MUSIC TO {February 2020}
Whether you are a night owl or an early bird, 04:00AM is a magical time to everyone. If you wake up early, you can easily seize the day before it even starts and dedicate 2 or 3 hours of your passion. On the contrary, dawn can be a great finish of a creative process. This is no different for Tracy Shedd, who recorded her song at 04:00AM. North Carolina based singer-songwriter Tracy Shedd reminded me of Cat Power when I first heard her latest album, The Carolinas.  Do not misunderstand, Tracy's unique voice and melodic compositions conceals a lot of treasures to be compared with Miss Power with whom shared stage in the past. 04:00AM is the last track on the album which was released last year. She believes creativity is a necessity of life, and our surroundings should inspire us. Since 1999, she has crafted melodic, heartfelt compositions that encourage people to make the most out of every moment. Her last studio album, The Carolinas strengthens this image of creativity.  As an illustration, on the album you can find ballads, pop songs and electronic beats, which led me to love this album even more. She collected this variegation into a unique, yet unified album. 4:00AM is a sheer example of synth-pop which made the track hopped on this playlist promptly.  Tracy told me that “4:00AM is about a person in stage of their life repeating stories and you listen and don’t correct them.” We all familiar with this attitude, when someone in our life, maybe a close friend or a family member behaves like that. And I believe (an extremely impatient person) that we should learn patience and support anyone who is struggling with life events, because “everyone has a "same old story”. One of my favourite writer said that we should whirl our lives without bruise anyone. I feel the same attitude when I'm listening this song. “4:00AM speaks to any generation. We all have loss at some point in life.” says Tracy and I cannot agree more. ~ Fanni Gyenes

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INDEPENDENT CLAUSES {December 2019}

“The Rest Will Follow [The Freestyle Version]” – Tracy Shedd. Shedd, a singer-songwriter with a deep catalog, goes full electro-pop on this cut, emphasizing the 808 beats and analog synths that make this song what it is. It’s a lush, full, luxurious tune that makes the most of the arrangement and Shedd’s gentle vocals.

