Author: Brittany

It’s been more than a decade since Brittany Shane did what many musicians dream of: She sold her guitar for a one-way plane ticket west.

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Eighteen year old Baraboo native Brittany Safranek moved to San Francisco with plans to stay a year before hitting L.A. She established herself as a folk-singer, recording three well-received CDs and rubbing elbows with celebrities from Peter Frampton to Chris Isaak, but ten years, a name change and a half a dozen day jobs later Brittany Shane decided to pull up stakes again and make Austin her new home. Part of her reason was how much it reminded her of Madison. Two years and already an established fixture with weekly gigs, Brittany revisits Wisconsin this July with a sparkling new CD, “Loud Nights on a Short String,” and many warm memories.

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by Jeremy Burchard

Loud Nights captures a level of musical exploration indicative of Shane’s growth. You won’t hear the same drum sound twice on the record: a noticeable amount of detail went into sculpting a rhythm section unique with every tune. Sometimes it’s subtle, as in “Paper and Pen”; elsewhere it’s in our face, as with “Don’t Let Me,” adding a level of almost spastic energy. Vocally, Shane floats around a melody with a Sheryl Crowe-like sensibility. Indeed, the whole album is glued together by Shane’s steadily persistent vocals, which feel perfectly at home in “Fun Here,” “Summer Calling” and “Hazy Rose.” Much like the music, Shane’s lyrics vary from finely tuned simplicity to the esoteric. Recorded in 11 days in the sweltering summer heat of Austin, Loud Nights on a Short String is Shane’s most musically interesting offer to date.

Guitarist, songwriter, and singer Brittany Shane’s latest full-length Loud Nights On a Short String, has inflections of Sheryl Crow, and The Bangles, and The Sundays which enhance the summer ambience of this album. The love poem introduction “Paper And Pen” unearths a light groove and serves as a marker of what will follow, evidenced by the folk-tinted “Summer Calling” and the acoustic aura of the yearning “Come Around,” which could be interpreted as a call for optimism.

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by Tom Lanham

Brittany Shane splits SF for Austin: It’s a good lesson in life: You can’t take things for granted. Like regular Bay Area concerts from local folk-rock darling Brittany Shane, whom you could always catch somewhere around these parts every other month or so. No longer. She’s split the scene for good. She made a clean break, packed up all her belongings, and headed down to Austin, a town practically fueled by her type of music. “And believe it or not, I’m having a blast,” she reports. “I’ve made tons of new friends and I’m fitting in with the mindset down here quite well.” Now Shane is hard at work on a follow-up to her recent “Have Heart Live Young” album. “And in San Francisco, I never had a booking agent,” she sighs. “But that’s one of the first people who found me in Austin — a booking agent, who’s very aggressive about getting me shows.” She’s also been working with local musicians — another twangy new stylistic influence. “It’s a whole new lease on life, creatively,” she says.

Rockin’ around the U.S.
Who: Brittany Shane
When and where: 5-8 p.m. tonight at Burke & Riley’s and 8-10 p.m. Saturday at Blue River Bistro, Breckenridge

Where’d the name come from? Brittany Shane is my name, and I’m the singer-songwriter (I say this line like I’m in an old Western movie, squinting my eyes from the bright sun and about to get back on my dusty horse after a long day of fighting cowboy crime).
Home base: Bay Area, Calif.

Type of music: Rock, pop, alt-country blend. People have compared me to Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, The Bangles, The Sundays and the Cowboy Junkies a few times. I love writing catchy songs that tell a good story.

If your music were a tangible item, what would it be, and why? A kitten. Frisky, daring — but sweet and lovable in-between.

Why do people love ya? I’ve been on my first U.S. tour since November 2009. I left the day after Thanksgiving, and this July is my last set of tour dates before I head back into the studio (what we musicians call rest??!). Hmm. Most people are just learning who I am. Friends and family are impressed that I have circled the U.S. four times through rain, snow, you name it. Three band mates in an SUV. I’ve waited my whole life to tour, so I’m ready to share my music with everyone and anyone. I guess I won’t ask if you love me; I’ll just play your city first.

How do you keep it fresh? I clean out the tour van. Seriously, I’ll write new songs or add new cover songs to the set. That usually wakes up any band mate getting too comfortable.

Claim to fame: My music is featured in the award-winning independent film, “The Village Barbershop.” The Village Barbershop is currently playing on Showtime 2 and Encore and is available on Netflix.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done/weirdest experience? I performed at a hookah bar on the first leg of my tour. I was told I’d be paid for my performance with one hookah and three flavors. The owner, who looked like Ron Jeremy, was really high, so we only saw him once before we played. He went into his office, which was filled with smoke, and never came back out. It looked like he stepped into another dimension, or into the doorway that Kelly LeBrock stepped out of in the 80’s movie “Weird Science.” After our set, the band and I gathered around our free hookah and celebrated with a few flavored puffs. We couldn’t decide if this was cool and different or just plain dumb. I just wanted the owner to open his door and walk out as Kelly LeBrock.

San Francisco-based Brittany Shane has been quite the transient being as of late, logging time on the road since last November supporting her newest disc Have Heart Live Young. The singer-songwriter has been hard at work for more than a decade honing her distinctive, plainspoken and folksy tunes, and will be rolling through Flag Brew, 16 Rte. 66. 10 p.m. 773-1442.

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By Darryl Smyers in Gig Alert

Out on her very first nationwide tour, San Francisco’s Brittany Shane is innocence personified–and her recently released third effort, Have Heart Live Young, is as optimistic and peppy a collection of folk pop as one is ever likely to hear.

But Shane’s music is only part of the story: The gal is a proponent of organic farming, makes her own non-toxic cleaning supplies and supports The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. And, when not on tour, Shane teaches children tap and ballet classes. What’s next, a run for president as the candidate for the Green Party?

OK, OK: Such cynicism is certainly not warranted. Shane simply stays true to her ideals. And Have Heart is a solid set of shiny, soft rock loaded with hummable choruses. Songs such as “One Station,” “Move into Light” and “Sunsets in Bloom” recall ’80s hitmakers The Sundays and The Bangles. Light, but not unsubstantial, Shane’s music is the kind of pop that sounds great coming from the car radio.

Pink Section

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by Tom Lanham
Special to The Examiner

Anyone who has met local singer-songwriter Brittany Shane will probably agree: The bright-eyed bohemian is so perpetually cheerful and optimistic, she could shame Pollyanna.