Slater & Shellans
Living in Absentia
© 2004 Bill Slater and Mike Shellans (827071023420)
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Eclectic Electric Rock, Jazz, Reggae, British-style Pop, and Rock and Roll performed by an 11 piece ensemble featuring vocals and horns.
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Phoenix, AZ, January, 2005 - Bill Slater and Mike Shellans have released their first CD of all-original music.
Slater and Shellans first met when mutual friend Jim Severino brought them together to work in The Light Brothers band; the two then joined forces to produce their debut CD at Full Well Studios in Phoenix last May. Entitled Living in Absentia, the ten-track CD features all-original music performed, arranged, and produced by Slater and Shellans. Bill sings and plays acoustic and electric guitars, electric bass, and keyboards and Mike sings and plays keyboards, keyboard bass, acoustic and electric mandolins, and trombone.
Bill Slater is an award-winning video editor and president of Edit Alchemy, L.L.C., his own production company. Singing and songwriting for over thirty years, Slater claims a wide variety of musical influences, from Aerosmith to Frank Zappa.
Mike Shellans has been on the music faculty of Arizona State University since 1983 and has taught such courses as Jazz in America, Popular Music, The Beatles and Elvis Presley to over 30,000 students. He spent over twenty years as a professional trombonist, and now plays jazz piano in several valley bands.
"Music is the universal language, and after years of playing professionally, I feel as if I am finally speaking the lingo. I hope others enjoy this music as much as we did putting it
together", says Slater. Adds Shellans, "the opportunity to produce a CD of this quality, featuring my musical friends, has always been a dream." Supported by Jeff Stanley on drums, the CD also features a number of guest artists, including guitarist Jimi Powers, singer Mindy Nilson, saxophonists Jerry Donato, Tyler Isaacson and David Chapp, cellist Rachel Harris-Mazzullo, trumpeter Dave Coolidge and trombonist Doug Robinson.
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Plenty of meaningful music material to be found in suburbia
author: Gary Scott BeattyWho said music with angst, power and humor could only be produced by musicians barely out of their teens? That's what the big record companies would have us believe. But Slater and Shellans proves there is plenty of material for meaningful music to be found in suburbia. Middle aged white boys have problems too, and one of the advantages of middle age is that there exists a depth of experience that actually helps come up with answers. This CD has everything I listen for in music not shoved down my ears by corporate music America. The musicianship is top notch and the production values are superb - these guys know what they're doing. The vocals sound nothing like American Idol wannabes OR the tuneless droning on today's radio stations. The harmonies are solid. Every song has enough guts to add punch to the rockers and subtract saccharine from the slow songs. And you don't know what you're going to get with the next song, a meaningful lyric touched with cynicism, a rocker with a full horn section and great sax solo or something slightly goofy played for laughs. I hear full band rock influences, like Joe Cocker and Bob Segar, that point to post-Motown roots (or something in their home town of Phoenix I don't know about?). But there are also hints of sleezy Steely Dan jazz, early Genesis when they were thoughtful and the sadness of acoustic Jethro Tull songs. "Affluenza" even marches along like a Beetles song from Sargeant Pepper's. My criticisms are few. I would have liked to hear more from guest singer Mindy Nilson - I think Slater and Shellans would agree with me that her voice kicks ass. "Living in Absentia" sounds like these guys were having a great time writing, playing and recording this stuff. I enjoy a CD when the musicians sound like they're having fun, because I then have fun listening.
Not only ecletic, but each genre done well.
author: Chuck Phalen - Chill ProductionsWide variety of music and lyrics performed very well. Graphic imagery (Roach Motel) to thought provoking lyrics kept my interest throughout the album.