By Rebecca Carpenter
(Reprinted from the Shelton-Mason County Journal- Thursday, December 18, 2008)
Four local brothers want to give back to their community.Samuel, Nathanael, Daniel, and Gabriel Shoemaker from the Shoemaker Brothers band. Having grown up in Mason County, they want to present their musical gifts in concert this month.
They will perform at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 23, at Shelton High School Auditorium, located at 3737 North Shelton Springs Road.
"Since we're jumping in and we're doing this and exposing ourselves with our art, it's a great opportunity for our community that we grew up in to get behind us," says Samuel.
This concert will launch the brothers' upcoming, eight-month, cross-country tour.
Coinciding with the Christmas season, they say their family-friendly performance will appeal to teens and adults alike, bringing music with a positive message. Admission is $8 at the door, but children 12 and younger will be admitted free of charge. The brothers want to encourage a younger generation of future musicians to discover their full potential.
"I guess you could say the driving force behind us is positive change," says Gabriel.
The Shoemaker Brothers say they are "united by a common interpretation of beauty and a cohesive inspiration that is only strengthened by the bond they share as brothers." They grew up as four of seven children, performing as the "Shoemaker Family Singers." along with their parents, Michael and Susan Shoemaker of Shelton.
For many years, each of the brothers pursued his musical endeavors individually. Each learned to play a classical stringed instrument, violin, viola, or cello, at an early age.
They came together for the first time in 2004, in "true Shoemaker fashion," in order to play an original song by Nathanael at their eldest brother's wedding.
But it was not until December 2007 that the brothers made a concerted effort to come together and realize their dream of playing as a band.
"It's only right to take what you're already naturally going in a direction towards and just get passionate about it," Daniel says.
"Thus, the Shoemaker Brothers were (re)born."
They began playing shows at local bars, coffee shops, evening venues and private parties. The Shoemaker Brothers went on their first traveling tour this summer, cruising along the Oregon Coast and through Napa Valley, promoting themselves, developing their sound and polishing their show.
While the Shoemakers describe their original sound as "ever-evolving," they say the basic infrastructure of their music is "rooted in folk" -carrying on family tradition, as their parents were also folk musicians.
Yet they say the incorporation of rock and blues elements serves to texture their sound, "giving it a more contemporary flair than may be generally associated with folk."
And as the Brothers develop their musical vision, they continue to experiment with and add new instruments to their collection, such as a mandolin, drum kit, and bass. They also perfom their own vocals.
Even though they have been performing for years, Samuel, Nathanael, Daniel, and Gabriel say they "have only just embarked upon what they hope will become a fulfilling and successful journey toghther not only as musicians, but as brothers as well."
"It's just kind of cool, because this is our dream and this hasn't been realized yet; we're not famous," Samuel adds.
More information is available at their Web site: www.shoemakerbrothers.com , or at www.myspace.com/shoemakerbrothers. A sample of their music is available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYUXl3NLWF8.
Comments about this story may be directed to reporter Rebecca Carpenter at: rebeccaw@masoncounty.com, or by calling (360) -426-4412