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EU JACKSONVILLE MAGAZINE {December 2019}
Catching the Breeze - An Interview with Tracy Shedd - (Full Length Web Version) When one is familiar with the music of Tracy Shedd, immediately it will bring pleasant feelings, and images of breezy beautiful vocals, catchy pop songs, a confident demeanor. It’s the kind of music that makes you want to drive along the Pacific Coast Highway on a gorgeous sunny day, top down, silk scarf trailing behind you. Their newest studio album The Carolinas, released in September, captures exactly that essence.  I got the chance to sit down with Tracy and James and discuss their 27-year musical journey, their solid ties to Jacksonville, and how their sound has evolved over the years. --- Q: You two have lived all over the states, it seems!  Tell me a little about your recent move to North Carolina, and how that came about? --- A: In 2006, my husband, James Tritten, and I moved from Jacksonville, FL to Tucson, AZ, where we recorded Cigarettes & Smoke Machines, our third release for the Washington DC-based record label Teen-Beat, in addition to starting up our own record label, Fort Lowell Records, that allowed us to promote the music we were discovering from our new friends out west. Fast forward seven years later, we released our fifth full-length album, Arizona, with Tampa, FL-label, New Granada Records, to document our experiences, and decided to fulfill a goal that originated twenty years earlier to make the state of North Carolina home, after falling in love with the people and culture. --- Q: After moving to North Carolina, how do you feel it inspired you musically? --- A: After settling in, we started a new music project called Band & The Beat, an electronic duet which was designed to allow James and I to exist solely as a two-piece. We toured around the southeastern United States for about two years as weekend warriors, peaking at nearly one hundred shows in a twelve-month span. Shortly after, we decided Band & The Beat would be a great vehicle solely for music licensing, so we took a break from touring and turned our rehearsal space into a private recording studio, thanks to Tony Chance, bassist of The Kate Rays, who gifted us a mixing console to elevate our set-up to a more professional level. That is how the latest record, The Carolinas, came about. Before we were going to dive-in full-time to music licensing through Band & The Beat, we decided we wanted to share the various Tracy Shedd songs that had been written and performed live over the past few years since living in North Carolina. Using our newly designed studio, we partnered with our multi-instrumental friend from South Carolina, Nicolas Jenkins, to record and produce The Carolinas on our own. After realizing what we were able to generate, our plans have changed, and we anticipate recording and releasing more music under Tracy Shedd, most likely as individual digital singles more frequently, as we have already begun to do with the release of our latest singles: ‘The Rest Will Follow (The Freestyle Version)’ and ‘How Your Eyes Affect Me (The New World Brewery Version).’ With the exception of our show with The Kate Rays at Jack Rabbit's in Jacksonville, FL on Thursday, December 26th, we do not have plans to for any live performances or touring; our focus is to be in the recording studio as much as possible.  We did perform The Carolinas in our new hometown of Wilmington, NC for a Record Release Party we held back in September. It is possible that we may pick-up random shows in the future with other friends or festivals. You never know. --- Q:  What first got you interested in playing music? Namely playing guitar? --- A: My mom was a touring country musician herself, so music had always been a big part of my upbringing. As a child, I was classically trained on piano, and enjoyed playing pieces from composers such as Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, and Bach. In 1993, as a teenager in Orange Park, FL, I was asked to be the singer for Sella, a new band that James had started with Steven Haley (now local Jacksonville photographer) and Frank Mazzeo (now owner of Push Pull Studios in Seattle, WA). I had dreamed about starting up an all-girl band, but Sella approached me first before I could get that started.  A year later, our line-up changed with Steve becoming our drummer and James moving to bass guitar, leaving the guitar position wide open. We had a concert scheduled opening up for Rein Sanction at Einstein's a Go-Go in Jacksonville Beach, as well as a recording session on the books at The Warehouse Studios in Jacksonville, in two weeks when this transformation took place. I had coincidentally purchased an acoustic classical guitar shortly before that, which I would noodle on poolside or in my bedroom. But now with the shows and studio time booked, [there was] the opportunity to not only play guitar for Sella, but also take over the songwriting responsibilities completely, redirecting Sella's sound overall, and ultimately [begin] my career as a guitarist and artist. --- Q:  When you think of what musicians inspired you, who feels the most poignant? --- A: As a teenager growing up in Middleburg, FL in the late 1980s, I was immediately inspired simply to be a musician when I was first introduced to Sonic Youth. Some of my favorites were EVOL, Sister, and Bad Moon Rising. Every weekend we would drive out to Jacksonville Beach to dance to the music of bands like My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus & Mary Chain, and Ride at the all-age club Einstein a Go-Go. Sister-owners Terry and Tammy Faircloth, as well as all of the various DJs, had such a positive impact on so many [of] us, which also played a major role in becoming a full-time musician. Einstein a Go-Go introduced us to a world many others would not learn about until many years later. Those were certainly the most moving and impressionable years. --- Q:  You and your husband James work very closely together to create your music. How would you describe your creative process together? --- A: James and I have been playing music together for nearly 27 years. At this point, it is extremely easy, and for the most part does not feel like work. I am the songwriter for the music performed as Tracy Shedd. However, James and I collaborate on the production of each song, and he will usually add in other elements to each song, such as lead guitar, keyboards, bass, or drums, if I am not managing any of those myself. There are really no specific instrument assignments to either of us; we are both capable and willing to play any instrument we decide to add to the song. We will usually first analyze the song in its raw nature, whether that be on acoustic guitar or piano, then discuss production ideas before executing in the recording studio. --- Q:  Your new album The Carolinas has been recently released on Science Project Records. How do you feel about this material in comparison to your previous releases? --- A: With The Carolinas, we allowed ourselves more creative freedom with the production of each song.  Regarding the album overall, we gave ourselves a very simple goal: to have fun. The significant difference with this album was the collaboration with Nicolas Jenkins (infinitikiss, Grace Joyner, Valley Maker). We met Nicolas while on tour as Band & The Beat in South Carolina in 2016. Instantly recognizing his musical talents, as well as our immediate close friendship, I invited Nicolas not only to help us with the instrumentation but also to partner with James and I on producing the album altogether. Louder Than You Can Hear (Devil In The Woods, 2004) and Cigarettes & Smoke Machines (Teen-Beat, 2008) were other albums composed of similar collaborations. However, with The Carolinas, Nicolas, James, and I were also responsible for engineering the album, as well as solely in charge of the production; typically there are separate parties overseeing those tasks, as with the other albums noted. We would take a single guitar chord from the original song and break it apart to make up the notes to be played on each individual instrument. Guitar parts would become keyboard parts. Keyboard parts would become guitar parts. There was definitely no "this is my part" with how the songs were performed for the recording session. If someone else had a better technical delivery for a part, they were asked to perform it so we could get the best take for the recording. James and I brought a lot to the table from what we learned with Band & The Beat. We mixed live drums with synthesized drums; real bass guitar with synthesized bass or piano bass. We used nearly every possible keyboard/synthesizer we owned, just to give different textures between all of the songs. All in all, The Carolinas was a lot of fun to record in the studio, and now those songs are tons of fun to perform live on stage. --- Q:  The new album has so many gorgeous songs, but my absolute favorite song on the The Carolinas is "Letters" which has a sentimental element of longing for actual letter writing. Tell me more about how that song came about? --- A: It is very important that we tell those who we care about that we do care about them. It is powerful for people to hear or read from others that they themselves are cared for and appreciated; it makes people feel good and has a positive influence on their lives.  Sending a letter to someone is a perfect way for any of us to share our feelings for another with that person. I love when I receive letters in the mail from my family and friends. Like a vinyl record, there is something more romantic, yet permanent... it's a keepsake. --- Q: What are your favorite venues to perform when you tour? --- A: Venues like The Middle East in Cambridge, MA, The Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC, and Pianos in New York City, NY are all simply nostalgic to play. So many great bands have played both clubs; there is such a great energy in each room. Tokyo Rose in Charlottesville, VA was always a lot of fun; so much so, we titled a song after it - released on EP88 (Eskimo Kiss Records, 2010). All of the venues in Tucson, AZ - such as Hotel Congress, Plush, and Solar Culture - were always such a treat to play when we lived out west (2006-2013), mainly because of the amazing community support from The Old Pueblo. Here in The Port City of Wilmington, NC, Bourgie Nights has got a great vibe and killer sound system. And of course, we are looking forward to return to Jack Rabbit's in Jacksonville, FL; the last time I played there was in 2002 with Cat Power. --- Q:  What advice would you give anyone interested in becoming musicians? And if you could have a do-over in your career, what would that be? --- A: Don't stop, and don't do it for money. Do it because music is a passion, and you can't breathe without it. Know it won't be an easy road. For me, music is who I am. My musical journey has made me the person I am. I appreciate and love every moment, and have some of the best memories because of it. There is absolutely nothing I would do-over with my music career. --- Q:   What is your most favorite song to perform? What is your favorite new song to perform? --- A: Back in 2004, the entire album Louder Than You Can Hear was a lot of fun to perform. With Cash Carter (The Cadets, Blunt Bangs) on drums, Richard Dudley (Moyamoya) playing bass guitar, and James Tritten with the lead guitar, those songs came alive on stage, with epic explosions; those were some serious rock-n-roll days indeed. Fifteen years later, I am so in love with playing The Carolinas live. The songs are all upbeat and full of life. And now with James on synthesizers, it’s fun to play music that motivates people, complete strangers as well as fans familiar with our music, to get out on the dance floor and tear it up during the concert. For now, ‘4 a.m.’ is my favorite song to perform off the new album. --- Q:   If you and James could collaborate with any musician, who would it be? --- A: Honestly, I have been very fortunate to have already collaborated with many of the musicians I would have wanted to collaborate with. Mark Robinson (Unrest, Flin Flon, Teen-Beat) has released three of my albums, one of which he produced, and has provided vocals, guitar work, and remixes for various songs throughout the years. I have toured with, plus recorded with, Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), which resulted in having Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) play drums for me. I have worked with one of my favorite producers of all time, Kramer (Butthole Surfers). Joey Burns (Calexico) was a musician on Cigarettes & Smoke Machines. I have also played shows and recorded with Naïm Amor, The One A.M. Radio, Denison Witmer, and Ivan Howard (The Rosebuds); musicians that have become very close friends of mine to date. I suppose if I had to pick someone new, I would love to do have Nels Cline (Nels Cline Trio, Wilco) play lead guitar on a track or two, or possibly work with Tame Impala on production ideas. --- Q:  What's next for you? --- A: As Tracy Shedd, we will always continue to write new music. Right now, our vision is to continue recording songs as quickly as we write them, as we have recently demonstrated with the most recent singles that we released this year: ‘The Rest Will Follow (The Freestyle Version)’ and ‘How Your Eyes Affect Me (The New World Brewery Version).’ Both singles were recorded and released within a few days. We want to continue on that path: recording and releasing songs as they come to us, as singles, so people can enjoy new music from us as often as possible. James and I will also continue to record and produce music, specifically for licensing, as Band & The Beat. With Band & The Beat, the songwriting process is completely different, almost mathematical.  The songs have a strict purpose. Recently, we've been talking about writing, recording, and releasing ambient music. James and I used to toy with this idea back when we were in Sella; a lot of the later Sella songs were inspired by artists like Brian Eno, Global Communications, Windy & Carl. Now that recording or releasing music is no longer a hurdle, and we have the ability to literally do anything we want with music, we both agree that ambient music is an area we'd like to explore. Most likely, we will not release this music under Tracy Shedd or Band & The Beat; we will have to come up with another name for that project - to be determined. ~ by Kim H. Floyd

