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2011  DESIRE FOR A STRAIGHT LINE Now available on iTunes and Amazon! iTunes Amazon.com DESIRE FOR A STRAIGHT LINE The new CD is the usual PRESTER JOHN mixed bag of styles, it is all instrumental (the vocal follow up is planned for...well let's be honest, within the next 12 months) and it's great! Challenging yet accessible; varied yet cohesive; smart and whimsical. I'm very happy with this CD. All sixteen tracks offer something unique. Need some points of reference? J.S. Bach meets Frank Zappa; David Grisman and Tony Rice play Igor Stravinsky and Danny Elfman; Friday Night in San Francisco with a mandolin. There is also a transcription book available! Every song transcribed in standard notation and guitar tab. The mandolin parts are there also but only in notation, sorry to say there is no mandolin tab yet, but we are working on it. MORE NEWS ________________________________________ Visit the "Prester John Guitar" My Space page. Added May 10th, 2011 "Invention No. 4 in D minor: J.S. Bach" PRESTER JOHN GUITAR Also featuring a wonderful remix of all the main themes from The Art of Modern/Primitive Guitar, 22 songs condensed into about 26 seconds! Additional tracks showcase Shawn’s electric guitar pyrotechnics from his days with his Prog/Fusion band, BOUD DEUN. 2010 I am delighted and honored to announce that PRESTER JOHN has been voted BEST INSTRUMENTALIST by The New Haven Advocate! They also gave the new disc, DESIRE FOR A STRAIGHT LINE, a fantastic review. BEST INSTRUMENTALIST ________________________________________ DESIRE... REVIEW ________________________________________ Here's a nice little write up from an October issue of The Village Voice. VILLAGE VOICE ________________________________________ Shawn has a new book out, published by Hal Leonard Music, "Bebop Jazz Guitar". BEBOP JAZZ GUITAR: Amazon.com HAL LEONARD MUSIC 2009 We had a baby! 2008 Shawn is THE SPACE'S special residency "Artist of the Month" for February. Every Sunday Shawn will be the featured performer along side many of his favorite local and national touring acts. For more info: THE SPACE Shawn will be representing Elixir Guitar Strings at next week's NAMM show in Anaheim, CA, Jan. 17-21. If you're attending the show drop by the Elixir booth to say hello. 2007 The Nov. issue of Guitar Player Magazine features an article Shawn wrote, titled GLOBAL GUITARING. GLOBAL GUITARING The piece is a short recounting of the gear Shawn took on his recent world travels. It also features 5 fantastic photographs of Shawn playing in Laos, Egypt, Cambodia, India and in the shadow of Mt. Everest. Shawn and Elixir guitar strings featured in the latest Performing Songwriter Magazine: PERFORMING SONGWRITER Having just returned home from a 4-month world tour (documented in an upcoming issue of Guitar Player Magazine) Persinger is primed and ready to tour the States once again. Check back soon for Fall/Winter tour dates. There is one new part to this homepage, ASIAN TOUR 2007, click the link on your left. It's a little thin right now, text wise, but it does contain a photo of Shawn playing in front of the North face of Mt. Everest, Tibet! It's been a BUSY 3 months. From NYC to Turkey, Egypt to India, Nepal to Southeast Asia and now Shawn is in China. So much to write, but for now just a quick hello and a "MORE SOON". ________________________________________ Shawn will once again be teaching Contemporary Acoustic Guitar, Songwriting and Arranging this summer at GUITAR INTENSIVES in Bar Harbor, Maine, August 12th - 18th. This is a fabulous guitar camp located on the beautiful campus of College of the Atlantic. For more information click below. GUITAR INTENSIVES ________________________________________ The month of February proved to be a busy one. I actually managed to record 2 CDs for the NPR RPM Challenge. If you have no idea what this is please visit the link below. RPM CHALLENGE Allow me to explain, briefly, what these two CD consist of. One of them is a mainstream, commercial folk/pop/acoustic CD I have co-written and recorded with a student/friend of mine, Mike Dwyer, "Songs of a Middle-Aged Dad". (Just so you know, I am NOT the middle-aged Dad!) Essentially Mike would bring me the idea/spark of the song in a fairly complete form. I would help him finish them up. Sometimes this would mean playing guitar on the track or changing a chord or lyric here or there. Other times this meant adding a 2nd or 3rd guitar or drums or piano or harmonica. The result is a CD evoking the spirit of the 1970’s West Coast sound, a la The Eagles or John Prine, fusing the classic singer/songwriter tradition with a modern outlook and...um...middle-aged perspective. If you are a fan of Shawn Persinger's "outsider/avant garde" material, this music IS NOT FOR YOU! The second disc on the other hand... The