Michael Shanks

Michael Shanks is a galaxy trippin’ musician, producer and singer-songwriter from Texas whose performances have thrilled audiences from Buenos Aires to Beijing. His unique blend of psychedelic rock, funky grooves and storytelling lyrics paints vibrantly sonorous images in the listener’s mind. Shanks’s most recent single, “Creature of the Night”, has been called the darkly whimsical lovechild of Jimi Hendrix and Tom Waits. Michael is also a seasoned touring musician who has shared the stage with numerous world-renowned artists such as Suzanne Vega, Mando Saenz, Duncan Sheik, Jovino Santos Neto, Caretta Bell, and Down North.

Born in the wild, worldly sprawl of Houston, Texas, from a very young age Michael experienced music from around the globe. At home his family would jam the likes of the Doors, CCR and even Beethoven, but out in Houston’s thriving arts scene he was introduced to Ravi Shankar, Philip Glass, Joe Guitar Hughes, Astor Piazzolla and countless other internationally known musical innovators. This melting pot of music paved the way for Michael’s broad musical vision that looks beyond borders or genres.

In 2020 Michael got his masters in contemporary performance and music production from Berklee School of Music.

His latest EP, Space Songs, was released November of 2020 and has been called “a certain ’70’s-from-the-future’ je ne sais quois, which really lends itself to the capturing of the imagination; a golden, Star Wars- era romanticism” (Give It A Spin).

Michael is also a music producer with a studio in Valencia, Spain. Click here to find out more.

And Michael is an experienced music educator. If you are interested in learning anything from guitar and harmonica to songwriting and mixing, please find out more here.