San Francisco Voice

Shane Papatolicas is a local musician who won my heart with his catchy instrumentals and poignant lyrics. He’s got a California style, a warm voice and poetic imagery which meld together to create plain old good music. You can learn more about what I think about him from this review. Or you can just learn more about him from the following San Fran Voice interview. And if you’re a drummer or you know one, this guy’s looking for some talent so don’t hesitate to get in touch!!

What’s the story behind your path to becoming a performing musician?
Well, between ages six and eight I got up at midnight mass on Christmas with a snare drum and played The Little Drummer Boy to a full house; it was surreal. I’ve ditched the drum and the church since then though.

I then spent a lot of my youth on stage in my father’s band. My father is a drummer—one of the best I have ever seen—and for several years as a kid I was a waterboy/stagehand for an Elvis tribute band my father was in. I would stand on stage in a suit and tie and give Elvis his seltzer water in between songs. Sometimes I’d even get to replace the scarves that he’d throw out to adoring females. Mind you, most of this occurred at small town fairs in New Hampshire. It was awesome, and I’m not kidding. So, if there was one thing that my fans could know about me, it’d be that I started young and I’ve earned my stripes.

What would you say are your musical strengths? Weaknesses?
I’d say that if I spent half as much time playing the guitar as I do writing then I’d be a much better musician. I have come to love the guitar through writing, but it functions mainly as a rhythmic tool for me. That’s why I have a ripping lead guitar player like Billy “Bones” Mungovan on my album; that guy can melt the fretboard of an acoustic guitar.

If you had to sum up your sound, what would you say?
Simple but diverse rhythms with catchy hooks and a lot of words.

If we walked into the middle of one of your live performances right now, what would we see and hear?
Right now it’s just my guitar and me, but I make it fun for the audience by mixing it up. You’re not going to hear a bunch of mellow tear-jerkers or a lot of whining. Anyway, I am looking for a new drummer and a bass player though, so please get in touch if you know anybody.

What’s your favorite song from Going My Way to perform live?
I always like playing Sometimes on the 38 when I’m playing in The City because people laugh at the references and they tend to pay closer attention. I can always tell which people actually ride Muni.

How does the city inspire your music?
San Francisco is where I live and where I do my writing, so it is inevitably going to be a part of my songs. There is a vibe, or an attitude, here that encourages you to think that what you are doing is important, so it’s easy relax and do it. It’s truly a city that appreciates artistic expression, and because of that it is inspiring.

Do you have a favorite SF venue?
Café du Nord, Bottom of the Hill and the Great American are great, but I love The Independent most of all; I think they have the best sounding room. Of course, it’s always fun to see a band get up at The Fillmore and be totally geeked that they are playing there. I saw Josh Ritter forget a whole verse and chorus to a song he has played a million times and he had a big smile on his face all the while. Nevertheless, I haven’t played at any of these places yet, so this is purely as a fan.

Which spots in the city can you be found in when you’re just out and about?
I do a lot of running in Golden Gate Park. It would be the one place that I would truly have a hard time leaving behind. Other than that, I like the Haight and I hang out on Clement Street quite a bit as well. There are a bunch of great restaurants on Clement—Burma Superstar, Giorgios Pizza, Q, Le Soleil—that don’t get a ton of attention. Plus, Clement St. has the best book store in the city (Green Apple Books). I’ve spent a lot of time and a lot of money there. As far as bars go, I like a lot of bars in the city for no specific reason. Shanghai Kelly’s, Finnegan’s Wake and the Noe Valley Tavern are frequent spots. The Toronado and Magnolia are places for delicious beer as well. I really like beer.

Where do you want to be a year from now?
I’d love to be a working musician for the rest of my life. I don’t need to make a ton of money, but a steady and livable income playing music would be great. So, if I’m further along on my way to doing that then life will be even better.

Pay it forward … who are some other musicians in the city that we should know about?
Well, a lot of the local people I like are already well known, so they don’t need my endorsement (though I could use theirs). Jackie Greene, Jesse DeNatale, Beulah, Brett Dennen, Two Gallants, Deerhoof, The Heather Combs Band and The Mother Hips. As far as up and comers go though, I got a chance to play with The Grace Woods Trio a few weeks ago and they just won the Emergenza battle of the bands in SF; they’re really good. Oh, and that Kate Isenberg girl you reviewed sounds great too; I’ll have to check her out soon. Maybe she and I could do a show together? Anyway, the SF music scene is loaded with diverse talent, but it could really benefit from having another big, big name come out of it soon.

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