second CD is a second draft (and not the final version) of a work entitled "Halloween Babtizm". I started Halloween on October 31st, 2003. I had in mind to try and compose a piece of music a day for one month. Alas, this did not happen. I only managed to finish eleven pieces in the month of November (with an twelfth one added one year later). Once done the pieces simply sat on my computer for 3 years. Most of the works were composed for small chamber groups (though my actual intent is for the music to be playable in any group configuration, I believe a chamber orchestra would be best utilized) regrettably I do not have access to a chamber group. Until now...sort of. I have recently submersed myself in the world of computer music. MIDI, Finale, Logic, Keyboards, etc. As the technology has grown so has my interest. Most importantly the technology of computers being able to sound like real acoustic instruments (yes I see the irony). This second draft of Halloween Babtizm has been done entirely on the computer. Generating sounds of pianos, string quartets, vibraphones, kotos, etc. This CD is NOT available for public consumption. But it might be before the year is out. My hope is to remix what I have done and add live guitar and bass parts. Pieces will also be extended for guitar solos/improvisation. That said, scores and guitar tablature are currently available. Please contact me at the usual e-mail for more information. ________________________________________ Shawn has penned a feature on Bluegrass guitarist Larry Keel in the latest issue of GUITAR PLAYER (Feb. 2007). GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE ________________________________________ Be sure and check out Shawn's review of Leo Kottke's recent DVD release in the latest issue of FRETS (Winter 2006). FRETS MAGAZINE ________________________________________ iTUNES M/P Guitar was recently selected as a "Staff Picks" on iTunes. To order from iTunes click here: iTunes ________________________________________ Shawn Persinger is Prester John at My Space and a Boud Deun My Space page! PERSINGER MUSIC at MY SPACE BOUD DEUN at MY SPACE ________________________________________ RECENT MEDIA FEATURES PSYCHEDELIC FOLK TAYLOR GUITARS ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE BRIDGE GUITAR REVIEWS Click on "Ambiance (new)" on their homepage. LE JOURNAL DE LA GUITARE FINGERSTYLE JANUARY 2007 Shawn has penned a feature on Bluegrass guitarist Larry Keel in the latest issue of GUITAR PLAYER (Feb. 2007). GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE ________________________________________ Be sure and check out Shawn's review of Leo Kottke's recent DVD release in the latest issue of FRETS (Winter 2006). FRETS MAGAZINE ________________________________________ 2006 SONICBIDS ________________________________________ Shawn will be teaching Contemporary Acoustic Guitar, Songwriting and Arranging this summer at GUITAR INTENSIVES in Bar Harbor, Maine, August 14th - 18th. This is a fabulous guitar camp located on the beautiful campus of College of the Atlantic. For more information click below. GUITAR INTENSIVES ________________________________________ PRESTER JOHN, the electric band. In case you know nothing about the group (Shawn has been performing solo acoustic shows since 2000) read on. Your first question concerning the band might be, "What does the music sound like?" In a word, "schizophrenic" (though most psychiatric medical professionals will tell you I’m using this term incorrectly). The music is all over the place, just like my solo set has been for the last 5 years...only louder, weirder, and, somehow, more pop. We have straight ahead, 3-chord pop tunes, right beside the avant-garde, 600 notes in 60 seconds. But basically we're a rock and roll band. Here are some comparisons: KING CRIMSON meets THE FOO FIGHTERS THE MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA play WEEZER BEN FOLDS FIVE (without the piano) exploit FRANK ZAPPA Get the idea? Of course you can always come out to a show and judge for yourself. For the full band bio scroll down to the "Prester John" link on the left. Or click here for the Prester John "My Space" webpage, with a few MP3s samples! PRESTER JOHN at MY SPACE If you are interested in booking the group or Shawn's solo performance contact Carol at: ________________________________________ 2005 QUICK YEAR IN REVIEW Here’s what happened. JANUARY I start rehearsing new music with drummer Steve Zieminski. The group, PRESTER JOHN, starts to take shape. FEBRUARY The February issue of Acoustic Guitar Magazine names “The Art of Modern/Primitive Guitar” one of the best CDs of 2004. I share the bill with Kaki King at a sold-out show in Stony Creek, CT. One of the best gigs I’ve played in years...also my last solo performance for 10 months! My short piece, "Keep Your Ears Open", published