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COAST IS CLEAR {December 2019}
Tracy Shedd "4:00 AM" - the singer from North Carolina is much less aggressive and disturbing, and I really like her new album "The Carolinas" which also reminds me of a lively version by Anna Ternheim.

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RECLAIMING THE COLONIES, ONE STATE AT A TIME... {October 2019}
"The Carolinas” by Tracy Shedd - if this isn't the most perfect of indie-pop albums, I’m not sure what is... Shades of melodic early 80s post-punk, hooks a plenty, swirling synths and harmonious vocals au-point... ~ Steve Jin

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INDEPENDENT CLAUSES {October 2019}
“Holding On” – Tracy Shedd. Shedd is moving in the opposite direction from Foxes in Fiction, going from an introspective singer-songwriter space into a dancy, electro-pop-inspired vein. It’s not quite the big dance-pop of her other project The Band and the Beat, but it’s got stacked big synths and a lot of forward motion accompanying Shedd’s intimate vocals and lyrics. It’s a head-bobber. ~ Stephen Carradini

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VNYL {October 2019}
Veteran indie singer/songwriter Tracy Shedd has returned with her latest album The Carolinas, her first in over six years. If you're feeling those summertime withdrawals, fear not because this album is the perfect fall record for you to spin.  The Carolinas, which comes on electric green translucent vinyl, was written and recorded by Tracy and her husband / band-mate James Tritten nearly two years prior to it's release. After tragedies in the family, Tracy needed time to heal and revisited the album to ensure her vision was still there. The final product doesn't disappoint. There's a little bit of very thing on this album, from feel-good, synth-tinged indie rock to 90's singer/songwriter softies. Her lyrics sound like they were pulled right out of a poetry book, her wealth of life experiences inspiring many of the themes here. Shedd has shared the stage with artists such as Cyndi Lauper, Cat Power, and Iron & Wine, and those influences bleed through in this eclectic collection of tunes. ~ Elizabeth

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IF ITS TOO LOUD... {September 2019}
Artist: Tracy Shedd -- Album: The Carolinas -- Quick Description: Dreamy, fuzzy indie pop. -- Why You Should Listen: Tracy Shedd has a unique voice and presentation overall. -- Overall Thoughts: I don't know why this caught me so well this week. Maybe it's because of the summery feel to go along with the 80-plus degree weather this past weekend, maybe it's because I was looking for something that felt brighter and more optimistic on the surface? Either way, this was a superlative listen this week and one you would probably enjoy in any week. -- Recommendation: A definite highlight this week. ~ Jeff Raymond

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THE VINYL DISTRICT {September 2019}
Tracy Shedd, The Carolinas (Science Project) I first heard Shedd as one of the later offerings from Mark Robinson’s Teen Beat label; starting in ’01, she’s on four consecutive annual Teen Beat samplers. While her entries always sounded fine to me, I never grabbed one of her full-length works, of which she now has six, and based on the sustained quality of The Carolinas, I feel like a total fucking dunce for the procrastination. Shedd’s bedrock is guitar-based indie pop, but she infuses it with elements of electronica that succeeds partly because the tech is applied to varying degrees (a sorta “as needed” scenario) and because her stuff never settles into standard synth-pop. If you dig Bridget Cross’ work and/ or would’ve liked to have heard Mark Robinson produce an LP for Lois Maffeo, check this out. A- ~ Joseph Neff

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BLURT MAGAZINE {September 2019}
Way back in 2013 we enthusiastically covered NC-by-way-of-Arizona songwriter Tracy Shedd, who had just released her remarkable album Arizona. (Additionally, check out a review of it here.)  Shedd’s new one, The Carolinas, her sixth, has now officially dropped via NC’s Fort Lowell Records as of yesterday, Sept. 20, and it a dreampop delight. (Yes, folks, it’ll be available on vinyl as well courtesy Science Project Records.) I’ll save the review-style verbiage for later, but here are a few salient details the label has kindly supplied… First, though a couple of tunes… aw hell, let’s make it three tunes… for your sonic edification.  After having Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth sit in on drums for Tracy Shedd during a US tour, Shedd began writing songs for The Carolinas in her new home of North Carolina; combining her indie rock roots of 20-years with recent electronic experience from Band & The Beat.  The Carolinas is Shedd’s most playful, yet proficient, album to date, celebrated by the inaugural release of “Kissing and Romancing”: the superfun and fuzzy shoegaze single with its supercute and funny stop-motion video – followed by the second single “Holding On”: a classic indie pop dance hit in the making, accompanied by an engaging performance video. ~ Fred Mills

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STARNEWS {September 2019}
Moving to Wilmington helped indie rocker Tracy Shedd finish sunny new album.  ‘The Carolinas’ comes out on Friday, Sept. 20, the same day Shedd plays a downtown gig at Bourgie Nights with De La Noche.  For her new album “The Carolinas,” Tracy Shedd wanted to make an upbeat record.  The Wilmington indie rocker’s latest effort — it comes out Sept. 20 on Fort Lowell Records (digital) and Science Project Records (vinyl) — certainly qualifies, its sound far removed from the stripped down, acoustic material of 2013 record “Arizona.” On Friday, Shedd plays an album release show at Bourgie Nights in downtown Wilmington with electronic soul and rock band De La Noche.  “The Carolinas” was written when Shedd and husband/bandmate James Tritten lived in Raleigh, where they moved after eight years in Tucson, Arizona. A few months before Hurricane Florence they moved to Wilmington. The storm mattered little, endearing Shedd to the area even more and helping her finish a record that had lain dormant for two years.  “It’s a long time to sit on a record. It’s not normal for me. Unfortunately, we had deaths in our family and needed time to heal,” Shedd said. “I wanted to make sure the album was still what I envisioned. I wasn’t there yet. I think Wilmington helped me with that. It cheered us up, and we made great friends. I felt like I could finish.”  Shedd’s sunny vocals were recorded in Wilmington, and Tritten mixed the synth-heavy album. “Santa Fe” echoes Tucson with a Western feel that meets dance-floor energy. Building like daybreak, “Free Love” is like a song in a Sofia Coppola movie. “Kissing and Romancing” is Beach Boys as gnarly garage rock. (“The washed out, distorted sound was on purpose,” Shedd said. “We wanted a loud, noisy song.”) “Letters” is spare, a song Shedd said is “about having people you love in your life. They’re important to you, and you should share it with them.”  One reviewer smartly described “Arizona” as a candle flame of a record, an intimate, bright light in a dark room. “The Carolinas” is very different, a candy-colored daydream that reflects her move East.  As a child, Shedd wanted to be a classical pianist. After her parent’s divorce, Shedd lived with her father and the grand piano stayed with Mom.  “I think by default I picked up the guitar because that was easier to transport and play,” she said. “I (had) keyboards but it was easier for me to write on guitar. I think that’s changing the older I get. It’s easier to write on the piano. I’m more open minded to play around a bit. That was ‘The Carolinas.’ I was open to no guitar on (songs). Let’s play all synth on this.” ~ Brian Tucker

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STRATOSPHERE FANZINE {September 2019}

RE: "Catching the Breeze" - Pleasantly mellow indie pop with a shuffling beat, winding synths, and soft to bright female vocals by

singer-songwriter Tracy Shedd. ~ Jen Dan

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HERE COMES THE FLOOD {September 2019}
Tracy Shedd returns to electric, eclectic indie rock with her new album The Carolinas. The first lines is of the opening track pretty much sums about what's top come on this concept album of moving to North Carolina with her husband James Tritten: If there's an easy way, no we won't take it. If there's an easy day, no we won't waste it".  The influence of the music of the couple's side-project Band & The Beat comes to the fore in the Free Love, with it's Eighties-inspired synth rhythm. Her love for garage rock gets a nod with songs like Kissing and Romancing and Good Times. Shedd is obviously quite happy in her new abode and her relationship is doing great as well (Letters). Few albums can earn the badge "all killer, no filler", but The Carolinas has every right to wear it proudly.  The Carolinas will be released on September 20 via Science Project Records (vinyl) and Fort Lowell Records (digital). ~ Hans Werksman

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POWER OF POP {September 2019}
Privileged to have reviewed the music of Tracy Shedd in the past. So glad to report that she's still going very strong! Loving her new album, The Carolinas!!! Kudos!!! 😍😍😍 ----- Another indie pop recommendation! Check out Tracy Shedd!!! ----- There’s a calm assurance in Tracy Shedd‘s music making – a succinct understanding of where (and when) the foundation comes from with enough building blocks taken from personal experience and idiosyncratic nuances.  On her latest album (#6), The Carolinas, Shedd borrows liberally from 80s pop sources – specifically indie pop and synth pop – certainly a fecund period of pop-rock history, for sure.  A song like “Holding On” evokes New Order very strongly but features enough of Shedd’s own alternative rock sensibility to escape being labeled as simply derivative.  “Kissing and Romancing” is a straight-forward lo-fi indie popper with enough alt-rock energy to keep things this side of intriguing, whereas “Good Times” comes across with crystal clear melodies and chord changes that verges on power pop, but not quite, if you know what I mean.  Overall, there is a suitable minimalist approach that serves the dynamic songs very well. This allows Shedd’s personality to shine through without too much complication in terms of arrangements / instrumentation.  Opening track, “Catching the Breeze” is the current single and it is aptly titled, with a casual simplicity and tuneful engagement that begs repeated listens. The track is a fair encapsulation of what The Carolinas is all about. Shedd is content to make her music count for herself, without too much decoration but with enough conviction in the details to reward the dedicated listener.  The Carolinas will be released on Friday, September 20th, 2019 on Science Project Records (vinyl) and Fort Lowell Records (digital).  ~ Kevin Mathews

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IF IT'S TOO LOUD... {August 2019}
Tracy Shedd - "Kissing and Romancing" --- Despite having twenty years of indie rock behind her, Tracy Shedd has escaped my knowledge until now. It's especially surprising because she had Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) playing drums for her last tour. She's also had music featured on shows like Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill, while playing shows with artists as diverse as Cyndi Lauper, Cat Lower, and The Magnetic Fields. She's about to release a new album, and her new song, "Kissing and Romancing," hits right in my sweet spot. It's a noisy, lo-fi affair with swirling guitars aplenty, but it's also a great and engaging pop song. It's exceptionally rare to find a song that so perfectly melds those two disparate genres, but Shedd does it perfectly with "Kissing and Romancing."  You can watch the video for "Kissing and Romancing" below. Tracy Shedd's new album, The Carolinas, will be out digitally September 20 on Fort Lowell Records. You can pre-order the album over at Bandcamp. The physical version of the album will be out on Science Project Records and can be pre-ordered here. For more information on Tracy Shedd, check out her website. ~ Ken

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THE BIG TAKEOVER {August 2019}

Video Premiere: "Holding On" by Tracy Shedd --- Tracy Shedd believes creativity is a necessity of life, and our surroundings should inspire us. Since 1999, she has crafted melodic, heartfelt compositions that encourage people to make the most out of every moment. Shedd is an indie rock musician who has released six studio albums with Teen-Beat, New Granada Records, Devil In The Woods, and Science Project Records / Fort Lowell Records. The Carolinas is Shedd’s latest full-length recording, and most playful, yet proficient, album to date. The LP releases on September 20th via Science Project Records (vinyl) and Fort Lowell Records (digital). The record is an engaging collection of ten straightforward tracks that showcase the always welcomed insightful wisdom of Shedd’s lyrics and is chock-full of pop hooks plus bass heavy beats that will make you move to the groove. Most of The Carolinas was performed, recorded, and produced in August 2017 by Shedd, her husband, and musical partner in The Band & The Beat, James Tritten, and South Carolinian musician Nicolas Jenkins during a six-day session in their bungalow nestled in Umstead Park, North Carolina. The Carolinas is titled as such because it is a collection of songs that, while written by Shedd herself, were equally assembled by the wife and husband of North Carolina and new friend of South Carolina. Shedd had one goal in mind when she set out to record the album: to compel others to have fun and enjoy life, and The Carolinas does just that. The Big Takeover is happy to host the premiere of an engaging performance video for “Holding On”, a heartfelt track from the album. The song is driven by a fast beat, but the lyrics are bittersweetly introspective. Backed by a variety of instrumentation, Shedd delivers her words in a warm and wise manner, singing about lifelong love, and holding on, despite the passage of time. ~ Jen Dan

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TUCSON WEEKLY {August 2019}
TW Exclusive: Tracy Shedd Music Video Premier for “Holding On” --- Singer-songwriter Tracy Shedd releases her first new album in six years next month, and the Tucson Weekly has a preview of the indie-pop earworm single “Holding On.” --- The one-time Tucsonan now lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, and the aptly titled new record The Carolinas reflects the years since she returned from the Southwest to the Southeast. The record is another evolution in Shedd’s style, which has ranged from quiet and acoustic on her last album, Arizona, to piano-driven songs to the melodic shoegaze of her earlier work.  “Holding On” is the album’s second single, following “Kissing and Romancing.”   “I love how living in different states can slowly seep into your music and subtly influence you,” Shedd said. “Arizona was an acoustic, introspective album, whereas The Carolinas has more of a fun, lighter feel. Another difference is the change of instrumentation, adding synthesizers and drums.”  In their seven years in Tucson, Shedd and husband/guitarist James Tritten became a major part of the local music scene. Tritten’s Fort Lowell Records released vinyl albums and singles by the likes of Howe Gelb, Shedd, Young Mothers, La Cerca, Naïm Amor, Andrew Collberg, …music video?,Saint Maybe, and the Luz de Vida compilation.  Since moving to North Carolina, Shedd and Tritten have been playing in a synth-pop project Band & The Beat, with a drum machine and analog synthesizers. That experimentation carried over to Shedd’s new record, recorded with drummer Nicolas Jenkins from South Carolina.  “That opened my mind to the possibility of rearranging songs and not being attached just because you initially wrote something one way,” Shedd sais. “The Carolinas was a blast to create.”   The album will be released Sept. 20, on vinyl by Science Project Records, and digitally via Fort Lowell Records.  ~ Eric Swedlund
 

THE JOY OF VIOLENT MOVEMENT {August 2019}
File under: "Woman Who Kick Ass." --- With the release of her five previous albums through labels like Teen Beat, New Granada Records and Devil In The Woods and stints in Band & The Beat, the Jacksonville, FL-born, Wilmington, NC-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Tracy Shedd has developed a reputation for being a musician’s musician, whose sound and approach has been compared to the likes of Alvvays, Belle & Sebastian, Liz Phair, My Bloody Valentine, Snail Mail, Sonic Youth and countless others.  After Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley [sat] in on drums during her last US tour, Shedd began writing the material, which would comprise her forthcoming album The Carolinas in her new home of North Carolina. The album reportedly finds Shedd drawing upon her indie rock roots with some of her electro pop experiences with Band & The Beat — and is arguably some of the most playful material she’s written and recorded to date. The album’s first single is the coquettish fuzz pop anthem “Kissing and Romancing.” Centered around fuzzy power chords, a big infectious hook and a decidedly lo-fi production, the song manages to recall 90s grunge and fuzz pop — Liz Phair’s “Supernova” immediately comes to mind; but with a playful, coquettish air.  The recently released video features stop-motion animation of a wooden robot dancing and courting a blue alien. And while drawing some influence from The White Stripes“Fell in Love with a Girl,” the video, much like the song has a playful air.  Shedd’s latest album, The Carolinas is slated for a September 20, 2019 digitally through Fort Lowell Records and on vinyl through Science Project Records. ~ William Ruben Helms

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STRATOSPHERE FANZINE {August 2019}
RE: "Kissing and Romancing" - Brisk, gritty, and tuneful lo-fi indierock w/ buzzing guitar line, driving drum beats, and hazy female vocals by acclaimed veteran singer-songwriter Tracy Shedd. ~ Jen Dan

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DAS KLIENICUM {July 2019}
hicks! tracy shedd --- fort lowell records, tracy shedd gebe ich mal vor, den rest bekommt Ihr über die wegweisenden verlinkungen lässig selbst heraus. mit "the carolinas" gibt es ein neues, das sechste album der mittlerweile in north carolina lebenden künstlerin: tracy shedd.​ ~ eike klien

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HERE COMES THE FLOOD {July 2019}
Tracy Shedd: new album "The Carolinas" 09/20; stream "Kissing and Romancing" ---  It's been awhile since the last Tracy Shedd album. After releasing her acoustic album Arizona in 2013 she formed the left-field electronic duo Band & The Beat with her husband James Tritten, but now she is back with a new indie rock album called The Carolinas, due for release on September 20 via Science Project Records (vinyl) and Fort Lowell Records (digital).  Lead single Kissing and Romancing is a rambling garage rocker with tons of reverb, proof of her impeccable knack for both melody and spot-on guitar mayhem. The album was inspired by the couple's move to North Carolina. It's obvious that she has no regrets of their reallocation. Real estate brokers can't make this shit up. ~ Hans Werksman

