Getting to know Shane Curle… (and he’s working on a new band too!)
Meet Shane Patrick Curle – a Destin musician. Born in 1983, he’s a guitar player and vocalist, as well as a self described mustache and beard enthusiast.
Shane started playing the guitar when he was 11. His brother played bass in a punk rock band and Shane thought it was the coolest thing ever. So, he asked for a guitar for Christmas. He became the proud owner of a no-name cheap little acoustic, but it did the job. Since getting his first guitar, he also developed skill in playing bass, harmonica, and some piano. He has dabbled in a few other instruments while recording music over the years, but considers himself to be a guitar player first.
Shane played in public for the first time, about three months after he received that cheap little acoustic. He was still 11, and his father was playing at the Florabama. He sat in for a set with his father, and ended up making $7 in tips. Shane still has that first dollar bill in a frame.
Although he is mostly known for playing the blues, he has played everything from punk to metal to country and considers himself, “more of blues guitarist, over anything else.”
Shane’s influences come first from his family: “My father, my uncles, and my brother are/were all really talented. Then as far as artists go – Kurt Cobain was big deal to me when I first started. His music was popular and pretty easy to learn for a beginner. Then I was into the whole grunge phase. Then I got really into the band Tool. After that, I really started playing blues for the first time. When I got older I realized I had a lot of blues music in my family, so I guess it was just a matter of time before I was embracing it. To this day, Buddy Guy is my favorite blues artist. Max Bemis (of the band Say Anything) is my favorite overall songwriter. I think everything he does is amazing – the guy is brilliant. “
Shane has also been in a few area bands…
The first band Shane mentioned was named Down Blue. “It was an experimental hard/progressive rock band. We were all really good friends. We didn’t perform very often but we did manage to record a good bit of music. Our lead singer and my close friend, Jeremy Branch and I did a good portion of the writing in that band. We had a lot of fun. I learned a lot from recording and writing in that band. Jeremy Branch is a really talented guy. He is a great artist, writer, and musician.”
Second, a band named Alone at The Alter. “It was hardcore punk/alternative, I guess? I have never enjoyed labeling my music. The bass player was my good friend Alec Law. He was also in Down Blue. Alone at the Alter was a great band. We all shared the writing. Marc Hunt and I shared the singing and guitar playing duties. He is a really gifted musician and continues to perform today.”
Next on the list was Loose Trigger. “It was a pop-y punk band and was a lot of fun. Eric Mazzone was our drummer and he’s a great player. Super funny guy also. Marc Hunt once again shared guitar duties with me and Alec Law returned to play bass guitar. Alec is not much of a show off, but he could learn anything quickly, and I just love being around him. He’s gotta be one of favorite people on this earth. We have known each other the better part of two decades, at least. He was best man in my wedding and I was his.”
Then there was The Donors. “A great cover band. I was brought into the band, which was started by Eric Mazzone and James Bailey. James Bailey is a jack of all trades and a master of them all. He can build an entire house, a music studio, then record and play every instrument on the album. He is probably one of smartest people I have ever met. We played all over the Gulf Coast for a year or so, until we parted ways.”
Shane stated that he has had the honor of playing with several musicians in Destin in this past year. He doesn’t want to leave anyone out, but “I can honestly go on forever. Honestly there’s a lot more but this is long enough as it is.”
Currently, Shane performs solo every week at the restaurant 790 on the Gulf – located in Destin, on Old Highway 98. “They have an amazing staff, incredible food, and the view of the gulf is hands down the best in town.” He had his wedding reception there, and soon after began performing there. For a complete list of his upcoming shows, visit his website.
Besides his solo performances at 790 on the Gulf, Shane has once again, put another band together. They are called Triple Distilled, and are mainly a blues/rock trio, playing both originals and covers. While they are still new and getting organized, Triple Distilled hopes to be playing out by April of this year.
Of course, hearing of the new trio, I asked Shane to tell me a little on how the band came together. “I sat in with some friends of mine’s band. The drummer was Mike Anderson. He and I seemed to just click right off the bat. We exchanged information and started the band shortly after. We got really lucky and found Coty Scott, a stand-up double bass player. It’s a huge instrument! I really love the sound it brings to the band. I think it also will stand out and grab people’s attention. It’s not every day you see someone playing the double bass. It’s a beautiful instrument and is just freaking cool as heck!”
After tossing around a few ideas, this new trio had yet to land on a name, but then they started looking at bar terminology for inspiration. Why Triple Distilled? “Jameson Irish whiskey is triple distilled and that’s what we finally decided on. It was the first thing we all agreed on, the name and the whiskey.”
Shane is currently working on a few solo albums. Each will have 4-5 songs. One will feature older songs he wrote in 2012 – faster, upbeat and punk influenced. Then, his newer material will make up the second album – with an alternative country and blues sound, or as Shane puts it, ‘kinda folky.’ Then the third will be all instrumental acoustic guitar. Shane plays a lot of original instrumental music at 790, and he wants to have an album that represents that original material.
Shane wants to finish those recordings sometime in April, but until then, you can find a few songs of his on YouTube and his website shanecurle.com.
He has also entered into the Songwriters Festival in Navarre, May 16th-18th, 2014. A friend had suggested that he should enter the qualifier for the festival – he did, and he is in. Shane stated that it is his first time playing an all original set in quite a while, but he is excited to have the opportunity.
You can learn more about Shane, and hear his talent on his website: http://shanecurle.com
Additional photos borrowed from Chris Visual Photography.
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