in Guitar Player Magazine. You can check that out on-line at: GUITAR PLAYER Jazziz runs a feature on me and Modern/Primitive Guitar in their special guitar issue: JAZZIZ Short tour of West Africa, gigs in Senegal and The Gambia. Joe Casillo joins PRESTER JOHN on bass and background vocals. We are officially a band. The New Haven Advocate runs a glowing review of PRESTER JOHN before they have had even one public appearance. As a result the first gig is a sold-out show. Prester John plays their first show at The Space in Hamden, CT. More PRESTER JOHN shows. PRESTER JOHN, My Space page launches: PRESTER JOHN at MY SPACE Booking agent, Carol T. takes over gig acquisition duties. Many a successful show follows. PRESTER JOHN starts work on a DVD featuring live performances as well as several videos. The theme of this year in review appears to be PRESTER JOHN. There is MUCH more to come from the band. Much, much more. For more in general and news going back to 2001 read on! PRESTER JOHN, the new electric band, now exists! That's right, after 6 years solo Shawn has decided to play in a band once again. And what a band it is. With Steve Zieminski on drums and Joe Casillo on bass the trio is turning into something quite wonderful. Of course your first question should be, "What does the music sound like?" In a word, "schizophrenic" (though most psychiatric medical professionals will tell you I’m using this term incorrectly). The music is all over the place, just like my solo set has been for the last 5 years...only louder, weirder and more pop. We have straight ahead, 3-chord pop tunes, right beside 1000 notes in 60 seconds. But basically we're a rock and roll band. Here are some comparisons: THE MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA play WEEZER BEN FOLDS FIVE (without the piano) exploit FRANK ZAPPA Get the idea? Of course you can always come out to a show and judge for yourself. has been named one of the best CDs of the year by ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE! It's featured in the February 2005 issue. 2004 was an amazing year. M/P Guitar has been hailed as one of the most interesting and unique acoustic guitar records to come along in many years. It has been called as original and creative as Leo Kottke's "Six and Twelve String Guitar" and Michael Hedges' "Arial Boundaries", two benchmarks of fingerstyle guitar. Features, reviews, quotables and mentions in the media include: Guitar Player Magazine, Acoustic Guitar Magazine, Gramophone, Taylor Guitars' "Wood and Steel" and Jazziz. Shawn has also heard kind words from guitarists Tim Sparks, Mike Keneally, Kaki King and Henry Kaiser. For more click the "MODERN/PRIMITIVE" button to the left or visit the "PRESS QUOTES" link for recent reviews. Check out the short piece Shawn wrote, "Keep Your Ears Open", in the latest issue of Guitar Player Magazine (March 2005). I got to open a show last night, 2/19/05, for Kaki King. It was the second time we had met and the first time I got to share the bill with her. There has been a lot of talk about Kaki in the guitar community, good and bad. Let me tell you, Kaki is wonderful! She is a fantastic player and a super nice person. See her live before you think anything about her playing. Her CDs are fine acoustic guitar but live she shows real scope and range as a player and musician in general. She possesses amazing technique but more than anything she is musical! For those that think she is getting so much attention just because she is a young, cute girl you are completely wrong. She’s a great guitarist. And while I would be the first to admit that, yes, being young, cute and female does help when it comes to getting attention in general, what should Kaki do? Make herself ugly and old? Forget that, she plays guitar, tries to ignore the hype and sites her influences constantly. So go see her when she comes to your town (and for that matter she is certainly paying her dues when it comes to performing. She’s playing constantly and in all sorts of venues) and check your preconceptions at the door. Believe me you won’t want to pick them up when you leave. TAYLOR GUITARS ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE WEEKEND SECTION LE JOURNAL DE LA GUITARE FINGERSTYLE NEW MILLENNIUM GUITAR OUTSIGHT RADIO INTERVIEW NEW HAVEN ADVOCATE "THE ART OF MODERN/PRIMITIVE GUITAR" is now available from Innova Records. The official street release date was May 4th, 2004 and already the new CD has garnered a considerable amount of critical and popular acclaim. Visit the "Press Quotes" link to the left for recent reviews. This means there is also quite a bit of distribution and promotion for the new CD. So keep a look out in stores, on the radio and on-line. Most on-line retailers carry the new record: Amazon.com, TowerRecords.com, BarnesandNoble.com, etc. Of course you can also order the CD direct from me. For more info visit: INNOVA: Shawn Persinger and For general Innova info: INNOVA style I've been developing over the past couple of years (for more info on M/P in general click the M/P button on the left). There are two main things to be aware of concerning the new record: 1. It is all instrumental. 