Rising Music Star Shane Hall On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

An Interview With Elana Cohen

Move forward with intention. Try to set high intentions with low expectations. Do it well for YOU and enjoy the process but don’t get trapped by the outcome.

As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Shane Hall.

Shane Hall is an award-winning singer/songwriter out of Oceanside, California via Pennsylvania and the U.S. Marines. Shane’s lively and powerful self-described Fuzz Funk Voodoo Blues music has been entertaining audiences all across the country. His new album Howl & Sway is now available.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I grew up in central Pennsylvania and discovered music from local roller rinks. My dad would DJ at the rinks and my mom played horns. I later discovered R&B, Gospel music from church and popular music from MTV.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

My musical journey was a bit unusual and can be pinpointed to my last few years in the Marine Corps.

I realized that I did not want to leave for a corporate or government job. That was not appealing, not my “American Dream.” I wanted to find a way to survive and thrive in a creative arena and music provided that chance. I had played music for fun for 12 years and after putting my life at risk in the military, I decided to take the risk of chance and I decided to pursue music full time.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

In one weekend I was playing the legendary Red Rocks with the band Pepper… and the next day I was playing at the legendary Coachella music festival.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I was playing with the band 7 Nation Army, really feeling the vibe of the show, the crowd was feeling, it was great. Then I get to the hook and everything goes silent. The guitar turned off, nothing was working, I started singing while I tried to troubleshoot. The problem? While I was lost in the moment I accidentally hit the switch that killed the guitar. I tried to fix everything but the most basic element. Moral of the story? Be familiar with the instrument and check even the basics.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

There are really too many people but for me it comes down to communities. I’ve played music on five continents and traveled the world. The biggest factor has always been the support of the community around me. Currently this means Oceanside, California, my adopted hometown. People in the city, local business owners and just music lovers have supported me, and encouraged me in my dream of making music.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Raise the Tide” — it’s my personal life motto, meaning what is good for you is good for me and vice versa. I’m not afraid of your success and you’re not interfering with mine. If I do well, I’m going to make sure my community and my people do well. Even if I’m not doing well… At all times, let’s Raise the Tide to help others float.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

My new album Howl & Sway is out but in addition to that I’ve developed a workshop about pursuing your passion. I call it UNITY — The Calm. It’s about finding yourself, your path, your love and your peace. Then Calm the noise in your head. I will debut this workshop at the Rebel & Muse {Kaleo Wasserman} UNITY wellness retreat in April in Ojai, California.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

1. It’s a real look at the real world.
2. Gatekeepers in music, film and television can shape the opinions and perceptions of people and culture. If there isn’t broad representation, people end up getting a narrow view that can be skewed by anyone for political or monetary gain.
3. Diversity keeps it interesting! You don’t want to see the same thing over and over again. Diversity helps others relate to each other and reach as many people as possible. Art helps people get through their lives and everyone should have a chance to love art.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

1. The difference between progress and milestones. For so long I was hung up on milestones like not getting an award or not getting the big invite to an event. That’s not what’s important, what’s important is the progress I’m making towards my goal.
2. “Moment management” which means understanding the moment you are in and that you have control of your life. You are the only one who can make sure you have a happy life and being in the moment will help you learn and move through bad times to the good.
3. Learn to record as soon as possible — regardless of your musical ability! For so long I felt the most important part of my music was making sure my live performance was the best it could be. That would make me The Real Deal. But that’s not how the music world works. If you want people to hear your music, you need to record it and get it out there! It’s impossible to exist and thrive in the music industry if you aren’t recording and distributing your music.
4. Manage expectations. Expectations are the cause of anxiety and a lot of disappointment. This is a difficult career path and there are going to be a lot of highs and lows, disappointments and successes. The key is to manage expectations and focus on progress.
5. Move forward with intention. Try to set high intentions with low expectations. Do it well for YOU and enjoy the process but don’t get trapped by the outcome.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Find helping hands and the ways you can alleviate stress and fatigue. Sleep is the great equalizer and healer of bodies. Mediation, retreats, supportive relationships, and engaging pastimes. Something as simple as basketball — focus on what you’re doing — and not the stress that led you to the activity.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

My movement would be to Raise The Tide. It’s the name of my documentary and podcast. The whole idea of what helps you, helps me and vice versa. This is a movement where communities can support each other and prosper together. It’s a joint collaboration of small businesses, artists and even the local government. Let’s all come together, come to the table and figure out ways to give and not take.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Just one?! Buddy Guy is up there… the last remaining living original blues man, who has played with all the other blues men.

Maybe Jimmy Fallon, just because I think we’d be best friends.

Of course there’s JayZ… he’s a black billionaire in music and I think he’d appreciate what I’m doing.

The one and only Quincy Jones. He was Frank Sinatra’s band leader and discovered all the breakout black talent. His story is amazing.

How can our readers follow you online?

You can follow me on Spotify, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and the web! Go to my linktree for all the details. And make sure to come out to a show! https://linktr.ee/Shanehall

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!