Biography

RADIO PROMOTION By Art Menius Radio
art@artmenius.com https://artmeniusradio.com

In recording Restless Soul Syndrome, veteran North Carolina songwriter Jon Shain returns to a winning musical collaboration from earlier in his career and combines it with some of his best writing and playing yet. The Jon Shain Trio - consisting of Jon on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, along with longtime musical partner FJ Ventre on bass and vocals, and frequent collaborator Bill Newton on harmonicas - last recorded together in 2011 with their live album, The Kress Sessions. This particular lineup always hits a lively and spontaneous note together, and Restless Soul Syndrome picks right back up without losing a beat.

Shain has always been the “blues guy” in a room of folkies and “the folkie” in a room of blues artists, and true-to-form he treads that line again with Restless Soul Syndrome. A recent International Blues Challenge winner, Shain certainly displays his guitar chops at times (as do Ventre and Newton, fine soloists in their own right, on their instruments), but it is Shain’s lyrics and vocals that really come to the forefront in this latest collection of songs.

Hailing from Durham, NC, Shain is a veteran musician who’s been turning heads for years with his words, his fiery acoustic guitar work, and his evolved musical style – combining improvised piedmont blues with bluegrass, swing, and ragtime. Jon has released nine previous solo albums, along with two albums with duo partner FJ Ventre, a Jon Shain Trio live album, and one album of co-writes with Joe Newberry. Shain is also the author of the Mel Bay Publications books Gettin’ Handy With the Blues – a Tribute to the Legacy of W.C. Handy and Jon Shain’s Fingerstyle Guitar Method.

Shain cut his touring teeth from 1989 to 1998, founding the Chapel Hill, NC folk-rock group, Flyin' Mice and their spin-off group, WAKE. They performed with acts such as David Grisman, Tony Rice Unit, Hot Tuna, and the Dixie Dregs, released four CDs, and played clubs, schools, and festivals up and down the East Coast. After the band’s breakup, Shain went solo, returning to his roots in folk and blues. Over the last several years, Shain has headlined listening rooms both as a solo and with duo partner Ventre throughout the USA, and he's done two solo tours in Europe. Shain has also become a sought after guitar teacher and studio producer.