2. There are a few songs from the first two CDs, PEERLESS and REASONABLE HORSE, that have been rerecorded for this album. This was done for a couple of reasons: I can play them MUCH better now; some of them fall into a medley format (with new material); and they define the M/P style. So this is not a "best of" CD, it is newly recorded material. The popular and critical response so far has been that it is my strongest CD yet, with a definitive feel, flow and purpose. GUITAR NINE An amazing site dedicated to the art of instrumental guitar music. Shawn Persinger is Prester John Modern/Primitive Guitar pieces is now available. The book contains 23 instrumental songs written in both tablature and standard notation. The transcriptions include several songs from my first two CDs: “Pony is Delinquent”, “Reasonable Horse”, “30 Krowns 300 Zlotys”, “Betray Your Country”, “Ford’s Offer”, “The Thanksgiving Visitor”, “Halloween or Easter”, “Sherman Hairpin”, "Sandpaper Polish", “Factotum Pole” and “An Extra Dollar” (this last track can be found on the Cuneiform compilation CD, “156 Strings”). The other songs have not been released on CD yet but they are all songs I perform live. Books are $20.00 each (plus $2.00 for shipping and handling) and E.H.P. Productions is currently accepting orders. If you are interested please e-mail: P.O. Box 1338 New Haven, CT 06505 U.S.A. Please take note that this is a new mailing address for E.H.P. For more information click here: FUNDACION VALPARAISOA GUITAR NINE An amazing site dedicated to the art of instrumental guitar music. I have recently relocated to New Haven, CT so look for frequent shows in the New England and New York area. I'll be performing live tonight, 3/28, on the radio on WPKN 89.5 out of Bridgeport, CT. 8:30pm on Ray Terlaga's program. Listen in, call in, tell a friend! NEW HAVEN ADVOCATE By the way this score has no guitar. The instrumentaion is: Flute, Bb Clarinet, Piano, Violin and Cello. A big thanks goes out to Steve Winters and Robert Messore for last night's (Dec. 6th) tremendously fun interview on WSHU 91.1 (one of the nation's largest NPR stations). This was the best time I've ever had doing a radio show (and it's almost always fun to do radio). Steve is an extremely gracious host and Rob, fellow guitarist and singer/songwriter, played great as well as encouraging my own playing and our mutual banter. In case you missed the program you can hear it now by clicking: If you are interested in ordering a copy of the book drop me an e-mail as pre-orders will help to establish the number of books pressed. "The Art of Modern/Primitive Guitar" At this point it looks like it will be released in 2 volumes, eleven songs in each book (the all instrumental CD, scheduled for release in the Spring of 2003, will include all 22 songs). The transcriptions will include several songs from my first two CDs, including, among others: "Pony is Delinquent", "30 Krowns 300 Zlotys" and "Sandpaper Polish". If you are interested in ordering a copy of the book drop me an e-mail as pre-orders will help to establish the number of books pressed. This summer I ran three workshops on Free Improvisation and Experimental music and all were a huge success! These workshops were funded in part by The American Composers Forum and the forum has been quite pleased with the results. One of the outcomes of the workshops is an instructional book, with original pieces, I have written that covers many different styles: from minimalism to non-idiomatic free improv; pieces similar to John Zorn's Naked City to Sun Ra's work with his Arkestra; and many other genres that fall under the term "experimental". I'm currently shopping around for a publisher for the book. More workshops are planned for 2003 so keep a look out for more info on that soon. A special thanks goes out to all the musicians who participated in this summer’s workshops. Also a big thank you to The Fauquier Times Democrat for the feature article they ran on the workshop and me. I’m pleased to mention that the Cuneiform compilation CD, “156 Strings” received a very nice review in the September 2002 issue of GUITAR PLAYER magazine, with a positive mention of yours truly. On a more personal note my hernia surgery appears to have been very routine and recovery is going just fine. Thank to everyone who sent in his or her “Get Well” e-mails. "The Young Person's Guide to Free Improvisation and Experimental Music" Drum & Strum Music Center 51 East Lee Street - Warrenton, VA - 540-347-7484 August 12-17 8:00-9:00 