Grammy nominee Shannon McNally’s live music career began on the jam band circuit of the 1990s with bands like (friend of the program) The Derek Trucks Band & Railroad Earth. Since then, her catalog has grown to span the whole of the Americana music spectrum, both writing original songs as well as interpreting the songs of others. She brings a soul-stirring musicality to her craft. Her honest and, at times, completely elegant voice immediately grabs you by the heartstrings and unclouds some vivid memories. She also plays a mean guitar, as she mentions she will tell herself heading daily deeper into 2024. Shannon has more than a couple of hands-full of albums to her name and a string of single self-releases on her personal label, Queen Maeve Records. Her latest album, “Live At Dee’s“, is a career retrospective song list captured over 4 nights in September of 2022 with a revolving band of amazing Nashville musicians. Showcasing her wonderful storytelling & sense of wry humor, the eighteen-song album captures her at her most relaxed in her natural habitat of neighborhood Honky Tonk. As a listener, to me, this is such a great way to be checking into her catalog – the personality of it all really shines through. Anyone that has paid attention to her twenty-plus-year career, the thing that sticks with listeners the most about her is the timeless effortlessness she brings to all she does. With an impressive catalog and extensive list of collaborators with whom she has written, recorded, & toured; Shannon continues to turn out great music across wide-flung ends of the spectrum, defying genre-fication. At home on any stage, from Lincoln Center to the juke joints of Mississippi—she always brings the house down.
I had the pleasure of catching up with Shannon before she makes a trip up to Madison for her April 11th gig with special guest Beth Bombara at The Bur Oak. We get into what that night should bring attendees, including learning that they two will do a few things toGether, even! We dive deep into her most recent release “Live At Dee’s'”, from how do you decide what tunes to pick after a four day residency, a rotation of musicians and such a library of material to choose from. She also shares the news of a brand new single that dropped as we were speaking, find that here. I bring up working with our pal Neal Casal, and we end up getting into how certain people (and she sure has worked with many of these people) shed alight on you, and if your there, you’ll get/feel/learn from them and be able to apply it not only to your music, but your life. Of course, Shannon builds a setlist that would have people beggin’ for more, as I kinda expected.
