IN THE DARK with Shaun Kure
It's now 2021, and concert venues have been silent for months. The echoes of cheering fans and loud amplifiers are all that remain in our memories of these once-packed halls.
We're doing what we can to change that. Back in December, we took over a historic Chicago hall, and invited several area musicians to rip it up on stage. No rules- just an empty venue, a camera crew, and the spotlight.
FRET12 proudly presents, the eighth episode of #InTheDark, at Pilsen's legendary Thalia Hall featuring Shaun Kure - guitarist for pushpull from Chicago, IL.
Originally from Naperville, IL, Shaun got bit by the guitar bug at age 14 after his dad bought him a Jimi Hendrix DVD. That iconic Woodstock performance was more than enough to spark the inspiration for a lifetime love of guitar - "I was blown away with how he manipulated his guitar and sound to create something so fresh and original."
Shaun's favorite styles music are diverse but gravitate heavily towards blues, soul, R&B, and rock/singer-songwriter. At age 28 currently, he fondly remembers playing a gig at a condo in Chicago during his college years which turned into one of "those gigs" we all love to experience: "the place was packed like sardines. I had to play with my back against a wall the entire show but everyone there had a blast!"
In addition to guitar and songwriting, Shaun keeps his creative juices flowing by doing freelance production as well as recording/mixing. He also recently started teaching guitar again with Traveling Music Lessons.Ā
As you'll see in his Thalia Hall performance video, Shaun is our first performer so far to play an acoustic guitar piece. The acoustic you see in the video is a Martin 000-17E and on it he is performing an original piece of music entitled: "Return To Home."
š„ FRET12 PROTIP: For those of you following the series, you might even see that acoustic backstage behind one of our other artists!
The actual tune has lyrics and vocals, but seeing as we're "In The Dark," we're checking out a full instrumental rendition of this piece, which features plenty of flowing chords and uptempo strumming. His goal during songwriting was to create a piece of music that utilizes the guitar's standard tuning to create an open-sounding vibe. Shaun uses several higher fretted chords along with the open strings to achieve this sound which lends itself perfectly to the song's lighthearted summer-y feel.
While you may see him laying down all of the uptempo flowing acoustic skills in this video, Shaun is equally at home on an electric, and if there was one piece of gear that means the most to him, it's his go-to axe: a 2012 Standard American Strat. And in regards to what he loves most about our beloved six string? In his own words:
