STudio producer
Car ride writing session
From its humble beginnings, the American Birkebeiner (or Birkie for short) has grown to become North America’s largest ski race and the third largest in the world. To date, over 250,000 skiers have finished Birkie ski events. Approximately 40,000 spectators and skiers gather each February in the Cable and Hayward, Wisconsin areas for the Nordic sports festivities and in celebration of the determination and perseverance of the Birkebeiner warriors.
Over the years, a few songs have been written about the annual event. But it’s been a decade or two since a new tune or parody made it’s way onto the scene. That’s where Shawn Connelly and Allie Thut-Connelly came in.
STUDIO meets video - capturing lightning in pixels
The trend of studio sessions recorded in a straight to social media video is a unique way to capture a creative day with six musicians and share it with the world. Fox Menagerie jumped on this idea early and have become a lighthouse attracting the finest talent in Wisconsin for these two song sessions: one unique take on a cover, one original. Check out these results from an April 2024 session.
Songwriting with Joe Slyzelia is an absolute treat. Add that to working with the incredibly talented musicians at Fox Menagerie and we created something special. Thanks Joe & David Jerabek for brining me on. Pleasure performing with y’all - Paul Bannach, Tom Jones Sax, Dev Munson. Beautiful video Dana Jerabek!
when the pandemic hit, i wasn’t sure where music fit…
I knew music would always be a part of my life, but when performing live came to a halt, I pivoted to my media career to get me through the doldrums. To be honest, I wasn’t sure where or how music would come back professionally. The opportunity to perform with Road Trip was an absolute dream and a blessing as restrictions began lifting. After nearly two years with them, I headed back into the studio to begin bringing my musical ideas to life.
Just as my final gigs with RT began wrapping up, I was asked to contribute to a project for Bob Balsley: a local guitar legend in Green Bay, WI. Select musicians in the area picked one of Bob’s original songs from his 50+ years of performance and record their own take. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to get back in the studio with some of my favorite musicians and bring the arrangement to life.
Arrangment - Shawn Connelly
Trumpet - Dr. Adam Gaines
Tenor Saxophone - Steve Johnson
Trombone - Wiliam Hill
Upright Bass - Andrew Bader
Drums - Steve Seitz