Shaina Shepherd

Biography

Inspired by the parallels between gospel and garbage metal, Shaina Shepherd is not your average vocalist. Living in the city where both Soundgarden and Quincy Jones cut their teeth, Shaina lends her soulful voice to projects of all genres.

Shaina Shepherd is a singer/songwriter and vocal coach based in Seattle, WA. Known for her pervasive style as front woman to soul- grunge band BEARAXE, her notable vocal stylings have brought her into various creative spaces — from sharing stages with rock stars like Dave Matthews and Thunderpussy to being a soloist with the classical ensembles around the country.

Vocalist Shaina Shepherd pushes her vocals past “soul” territory into “shreds,” like Sharon Jones fronting Mötley Crüe.
— Graham Issac, Nada Mucho

Inspired by Nina Simone’s commitment to representing the times with the ivories at her fingers, Shaina Shepherd tells heartfelt stories of love, loss and personal power. She describes herself as an “anthem artist” – translating pivotal moments in human history through her unique form of poetry. Her biggest inspirations are often from poets — Mark Twain, James Weldoyn Johnson, Maya Angelou. A teacher at heart, Shaina’s songs often include a moment of audience interaction or shared moments of reflection in the room. Her dynamic vocal combines the power of theater with the tender introspection of American folk music in a commitment to every song, story and note being real, raw and present.

Shaina grew up around gospel music and not much else. She would watch her mother sing with the church choir and emulate the steady richness of her tone. Her passion for vocal technique led her to opera, then to musical theater and then right back to opera. Shaina studied and worked in the classical music world for many years before finding her own sound as a singer songwriter. After graduating from New York University, she was immersed in the symphony world as an administrator — working closely with classical musicians. This experience inspired her to pick an instrument and to realize there are no limitations in creativity. She started playing the piano in November 2017. While finding her voice on the piano, she was finding her voice as the lead singer of Seattle prog rock and soul band BEARAXE. BEARAXE has allowed Shepherd to hone her craft as a gospel influenced rock artist exploring themes of classicism, sexism and self-care. And as her relationship with the piano grew, she began to weave similar themes through a lens of vulnerability and thematic strong structures akin to the operas and oratorios she studied as a new musician. Shaina’s influences include Fanny, Kurt Carr, Jeff Buckley, Leontyne Price, Quincy Jones and above all others, Nina Simone.

When she’s not performing, she finds fulfillment as a choir director, teacher and event producer in the Seattle music scene.

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Past Performances

Saturday, December 12th at 8:30 pm PST

Wild Bills Shop Jam

Saturday, September 12th at 8:30 pm PDT

BEARAXE



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