By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
In 2004, singer-songwriter Shane Piasecki paid for recording his first album with the gift money from his high school graduation. Then he left Liberty Center for California, and later Nashville.
Five years ago, he returned to the area. In the 13 years since he graduated, he’d record three more albums, toured as the opener for Howie Day, and spent 10 years in Nashville, garnering a record deal and local airplay.
But family called. He has a young son. “I can never leave again.”
But having gotten out of his management contract, he also had no steady income.
Piasecki is still committed to the life of a full-time performer.
Piasecki and his band the Lone Wolf Hippies will perform Sunday, Nov. 27, at 6 p.m.at Grounds for Thought in a concert produced by Dustin Galish and presented by BG Independent News.
He formed the band five years ago. Piasecki brought bassist David Morris and drummer Mark Sentle together at his house and worked on his originals.
Both have extensive experience on the Toledo music scene.
Sentle came up on the jazz playing with Gene Parker.
Morris, who attended Toledo School for the Arts, started gigging when his parents still had to drive him to gigs. He performed with The Good, the Bad and the Blues when the band was a finalist in the International Blues Competition.
“It’s such a fun band,” he said. “We do everything our own way. We’re all sort of left-handed as people and musicians.”
They can play “authentic versions of covers” and a lot of Piasecki’s originals.
Given his previous publisher owned half of much of his existing catalog. Piasecki set out to compose a new book. The band also performs tunes from his earlier recordings because they’re popular with his local fans.
Piasecki wants to get the Lone Wolf Hippies as an established touring band along the lines of Red Wanting Blue. Getting that in gear is difficult. The band has worked around the area and opened for Guster at Hensville.
As a full-time musician, he has to keep busy, so he still books shows as a single. At this point, his workload is spilt half with the band, half on his own.
“I write every day,” he said. “It’s just kind of the spark fly through my mind.”
He works out issues with relationships and personal growth. As soon as he finishes one song, he starts the next one. He learns something from each one.
Recently, he said, he met with a group of older guys who get together regularly for coffee and talk in his hometown, Liberty Center. Piasecki came away wanting to write a song that would connect with them. “I care about elders understanding me.”
He also has benefited from working with his musical elders. In Nashville, he records with bassist Dave Roe, who played in Johnny Cash’s last band. Roe has hooked him up with ace session players in Nashville. That’s also affected his song writing. “I try to keep it straight and simple for these guys.”
Whether it’s country, blue rock, or jazz, he said he “respects the songwriters and legends” who came before him.
The Lone Wolf Hippies have yet to issue a record. They have gone to Nashville and Detroit for sessions. Piasecki is thinking that Detroit may be the best place for him to get himself and band established.
“In Nashville I was more a Detroit kind of artist,” he said. “They liked my edge, but I was a little too edgy.” He didn’t want producers to meddle with his songs. “That’s a big deal in Nashville.”
At this point, he has three hours of material. “When we do find a studio we love, we’ll have 40 original songs.”
The trio is pleased to get booked into Grounds in a series that revives the coffeehouse’s tradition, disrupted by the pandemic, of hosting live music. Piasecki lived in Bowling Green for a while and played at bars around town as have his bandmates. “We can all say B.G. is a part of us.”
