Shane Cooley & The Midnight Girls

SHANE COOLEY - BIOGRAPHY

"The story goes like this – KUTX Eklektikos host John Aielli himself admitted he fell in love with the music of Shane Cooley one summer when he heard his music at a local coffee shop. Aielli was captivated. “I’ve worked in radio since 1963, and over the years I’ve learned to recognize talent,” he said recently. “There was something in his sound that made me want to listen…” There’s proof positive to this testimonial with Cooley’s release of Kings Highway, an album rich in roots, Americana, a bit of rock and eclectic touches of pop."

~Laurie Gallardo, KUTX Austin Music Minute

Shane Cooley isn't concerned about the voices in his head. For half of his 29 years, they have given him answers in the form of song. He has officially released seven albums and EPs, and currently has over fifty songs that have not been recorded..and counting. His sound, a majestic blend of mainly folk, rock and blues, has been seasoned to uniqueness. His tell-tale voice and emotionally driven live performances can give you goosebumps. The poetry in his lyrics, however, are what give him his high caliber.

His seventh and latest release, Kings Highway, was produced by Bob Rupe (Sparklehorse,Cracker), and received critical acclaim from Austin Chronicle writer Jim Caligiuri, hailing him as a "substantial songsmith." The album also received airplay from radio stations in the U.S. and Europe, including NPR station KUTX in Austin. His work has been recognized by songwriting contests such as the International Acoustic Music Awards and Mountain Stage NewSong Contest. His songs have also been placed on television shows including NBC's "The Mysteries of Laura," and IBC's "The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman." He also composed the music for the Amazon/Onion Creek Productions' book preview for "Tough Love," by New York Times Bestseller Lori Foster.

Shane wrote his first song when he was ten years old, in a rural part of Virginia known as the Northern Neck. He played his first show at age thirteen. After graduating with an English degree from the The College of William and Mary in 2010, he took to the road, booking his own tours throughout the U.S. and a European tour in 2012. He has spent the past few years in Austin, TX, where he has been honing his skills and marinating his sound in one of the world's most active music scenes. Over the years, Shane's prolific songwriting has become an impressive catalog, and has sometimes played four-hour shows of his own original music.

Recently, Shane opened for Atlantic Records' artist Adia Victoria, and performed on the main stage at the 8th annual Utopiafest, a three-day camping festival in the Texas hill country. He is in the process of recording a full-length acoustic album, titled Quiet Storms, which was partially recorded on Tobacco Caye, a 3-mile island off the coast of Belize, Central America. With plans to tour both coasts of the U.S. and to record another album following Quiet Storms in the coming year, Shane Cooley continues to follow the songs.