The Guitar Player's Resource
From San Jose, California comes the Chris Shahin Band, a guitar, bass, drums and sax ensemble who have released their first full-length independent release, The Tenth Degree. A musical hybrid, the CD features elements of surf, jazz, rock, psychedelic and Latin styles. All the songs are instrumental, which gives Chris Shahin's guitar the spotlight as he incorporates his varied influences into the songwriting and solo passages. Fans of modern surf music will appreciate the band's original approach to the genre, especially the jazzy colorations of songs such as "Surf's Down" and the ethnic quality on tracks such as "Baja Cactus". Band personnel incudes Shahin, Scott Johnson on saxophone, Eric Wilson on bass and Sameer Gupta on drums and percussion.
Chris got started in music playing classical guitar in high school. His main influences were (and still are) Pat Metheny, Steve Morse, John McLaughlin, Jim Hall and Tuck Andress (who he studied with for several years). Chris tries to incorporate all these influences into his music, while maintaining many of the sonic signatures of surf, including guttural, low register lines and reverb-drenched, open string fusillades.
Shahin's goals are to continue to play his music, sell CDs and to strive grow as a musician. The band's second CD is in the works and should be completed by spring of 1999. It's tentatively entitled "Left Of Center", which Shahin feels is an apt description of his music.
Chris Shahin
5586 Woodhurst Lane
San Jose, CA 95123
United States