannen, Sting, Sufjan Stevens, Sun Kil Moon, Suzanne Vega, Tanita Tikaram, Tegan & Sara, Teitur, Telepopmusik, Thelonius Monk, Tori Amos, Tracy Chapman, Tristan Prettyman, Vic Chestnutt, The Weepies, Weezer, Wilco, Will Oldham
Sounds Like: Somewhere between Nick Drake and Kate Rusby . . . or so I'd like to think. In reality, I haven't a clue; I've been told I sound kinda like these people: Abra Moore, Aimee Mann, Alison Krauss, Belle and Sebastian, Ben Harper, Beth Orton, Brett Dennen, Bright Eyes, Camera Obscura, Catie Curtis, Coldplay, Damien Rice, Dar Williams, Dave Matthews, David Mead, Death Cab for Cutie, Deb Talan, Elbow, Elliott Smith, Frou Frou, Gin Blossoms, Hem, Imogen Heap, The Innocence Mission, Iron and Wine, Jack Johnson, James Taylor, Joe Purdy, John Mayer, Josh Rouse, Mark Geary, Mark Kozelek, Matt Costa, Mazzy Star, Owen, Poe, Sufjan Stevens, Suzanne Vega, Teitur, Tracy Chapman, Tristan Prettyman, The Weepies, Wilco, Will Oldham
Record Label: What are those?
Type of Label: None

My Blog

http://shoheen.3steps.com

Go to the subject address to check out the new blog.
Posted by Shoheen on Tue, 11 Dec 2007 06:00:00 PST

Day One of Tour

Day 1 of tour: I was on the road for 7 and a half hours for what should have been a 3 and a half hour drive thanks to memorial day traffic and then some. Here's the some - I'm taking the 80W exit from...
Posted by Shoheen on Sat, 26 May 2007 12:59:00 PST

I was underneath the church . . .

My very very very talented friend Adrianne (www.adrimusic.com) was playing a show in NYC at Columbia University so I went down to see her. It was in the tiny basement of this one most beautiful chapel...
Posted by Shoheen on Mon, 01 Jan 1900 12:00:00 PST

I'M NOT ALWAYS ON . . .

My profile says i'm on even when i log off. If u don't hear back from me right away, i'm not ignoring you. That said, I do appreciate the luv. Stay well my friends.
Posted by Shoheen on Mon, 01 Jan 1900 12:00:00 PST

dreaming of aurora borealis

I just had a dream that me and my friend Jules were super heroes. and we fought evil by writing songs. We could recognize the baddies anywhere. Anywhere. I could be walkin down the street and see a ba...
Posted by Shoheen on Mon, 01 Jan 1900 12:00:00 PST

it's official, i'm a dumbass

I've been trying to figure out for the longest time who this guy Tom is and how come he knows everybody.
Posted by Shoheen on Mon, 01 Jan 1900 12:00:00 PST

Kate Rusby rocks my world

Ok so years ago I stumbled on this British folksinger named Kate Rusby and fell in love with her sound. I even bought the DVD she put out and I've been playing it every night since thanksgiving. The o...
Posted by Shoheen on Mon, 01 Jan 1900 12:00:00 PST