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FOLIO WEEKLY {May 2015}
In last week’s column, I wrote of my love of female indie artists. The list is long, and includes a variety of songwriters and performers, but absent from that list was a female vocalist I always enjoyed but never took too seriously. She was a competent songwriter and really great singer, but for some damned reason, I let her slip away without giving her much ink. So I dug up a CD she sent me years ago and gave it another listen, and the distance – both physical and in the space of time – has given me a new appreciation for this hard-working and more-talented-than-I-gave-her-credit-for artist. I’m talking about Tracy Shedd. Shedd began “working” as a musician when she was attending high school in Jacksonville in the ’90s in a band called Sella. Soon she was solo(ish), with then-boyfriend/now-husband James Tritten accompanying her and helping manage her solo career. She released moody singer/songwriter alt-rock and played around town. She was popular, and had a great reputation. Again, I liked her voice, but favored the more aggressive approach of fellow Jacksonvillian songwriter Shannon Wright. Man, was I missing out, as another listen to 2008’s Cigarettes & Smoke Machines proves beyond a doubt. The album opens with that jingle-jangle indie guitar that probably turned me off in her early days. But holy crapola, when “Never Too Late” kicks into its Lush-like chorus, I’m sold. I now take full responsibility for practically ignoring her. Shedd has a Suzanne Vega sense of phrasing, which really comes out on the second tune, “Whatever It Takes.” Again, that post-grunge strummy-strum-strum is present, but there’s a depth to the backing guitars I missed the first time around. A kind of reverb-y Tex-Mex melody that elevates the tune. This happens several times throughout Cigarettes & Smoke Machines. Skipping ahead a few tracks, we get “Won Past Ten,” a giddy Sundays-like pop tune that also benefits from a similar guitar treatment and washy cymbal crashes. Shedd’s vocals are wonderfully understated here. Damn, she is good. Really good. But as nifty as these songs are, they pale in comparison to the slow-burn epic ballad “Remember the Time We Set the Highway on Fire?” A plaintive melody opens the song, and Shedd’s voice is lovely as ever, lilting over slow strums and legato bass lines. She repeats the line, “You’re everywhere I go,” several times, slowly, sadly, before the song dive-bombs into an explosive half-time section that’s as thick and dense as any sludgy jam you can conjure. It stands in beautiful contrast to the sweeping melody of the verse and really sets Shedd apart from those I lumped her in with more than a decade ago. I was a fool. The 12 songs on Cigarettes & Smoke Machines deserve more credit than I was willing to dole out when it was released. I am easily exhausted by genres, and I unjustly lumped Shedd in with those post-grunge bandwagon-jumpers. Listening to album-closer “Home” certainly had me hanging my head with not just a little shame. It’s a big piece wrapped up in a small, quiet package and a Lush-like out-chorus. (The comparison to Lush is simply illustrative in nature, as the song stands entirely on its own.) Shedd and Tritten still work together, and Shedd has released a number of records since leaving Jacksonville for various locales. She has lived and worked in North Carolina and Tucson, Arizona, and her latest, Arizona, focuses on life there. It, and Cigarettes & Smoke Machines are available at her Bandcamp site (tracyshedd.bandcamp.com). If you were a fan of Shedd when she was in town, but have since lost track of her, look her up. If you’ve never heard of her, or want to familiarize yourself with a former Jacksonville songwriter, look her up. If you want to have your mind blown by an album I hastily ignored so many years ago … look her up. ~ John Citrone

STARNEWS ONLINE {February 2015}
Shedd’s album “Arizona” is stripped-down and hauntingly good. It’s personal music that gets under the skin, and as spare as the state Shedd spent a great deal of time in. ~ Brian Tucker

FREE TIMES {February 2015}
Listening to Tracy Shedd perform, one gets the sense that all she’s got is time. Never lazy, her acoustic guitar-driven laments glide along at conservative tempos, rarely outrunning the singer’s own resting pulse. ~ Michael Spawn

THIS WRECKAGE {December 2014}
Back on January 15th of this year, I posted a “review” of Tracy Shedd’s fifth album Arizona, which was released in November of last year. I put “review” in quotes, because it was really some kind of attempt to capture the feel of the album without the usual rundown of hyperbole. It was framed as a letter to a long lost flame from a long time ago, who, rumor had it, was struggling with debilitating depression. It was part album review, part letter in earnest, and part fiction. It felt wrong the moment I posted it, but decided to stick with it hoping that it would seem better in retrospect (you can see the mess here). But, as I listen to this album for about the 3,000th time right now, after contemplating my favorite records of the year (see here), I thought I’d revisit and try to correct – or maybe make things worse. This 2013 album turned out to be my favorite album of 2014. This is in large part due to the fact that it speaks to me in a deeply personal way. These songs are about a good many things, but I have tended to decipher the bulk of these as a message of support to someone in crisis. The song “Control” addresses suicide directly. Shedd pleas to a person on the verge by simply saying to them “don’t end it all tonight.” It doesn’t get more direct than that, nor does it ever fail to send shivers down my spine. This direct communication may be part of why this album has been so powerful for me. Shedd conveys a comfortable environment that’s about appreciating those we love around us (“and I’ll miss you when you’re gone” – “Take a Ride”), and the memories that can carry us through the worst of times (“Boats,” “Million Pictures”), and by giving a genuine heart to heart plea to someone to not throw all of these things away, as in “Control” and “You’re No Fool,” her music and lyrics act as a guiding light to those of us who are genuinely in dark places. She says the things that need to be heard – the things that more often than not are not ever conveyed. How does one broach the subject of depression to their friends and family? How does one ask for help? How does one help someone in need? It’s not as easy as it seems like it should be. This record is not only lyrically direct, but also musically. These songs are stripped down to mainly the twin acoustic guitars of Tracy Shedd and her husband James Tritten. Their interplay is seamless. Tritten plucks out clear, memorable, and fully realized guitar melodies – making the spare arrangements seem greater than the sum of their parts, yet not so much so that the personal nature of Shedd’s lyrics gets buried in the mix. This album feels and sounds like a few really talented friends gathered right in front of you playing amazing songs. Her choice of covers (The Magnetic Field’s early classic “Candy” and Sonic Youth’s breakthrough steamroller “Teenage Riot”) is remarkable as well. These are songs that have always resonated with me and have provided strong memories, yet framed in this sparse environment “Teenage Riot” is like a brand new song. The quiet solitude of the opening “Sweet Talking” is a concise love song that covers the joy of being with a loved one and the hope for it to continue all the way till death in a meager two and a half minutes. Likewise, the beautiful “Sing to Me” balances between both the closeness needed in life and the despair of death. This dichotomy continues on “Friday Night at Einstein’s” – a story about losing oneself on the dance floor (reminding thematically of The Sundays’ flowing “She”) that is both life-affirming and lonely. Elsewhere the lighter touch of the duet “All the Little Things” brightens the overall feel of the record, as does the chorus of the soul searching “Million Pictures,” and the summery and hummable “Broken Arrows,” who’s mantra of “you can die trying / or you can die with a broken heart” is still a rallying cry that resonates and reminds to keep on giving this shit show an effort. This redo plus the strange letter review from January may together make this review a little more complete, but I’m afraid I’m still missing the mark (part of the reason in general why I may give this writing about music hobby a permanent rest). Simply put, and probably all I’ve needed to say is: Arizona is an album that is humble and subtle, but one of great magnitude and impact. I cannot recommend this with any greater enthusiasm. ~ Chris Gilliland

CHARLESTON CITY PAPER {December 2014}
Tracy Shedd goes acoustic and bares all in Arizona - Stripped Down - Tracy Shedd has been making music for well over a decade, but her latest release, Arizona, is an album shorn of the shredded slowcore distortion that's draped her pretty alto for much of her career. Who knew the girlish coo that glides so easily over the glacial electric guitar-scapes of her first four albums would sound even better against a couple of lightly sketched, finger-picked acoustics, garnished with occasional male harmony? Of course, it's not such a girlish coo anymore, either. Shedd sounds a bit older and wearier beneath the weight of these very personal songs that generally reflect upon her time in Tucson. Arizona is centerpieced by three incredibly beautiful, delicate songs that exist in a rarefied state, like Laura's glass menagerie in the Tennessee Williams play. On "Control," Shedd appeals to a disconsolate friend not to give up on life in such an honest, powerful way that it obliterates a thousand maudlin after-school TV specials. On her cover of the Magnetic Fields' "Candy," she sings with perfectly pitched pathos: "I know you'll find a better man/ They're all too easy to find/ and I'll go away somewhere/ And slowly lose my mind." The coup de grace is "Boats," where Shedd sings over the most heartbreaking minor-key melody, "All it takes is a little smile, oh I need you more/ Tell your loved ones how you feel, while you still can." The spare treatments benefit these sweet, bare-wire sentiments that can get in your throat — at least that's the case for Shedd. "I don't perform ["Control"], and I can barely perform 'Boats,'" Shedd confesses from her Raleigh home. "I see people crying, and it's just, 'I can't do this.' It's just so personal and especially 'Boats,' because my dad is in assisted living. It's kind of my mom and dad but how I think they need me but I need them more, and it's just really hard to perform." Shedd's mother was a country singer herself and remains one of her best friends. Like many who've had a career in the music business, she tried to throw cold water on her child's ambitions. "She knew it was hard when I was younger and was always afraid, 'Are you sure you don't want to get a regular job? It'll be a hard life for you,' but I can't imagine doing anything else," says Shedd, who performs with her husband, singer/guitarist James Tritten. "We were talking maybe we should open a bed and breakfast, but [I said] that would really just eat into going on the road and music. I want to be that 90-year-old couple at the farmers market playing music." Tritten played alongside Shedd in her first high school band, Sella. "On and off, he would profess his love and I would be, 'I don't want to break up the band,'" says Shedd. "He was my best friend, and, you know, this is not going to work if we date in high school, like, come on." They separated, did their own thing, and Tritten even considered leaving their hometown of Jacksonville, Fla. But he stayed, hanging on like an age-old John Cusack character. Some years later, Shedd had an opportunity to open for her favorite band, The Magnetic Fields. She knew Tritten had some friends who were drummers and called him to see if he could help her out. That's when he pulled out the figurative boombox. "He goes, 'I can play.' I said, 'You don't play drums, you play guitar.' And he said, 'I'll be right over,'" Shedd chuckles, flying her "old softie" flag. "He comes to my apartment with a six-pack of Blue Moon, a hi-hat, and a drum. That's the end of the story. We were moving to Boston together a year later." In a way, the seeds for Arizona were sown by the circumstances surrounding her previous release, 2010's EP88. The Tucson community radio station KXCI had asked Shedd to do some Christmas music. "I forgot how much I love piano," Shedd says. "That inspired me to write some songs on piano, and I just went from there." That experience sparked the idea of pursuing Arizona with a stripped-down guitar rather than electric. You can also imagine how the dulcet tones of a piano led her to appreciate the sweet hum of an unadorned guitar. "He said, 'It's easier and so pretty if we just drop the picks, everything,'" Shedd pauses, almost to acknowledge a passed friend. "I play classical [guitar] now. You never know, I might go back to electric, but right now I'm really enjoying the acoustic, the tone of it." Arizona closes with a delicious, slowed-down version of Sonic Youth's "Teenage Riot," giving the alt-classsic the air of a distant roar, a sweet nostalgic sound calling listeners back to simpler times. "That's literally one of my favorite songs," Shedd says "I can't think of anything else I love more than to do a cover. Of course, you do it your own way, do something different. I certainly wasn't going to do it the same way." That's quickly becoming her motto for each successive album. ~ Chris Parker

FREE-TIMES {October 2014}
North Carolina vocalist, songwriter and guitarist Tracy Shedd’s mellow mezzo vocals and moody melodies should play nicely in this intimate coffee shop setting. Her simple but polished delivery serves as a wonderful vessel for introspective and engaging lyrics. ~ Jude Fox

INNOCENT WORDS {January 2014}
Few people would argue that music is an artistic expression of emotion; it can be intensely personal, wondrously liberating or exceptionally universal. Sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but, musically, some artists manage to hit a proverbial and literal chord that reverberates with lasting endurance within the listener and ‘Arizona’ does exactly that. The niche that Tracy Shedd would have enjoyed has since passed from the waves of popular sound. With the crooning voice and the guitar-picking skills that fall in-line with Sheryl Crow, Shedd would have excelled during the summers of the 1990s bouncing across the U.S. with female-driven engine we knew as Lilith Fair. She is that rare, but powerful, threat of a versatile player of instruments with a golden voice singing words that have grown past simple song lyrics and into the tricky realm of accessible, yet individualized poetry. This isn’t simply an album, it’s a diary of prose set to the beautiful intonations of a talented musician. The words don’t need the music and the music doesn’t need the words, but when Shedd brings them together, it catapults her skills into the No-Man’s-Land of female empowerment. The angst and trials of being female are Shedd’s insatiable muse and she is honest about both the shadows and the sunlight women face in their personal, working and romantic lives. But she cushions the reality with a subtle, untapped sense of comfort that is brimming beneath the surface of her work; it never pops out, but you can always feel it waiting just under the rhythm to hold your hand if you need it. The sound of the music reflects its mood: gentle, with a shoulder to cry on. As she says in “Broken Heart”: “You can die trying, or you can die with a broken heart.” In this sense, ‘Arizona’ has the dual punch of being an ideal break-up and/or make-up album; it can either mirror a slow descent into loss or provide the whispers of encouragement to face another day. Country musician Jamie O’Neal once sang that “there is no Arizona.” Tracy Shedd has not only proven her wrong, but, with her intimate, coffeehouse sound and a shared strength borne from personal and inevitable struggles, manages to make the Grand Canyon State a state of mind that anyone would want to visit. ~ Jeremy Wood

