Shanna Zell
For Shanna Zell, sex, drugs and rock and roll is old news. She has been singing about the gritty details of love, the truths of sex and teaching veterans about rock since she first picked up a guitar at 16. With her dark, intelligent lyrics and sexually charged, emotional performances, Shanna transcends any notion of chick rock and opens up a new genre; she's a contemporary kind of drug.
After only a short time in New York City, Shanna has entertained large crowds at notable venues including The Knitting Factory, Southpaw, Rockwood Music Hall, Mo Pitkin's and Makor. The release of her first full-length album, Hurricane Season, is already receiving rave reviews. The album was featured in the CD Spotlight on L.A.s 104.7 FM iRADIO LA, on Cincinnati's 88.3 WAIF FM and her song The Flatlands is included on the soundtrack of the feature film, "Dykeotomies." Shanna has recently been selected as an Editor's Pick on www.download.com and as of April 2006, by popular vote, Shanna has been selected as a GEM on Radio Crystal Blue (www.radiocrystalblue.com/gems) where she receives featured airplay and ongoing promotion for her hot, energetic album.
Hurricane Season features an all-star cast of players including Matt Walker (Smashing Pumpkins, Veruca Salt), Bill Ruppert (Beach Boys, Tony Bennett) and Alan Berliant (Rachel Yamagata, Mavis Staples). Producer Jon Seiller has worked with artists including Kaiser Chiefs, Lisa Loeb and Shawn Colvin. From the flamenco-style trumpet solo in the violently active “The Flatlands,” reminiscent of Love’s Forever Changes, to the echoing, somnolent piano of “Kitchen Light,” Hurricane Season is a tumultuous experience that reels you in and spins you around, but sets you down gently.
Within a moment of song, Shanna captures the actual experience. She combines the deepness of wants with imagination and with a magical twist, can explode the briefest second into all of its parts. Whether singing of Hell’s Kitchen’s street walkers, sitting under a dimming light in Scotland, or loving people goodbye, her visual lyricism, strong and sensitive alto voice, and vulnerability while still standing in the wake of honest realizations, lead to Shanna’s proud heritage in the canon of female rockers such as Anne Wilson and Lucinda Williams.
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Shanna has performed at the following notable venues:
The Knitting Factory (NYC)
Rockwood Music Hall (NYC)
The Bitter End (NYC)
The Living Room (NYC)
Mo Pitkin's (NYC)
Makor (NYC)
CB's Downstairs Gallery (NYC)
Sidewalk Cafe (NYC)
The Duplex (NYC)
Southpaw (Brooklyn)
Bar 4 (Brooklyn)
Waltz - Astoria (Queens)
World Cafe Live (Philly)
Grape St. Pub (Philly)
Good Shot Bar (Wilmington, DE)
Genghis Cohen (LA)
MidPoint Music Festival (Cincinatti)
Southgate House (Cincinatti)
Grog and Tankard (Washington, D.C.)
The Venue (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Radio Credits include: WBRS 100.1 FM, WAIF 88.3 FM, 104.7 iRadioLA, BandRadioLive, Radio Crystal Blue, and Harris Radio.