Classically Trained Pianist Turns Storyteller

Shane Cunningham, Florida-born Georgia resident of 15 years, has nurtured his musical talents since the age of 5. Initially forced to practice, he learned to love the instrument and as a result, was placed in two statewide classical piano competitions while still young. He then began playing the guitar, and his musical tastes evolved and continue to change even now.

“I picked up the guitar at the same time I began to leave classical music behind in eighth grade, as my musical interests shifted from classical styles into rock and folk. Recently, I've been working on the mandolin and learning the drums,” Cunningham explained .

He describes his current style as dynamic and says he is a student of Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel. When he writes, Cunningham said he always tries to impress a clear message on his audience. He understands fancy frills are not what make great songs, and listeners would rather be impacted by the artful lyrics.

“I'm not a musician; I'm a storyteller," he said. "If I can bring you out of your world, if I can take you away to a place you've never been, that's an honest day's work for me. My test of whether I've got a great song is whether it sounds just as good with a single instrument as it would with an 100-piece orchestra and lots of fancy production."

It is his method, or lack of, that makes his songwriting powerful. In the style of Dylan, Cunningham will sometimes work with 30 verses and seven choruses for one song before it comes together.

“It really just happens," Cunningham explained. "Tupac wrote a line once that went something like, 'When I write rhymes, I go blind and let the Lord do his thing.' That was the closest I've ever heard to an accurate description of what songwriting is like for me- at least the musical side."

His current project is a breakup song entitled “When She's Around”. It involves the indecision that permeates the ending of a relationship, and Cunningham said he creates a lot of tension during the song.

“It's got this kind of dark jazz thing going on that's really a trip for me.”

Though Cunningham says his favorite venue is his own living room, he also enjoys playing at Copper Coin in Downtown Woodstock. He knows half the audience and he enjoys when people sing along to his music.

“I really like having a place where I'm a fixture, where people know who I am.”

He is a frequent attender of open mic nights on Mondays at 7 p.m. and said he loves the atmosphere that the unassuming event provides. Cunningham says these nights are like giant networking meetings and a great resource for budding musicians.