Free! This is a workshop open to anyone who can play an instrument! Beginner to advanced. All instruments. And it is free!!! Learn more about the music of such composers and musicians as: Sun Ra, Philip Glass, Zappa, John Zorn, Ornette Coleman, Fred Frith, John Cage and many more. Play new compositions by Shawn Persinger based on ideas and concepts found in the often overlooked and all too often misunderstood world of experimental and free improvisational music. Check out the review of "156 STRINGS" in the September 2002 issue of GUITAR PLAYER Magazine. Currently there are no plans for a fall 2002 tour. I am having hernia surgery performed on August 20th and after that a six week recovery period. During that time I will be working on new music and an instruction book for, "The Young Person's Guide to Free Improvisation and Experimental Music." Look for shows in the New England area in late October, November and December. A Spring 2003 tour is in the works. If you are interested in putting on a show or helping to promote an upcoming event in your area please contact E.H.P. Productions: Alaska was wonderful. I got to go kayaking in Haines, spent an afternoon in Glacier National park and took a helicopter ride onto a glacier in Skagway. I also had a great time doing the radio interview in Juneau. Thanks to Jeff, Susan and all the folks at KTOO-FM for making that possible. I am delighted to announce that I have recently been awarded a Community Partners Grant from the American Composers Forum (ACF). The ACF Community Partners Program places composers in collaborative residencies with community, cultural and educational organizations to create new musical works designed around the needs of their specific communities, many of which are historically underserved by the arts. I will be using this grant to develop a new piece of music for children (of all ages) entitled, “The Young Persons Guide to Free Improvisation and Experimental Music.” I will be working on this project at The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts in Washington D.C. from July 22nd until August 16th. For more information on The Sitar Center click the link below. In addition to my work at The Sitar Center I will also be teaching once again at The National Guitar Workshop in New Milford, CT, July 15th – July 21st. For more info on NGW click the link below. "Brace yourself, Shawn Persinger lunges toward you like a sharp knife. He’s edgy and articulate and opens with a stab of violence with “It Rains A Lot.” It features a couple in bed, and let’s just say it’s not your typical love song. In fact, Persinger follows it up with the instrumental “Pony Is Delinquent” to allow the listener to decompress. He parses the CD with skillful instrumentals, which sound somewhere between classical, Spanish and New Age. These instrumentals are essential to the success of this CD, or it could overload the listener with its powerfully dark subjects and images. "Persinger runs to the avant edge of singer-songwriters, yet the sound is strictly acoustic, consisting of just Persinger’s voice (sometimes double-tracked) and his brilliant guitar work. He frequently produces lightning lines of poetry. The terse, arresting lyrics set off by his intricate, sparse guitar work create a highly original sound, although not one for casual listening. If you are bored with the crowd and willing to feel the cold metal and hot acid of Persinger’s songs, you’ll revel in his original and intriguing music." – R. Warr I was recently featured on the nationally syndicated NPR radio program, ACOUSTIC CAFE, on their "One to Watch" segment. For more info on the segment and show click the link below. Not a lot of time to write but I wanted to say as the DOMESTICATED SPRING TOUR winds down that I have had a fabulous time on the road! The tours continually get better and better. Thanks to everyone who has come out to the shows. I'm off to Alaska next week and I'm sure I'll have lots to write about when I return. Until then... On February 24th, Pete Kennedy walked away with the WAMMIE (The Washington Area Music Association Award) for Best Folk Contemporary Instrumentalist. But I am still delighted to have been nominated along side such notable players. Congratulations to Pete and all the 2001 Wammie winners. In case you are unfamiliar with The Wammies, this is an annual event, The Washington Area Music Awards, which recognizes significant career achievements by area musicians. The ceremony was great fun and I look forward to next year's event. In addition to the Wammie nomination, the new CD and the busy tour schedule I kept up in 2001 (110 shows total!), I will also be included on an upcoming Cuneiform compilation release of acoustic guitarists. This record has been compiled by guitarist Henry Kaiser and will feature such luminaries as Richard Thompson, Fr |