Michelle Shocked
Los Angeles, CA


Band Members:


Biography:
“I’m the most sophisticated hillbilly you’ll ever meet.”

When Michelle Shocked says this about herself, it’s hard not to crack up. ‘Hillbilly,’ after all, is no compliment. And frankly, it’s tough to reconcile that reflex image of a backwoods, overalls-and-a-smile hillbilly with this focused, erudite singer-songwriter. If such a creature exists, however, Shocked is its picture, sans Billy-Bob teeth. Come to think of it, she was born in or at least near the backwoods of East Texas — and get this —after being conceived, if memory serves, “in the backseat of my Uncle Huby’s Chevy at the high school prom.”

Her upbringing was more well-rounded. In her early childhood, Shocked logged thousands of miles as a military brat, living in Massachusetts, Germany and Maryland, before returning to Texas. She lived there until her early twenties, experiencing the stark contrast — and copious benefits — of being raised by a fundamentalist Mormon mother and Army lifer stepfather, and having a hippie teacher-slash-“ultimate autodidact” father. Eager to further expand her horizons, Shocked eventually decamped for San Francisco, assumed the peripatetic life of a community activist and, eventually, a touring musician.

Fittingly, there’s a phantom Texas taproot and that self-styled wanderlust in her music. Much like the work of her East Texas peers Willie Nelson, Victoria Williams and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Shocked’s songs hold fast to a definite core, but owe no stylistic allegiance — just like their itinerant, mercurial, utilitarian creators.

In a 23-year career that has seen critical acclaim at every juncture, she famously escaped major-label indentured servitude in 1996, subverting the artist-label relationship that helped lead to the current trend toward artistic self-containment. She has made good use of her independence, releasing more critically-acclaimed albums on her Mighty Sound label. Her 2009 album, Soul of My Soul, was the latest of these. In 2010, her efforts are focused on Roadworks, an ongoing, 5-year touring project which curates songs that are audience favorites while developing new, unreleased material.

For example, this year's theme, American Idle, will search for new songs that chronicle the chilling effects of a ‘jobless recovery’, inviting fellow songwriters to briefly share the spotlight as the audience helps determine material selected for a limited-edition recording available at year-end exclusively to Roadworks ticketholders, while simultaneously preparing for the launch of the 20th Anniversary edition of Arkansas Traveler, slated for late next year, by featuring young bluegrass musicians who, perhaps, grew up listening to Arkansas Traveler as part of their parent’s record collection.


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For more information on Michelle Shocked, please contact conqueroo:
Cary Baker • (323) 656-1600 • cary@conqueroo.com


Discography:
The Texas Campfire Tapes Album Nov 1986 Short Sharp Shocked Album 15 Aug 1988 Anchorage Single 1988 If Love Was A Train Single 19 Dec 1988 Disoriented (lament for the trust territories) Single 1988? When I Grow Up Single 1989 Captain Swing Album 24 Oct 1989 On The Greener Side Single 1989 (Don't you mess around with) My Little Sister Single 1989 Silent Ways / Don't You Mess Around With My Little Sister / Looks Like Mona Lisa Single 1989 Looks Like Mona Lisa Promo 1990 The Captain Swing Revue Video 1990 Live Promo ~May 1990 The Texas Campfire Video Video Compilation 1991 Come A Long Way Single 1992 33rpm Soul Single 1992 Krispy Korn Flakes Promo 1992 Arkansas Traveler Album 7 Apr 1992 A Few Notes On The Arkansas Traveler Promo Video 1992 The Facts And The Fiction Promo 1992 Kind Hearted Woman Album 25 Mar 1994 Michelle Shocked & Fiachna O'Braonain: Artists Make Lousy Slaves Album Apr 1996 Kind Hearted Woman Album 15 Oct 1996 Stillborn Single 199? The Hard Way Promo 1996 Mercury Poise: 1988-1995 Collection 22 Oct 1996 Michelle Shocked and the Anointed Earls: Good News Album Early 1998 Dub Natural Album 7 Mar 2001 Deep Natural Album 2 Apr 2002 Texas Campfire Takes Album 22 Apr 2003 Shockolates Collection 12 Oct 2004 Michelle Shocked DVD Video 25 Oct 2004 Don't Ask Don't Tell Album 13 Jun 2005 Got No Strings Album 13 Jun 2005 Mexican Standoff Album 13 Jun 2005

Management:

Tour Dates:
Thursday, September 16th
High Noon Saloon
Madison, WI

Saturday, September 18th
Off Broadway
St. Louis, MO

Sunday, September 19th
Evanston SPACE
Evanston, IL

Monday, September 20th
Dakota Jazz Club
Minneapolis, MN

Wednesday, September 22nd
The Englert Theatre
Iowa City, IA

Thursday, September 23rd
Wealthy Theatre
Grand Rapids, MI

Friday, September 24th
MAGIC BAG
Ferndale, MI

Saturday, September 25th
Stuart's Opera House
Nelsonville, OH

Sunday, September 26th
The Kent Stage
Kent , OH

Wednesday, October 13th
All Good Cafe
Dallas, TX

Thursday, October 14th
Casbeers
San Antonio, TX

Friday, October 15th
Momo's
Austin, TX

Saturday, October 16th
McGonigel's Mucky Duck
Houston, TX

Tuesday, November 16th
Eddie's Attic
Decatur, GA