About

Jeremy Shaw is a performing, recording, and song-writing artist based in Charlotte, NC. He blends a wide variety of styles and traditions into his own unique sound. His guitar work ranges from acoustic fingerstyle to angular modern jazz. Jeremy studied composition and performance at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He has worked professionally with numerous acts and musicians throughout the north and southeast for over fifteen years. Jeremy has extensive studio recording experience and appears on many CD releases. He maintains a sizable student roster in Charlotte, NC.

Jeremy was born in Utica, New York. He spent his early childhood living on a communal farm nestled on the Tug Hill Plateau, in rural upstate New York. Love of music was a central theme for his parents and the extended farm family. Jeremy's parents were avid musicians who exposed him to a variety of musical styles. They had a record collection that spanned everything from Bob Dylan, to the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Jeremy's mother sang and played guitar and banjo. His dad played violin and mandolin. Nightly jam sessions often carried into the wee hours of the morning. The typical instrumentation would include guitar, violin, banjo, mandolin, washtub bass, auto harp, pennywhistle, and spoons. They played "old-time", bluegrass, and folk music. Jeremy often accompanied his parents as they traveled to numerous festivals and concerts.

By the time Jeremy started school, his family had moved back to Trenton Falls, NY, where his mother grew up. It was here that he started piano lessons at age five with his aunt, Margaret Roberts, an accomplished musician and graduate of the Eastman School of Music. Jeremy would also study French horn with his aunt from age eight to twelve. During the holidays, the extended family performed as a choral group directed by his aunt.

In the late seventies, Jeremy's father moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Jeremy would split his teen years between upstate New York and North Carolina. Already a fan of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker, and Molly Hatchet, Jeremy enjoyed experiencing the southern culture, from where they came. Although he had tried the guitar before, it wasn't until he experienced the thrill of hearing Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen rip it up, that he began playing guitar, at age twelve, while living in Chapel Hill.

Over the next few years, Jeremy moved from north to south several times, getting a unique mix of southern and northern culture. When up north, he would often play with childhood friends, Randy Clark and Joshua Cannon. When down south, he would play with buddy Porter McClister(currently with Tanya Tucker) . Many bands were formed playing everything from The Dead, to ZZ Top, to bluegrass, to heavy metal.

After high school, Jeremy decided to pursue music as a career. He moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music, where he studied composition and performance. The thriving musical environment in Boston was a tremendous learning experience. During this time, Jeremy performed and recorded Constructing Scenes from Memory (1991) with progressive rock band Raymaker.

Jeremy spent the next several years in Boston, eventually moving into Neptune, the infamous house where five other artist/musicians and Jeremy lived. Legend has it that Moby Grape used to call it home, and jam band Shockra had been calling it home for several years. Neptune had a long history of being a "band house". It was often the crash pad for members of Phish, G Love & Special Sauce, Moon Boot Lover, Soulive, Schleigho, and others, as they passed through Boston. Because of this, It was also the location of numerous all night basement jams. Neptune Ensemble soon materialized from the depths of this basement. It evolved into a trio, consisting of bassist Jon Robinson, drummer Marc Gratama, and Jeremy on guitar and vocals. They performed throughout the northeast, and released Live at the Wharf (1998) and Neptune Ensemble (1999).

After almost a decade in Boston, Jeremy moved back to North Carolina where he has performed and recorded with Ozone Quartet - Live at Local 506 (2003), Scott McCloud Group/Hipshack - On The Gig (2003), and Ponder Banks and Shaw - PBS (2004). Information about all of Jeremy's current projects can be found at www.jeremyshaw.com.