Shane Howard Band

Shane Howard (guitars, vocals) has began performing music at age 12 when he backed up fiddlers at fiddle contests. Within three years, Shane was asked to join the band, Reunion in 1989 where he played rhythm guitar and sang lead vocals on a few songs. His experience with Reunion led him to eventually form his own band, Rampage in 1992. For the next ten years, Shane Howard & Rampage played the Central Texas music scene. Shane mainly played the music of his heroes: George Strait, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams (Sr. & Jr.) and Elvis Presley. He later started incorporating some of his own music into the set-list. During this time, Shane Howard & Rampage opened up for country artists Gary Stewart, John Conlee, Joe Stampley and Andy Griggs. Shane Howard & Rampage was also named one of the top five bands of Central Texas according to the readers of the Waco Tribune-Herald in 1999. While there were many musicians who played for Shane Howard & Rampage, the two most significant musicians were Geoff Queen (guitars, vocals) and Steve Scheifley (drums). Their association with Shane during the Rampage-era would prove to be valuable as the new millennium dawned. By the end of 2002, Shane had dissolved Rampage and instead focused his attention on songwriting. On Memorial Day 2003, Shane went into the studio with Geoff and Steve to begin recording his original music. The result was the debut album, I’ll Never Find What I’m Looking For. Produced by Geoff Queen, the album featured twelve songs, including “If You Fail At Love” and “Set Me Free” from the Rampage-era as well as “I’ll Never Find What I’m Looking For,” “Hang On To Yesterday” and the rockin’ number “Lick It, Slam It, Suck It” written by both Shane & Geoff. Released on February 26, 2004, the album was featured on several radio stations across Texas as well as radio stations overseas in Europe. In particular, "Lick It, Slam It, Suck It" became a regional hit in the Bryan/College Station area. Shane then assembled the first version of the Shane Howard Band featuring Justin Curtis (bass, vocals), Joey Dvorak (fiddle, harmonica, mandolin), Steve Scheifley (drums) and JC Tickett (guitar). Together, they played all across Texas from College Station to Luckenbach performing in all sorts of venues including dance halls, festivals, record stores, shopping centers, even for a band of gypsies! They appeared on the Morning Buzz on KWTX Channel 10 - Waco and opened up for notable Texas artists Doug Moreland and Aaron Watson and shared the stage with Luke Olsen. The band also gained sponsorship from Lone Star Beer – The National Beer of Texas®, and they were again recognized as one of the top bands in the Waco Tribune-Herald reader’s poll in 2005. It was during this time that Shane Howard started working on the follow-up album titled Down This Road. Produced and arranged by Steve Scheifley, it featured ten new originals as well as a full-band version of "Hang On To Yesterday." Shane’s songwriting focused on the events the group was experiencing at the time. This was clearly evident on the opening song, "Playing The Game" as well as "The More I Drink, The Less I See," "Gypsyville" and the humorous honky-tonk anthem, "Beauty Is Just A Light Switch Away." Shane also adopted a more Texas-style attitude with the hit songs "15 Miles From Nowhere" and "Down This Road." The album again featured Geoff Queen on lead guitar as well as Justin (bass, vocals), Joey (fiddle, harmonica, mandolin) and Steve (drums). Released on July 4, 2006, Down This Road found it’s way on radio stations across Texas and around the world as well as the Internet, most notably Radio Free Texas. Shane was featured with Zack & Jim on WACO 100 Morning Show and did another live performance on KWTX Channel 10 - Waco. The Shane Howard Band again opened for Texas Music artist Doug Moreland as well as Tommy Alverson and Wade Bowen. Not only was the Shane Howard Band voted #2 on the 2006 Waco Tribune-Herald reader’s poll, but also the song "15 Miles From Nowhere" was voted #52 out of the top 100 songs for 2006 on Radio Free Texas. But while things started looking up for Shane, the band he had put together began to unravel. Before he knew it, Shane had lost his fiddle player, his bass player and finally his lead guitar player. As Shane put it, “It was like the wheels had fallen off the truck just when everything was taking off. I had always relied on others to make the band thing happen, but all of a sudden there was nobody but me.” However, what looked to be the end of the Shane Howard Band was instead a new beginning. The group was transformed into a 3-piece unit with Gary Scott (bass, guitar, vocals) and Steve Scheifley (drums, vocals), and together they re-worked Shane’s music to the new format. “Everyone had to improve their performance immediately, especially me,” confesses Shane. “We took to playing the coffee shops and restaurants just to keep the name alive – often for little or no money. It was a humbling experience indeed.” But Shane didn’t give up his desire to perform music to anyone who would listen. It even had unforeseen advantages. As Shane points out, “For once, we had the freedom to play whatever we wanted to people who were there to listen. We were no longer tied down to the same old bar anthems and dance hall standards as in years past. And we didn’t stay up past 3:00 am smellin’ like ashtrays!” jokes Shane. He also continued writing new material. One song in particular came as a result of researching the Waco Tornado of 1953. “For years, I had heard about the Waco Tornado, but I didn’t know how bad it really was until I spoke with my grandmother who experienced it firsthand,” reflects Shane. “Then I saw actual pictures and film footage of how that F5 tornado devastated the heart of downtown Waco. Hearing all this led me to write “1953” which tells the story of what happened to Waco and how it forever changed the destiny of this town.” With a newfound determination, Shane went to the studio to record “1953” in November and December of 2007. “The goal of this project was to be able to perform live whatever we did in the studio,” states Shane. “Gary was instrumental in helping out with the solo section, while Steve played his best drumming to date. I’m also pleased how the vocals bring the story of the Waco Tornado to life. But what really hits home are the actual radio broadcasts from WACO covering the disaster. It’s about as close to being there as one can be.” Shane concludes, “I did this to honor the memory of those who experienced the Waco Tornado and to give the younger generation a sense of what it was like that fateful day of May 11, 1953.” The jury is still out with “1953,” scheduled for release in the spring of 2008 to coincide with the 55th anniversary of the Waco Tornado. But one thing is certain: Shane Howard remains committed to creating music from the heart, identifying himself with the people and stories of rural Texas. Not bad for someone who boasts that he’s from the bustling metropolis of Riesel, Texas…population 972! www.shanehoward.com Texas Country/Rock/Red Dirt/Americana Music!!! Shane Howard, Steve Scheifley