A rule to live by: It is always important to allow some sunlight in, to allow for some random act to occur that you haven't planned. I button us down pretty tight with artists when we are on location, but when Theresa K came by and asked if we had room, I was able to figure out a mutually agreeable time. Then she came back to our Sweet Suite at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown, bringing Hans Rotenberry, a mysterious looking cat with thick hair and dark glasses, you know, the ones where you have no idea whether the person is even looking at you. Theresa and he were companionably talking and hanging in the back of our room, and I ventured over to say hi...not sure who was hiding behind the Foster Grants, and still not able to get a read if he was happy or unhappy to be in the space. Whatever. Eye contact always helps in the ability to gage someone's interest or acceptance, but he was still a total mystery.
It turns out that back when I was programming Nashville's Lightning 100, in the 90's, I got to play his band, The Shazam, on the radio. This year's Americana Festival marked the first live collaboration between The Shazam's guiding light Hans Rotenberry and the man who produced their first four albums, Nashville's legendary producer Brad Jones. The two long-time friends performed and shared lead vocals. Their collaboration results in a unique pop meets Americana sound that surprised the audience on that Saturday night, September 11th, at the Mercy Lounge. We were hanging backstage, and the sunglasses were off. We had a blast with Hans, so much fun getting to know him. When we were recording him, the craft of his songs was a revelation. They come from another place, and were engaging and fresh. It was yet another of those moments where you are thinking, how did we not meet before? The Shazam were a progenitor of the indie spirit that is becoming the way the new music biz functions today, as they released five albums on their own, without the aid of a label, starting in the mid 90's.
Here is Hans, solo acoustic, with a great tune called "Blew It," from The Shazam's first album. Of course, this version was recorded during the Music Fog Sessions at the 2010 Americana Music Festival.
- Jessie Scott