THIS IS BOOK'S MUSIC {January 2014}
Arizona (New Granada) is the latest album from Tracy Shedd and if you’ve heard her music for awhile, you might thing that she has taken a slightly calmer route with this album, which is primarily acoustic. Most fo the songs on the album consists of just voice and guitar, with some of the songs featuring additional accompaniment, from additional guitars to keyboards but nothing becomes vulgarly loud or boombastic. Perhaps because I just got out of listening to Neil Young’s entire 45 year discography, I could easily compare this album to the sensibilities that Young has always shared, which includes keeping things simple whenever possible, being direct by telling stories that will both affect you and make you think. As I’m listening to the album, I tried to imagine how they would sound if they had fuller arrangements, specifically with electric guitars and basses, and of course drums. In that sense, these songs are very charming in a pop and rock aspect. However, this isn’t specifically pop or rock. You might argue that these aren’t really folk songs, that it’s just acoustic takes, but regardless of the schematics, Arizona is an album that is wide and vast, perhaps like the state represented in the title. One might think of just the cities of Tucson, Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe or Phoenix, but may know nothing about Casa Grande, Huachuca City, or Cochise. Shedd proves there’s so much more to her and her music than meets the eyes and ears, and this is a continuation of the outpuut she has recorded and released so far. A job done very well. ~ John Book

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THIS WRECKAGE {January 2014}
Dear K*****, I know it’s been forever and ever. Not sure if this email address even works anymore, so I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough if this gets returned after hitting send. Right now I’m listening to a recent album from the wonderful singer/songwriter Tracy Shedd titled Arizona. I’ve always kind of taken her talent for granted since first learning of her through one of those cheap Teen Beat Records samplers I used to always buy around the turn of the century (do you remember “Circles” from that last mix tape I sent just before I went in for the kidney removal surgery?). All five of her albums are excellent, and yet I’m pretty sure that I’m not listening to them enough and telling everyone I can about them loudly enough. This new one though has really hit me at the right time. Apparently, it is almost entirely acoustic guitars, aside from a from a few little added touches here or there, but I swear I listened this thing three or four times before I realized how stripped down and spare this actually is. I have been so enraptured in her words and voice and the delicate and memorable melodies provided by the twin acoustic guitars that nothing has ever felt like it was missing. Why has it been such a profound listen right now? Well, 2013 was overall a pretty lackluster year. It was filled with my usual health uncertainties, more heartbreak, and just a general distaste, as I noticed in retrospect that many of my old standby hobbies and habits have gone by the wayside. Many of the old comforts don’t really do the trick anymore and I’m not sure why or what to do or where to turn next. I simply know that it’s time to find a new direction and I’m starting to find some solace in that idea. I don’t want this to be about me, except to say that I have serious self-doubt about contacting you again after all of this time and so absolutely out of the blue. But I’m worried about you. Rumor has it that you have not been in a good place of late and I wish to offer you my distant support. And I think Tracy Shedd offers up a notion, in her song “Broken Arrows”: “You can die trying, or you can die with a broken heart,” where I’m not totally sure these are the only options available (besides the dying part), but I’m taking her thought as a kick in the butt for 2014. I’m tired of not trying things I want to achieve for fear of whatever, so to hell with it! Tracy Shedd does a fantastic cover of the old Magnetic Fields song “Candy” that I put on the first mix tape I ever sent you back in ‘93. Do you remember when we last parted? We were listening to the Magnetic Fields’ “100,000 Fireflies” on your turntable, when you gave me a hug and placed a simple rubber band on my wrist to tell me that I should wear one as a reminder that there will always be ‘someone’ out there who cares. Well, that always meant the world to me and sometimes I find myself wearing five or six rubber bands at a time – during those most distressing moments. I don’t think I can ever repay you for that show of support, but my offers of heartfelt music have always been my return gift. Shedd also closes the album with a cover of Sonic Youth’s now legendary “Teenage Riot,” which you never liked, because it was ‘worthless noise,’ while I always argued that the song was ‘artful dissonance.’ I think you’d really like this version though, because she turns the onrush of the original into something slow-paced and clear, putting a focus on its thoughtful distillation of our times - besides Howie Gelb from Giant Sand, who you always liked, sings the song along with Tracy. It’s the bulk of this album though that feels like it should be the metaphorical rubber band as my gift to you – hell, I’ll mail order a copy for you! Tracy Shedd’s words are so perfectly straightforward and free of useless complications. She is direct and lets the power of her phrasing and her beautiful voice and melodies to hammer home whatever emotions she sets out to evoke. She is clearly singing from the point of view of having someone in her life deal with some serious shit - someone who is on the brink, as she boldly sings on the song “Control”: “don’t end it all tonight / you have a life to live.” It is a simple message but her soaring voice drives her worried plea home overwhelmingly. I can only hope that you are not at such a terrible point. Life is often painful, frustrating and extremely difficult to deal with, but it’s something that we all have to do our best to persevere in order to reach those moments of sheer joy and inspiration that make it all feel like we each have value and that are lives are meaningful. It’s music like this album that always remind me that we all go through tragic times and that it’s okay to take comfort in the poetic words of great artists such as Tracy - it's life-affirming. You have always been a spark and the first person to help your family, friends and anyone you come in contact with. It is time to focus your amazing healing powers inward and help yourself for once and to realize that you will always have someone out there supporting you in spirit. Warmest Wishes, Chris Gilliland

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FLAGPOLE MAGAZINE {January 2014}
The music created by Florida native and North Carolina resident Tracy Shedd calls to mind the work of fellow singer-songwriter Laura Veirs, plaintive and pretty but also packing a sizable emotional wallop. Shedd's latest, Arizona, released in fall 2013 via Sunshine State indie New Granada, found her stripping away the studio affectations in favor of a largely acoustic, wholly straightforward sort of slow burn. Featuring contributions from notables Ivan Howard (of The Rosebuds) and Giant Sand's Howe Gelb, the record highlighted Shedd's deceptively powerful vocals and knack for incisive phrase-turning like none of her albums had to that point. Shedd has lived quietly but persistently on the indie fringes for over a decade; expect the stunning Arizona to propel her to a more centric space. ~ Gabe Vodicka

IMPOSE {January 2014}
Tracy Shedd prepares her winter tour with Howe Gelb of Giant Sand, beginning January 11 at Washington DC's The Black Cat through January 18 at Knoxville, TN joint, The Pilot Light. Shedd's album Arizona is available now from New Granada Records, and you are invited to check out gentle revolt of heartwarming proportions, with her take on Sonic Youth's "Teenage Riot". ~ Sjimon Gompers