Shawn William Clarke does a few things (really, really well). By day he’s an integral part of our filtration team at Steam Whistle Brewing. By night he’s a talented singer/songwriter whose latest critically acclaimed album “William” was awarded runner up in Now Toronto’s Best Singer/Songwriter poll. We got a chance to catch up with Shawn last week to ask him a few questions about his own musical tastes before his upcoming show at the Wavelength pop up event at Hunt Club this Friday.
- What would be your dream venue to play in Toronto?
The ultimate dream for me would be Massey Hall. It’s really one of the most beautiful venues in the city, and has a really rich musical history. I’ve seen a countless number of heroes grace that stage, it would be something else. It doesn’t even have to be a show. I just want to get up with a guitar. Play one song. Please.
- Why Vinyl?
Purely selfish reasons. I’m a bit of a vinyl junkie, and I just wanted to see the spine of my own album in with my favourites! I really love the ceremony that goes with vinyl, it demands to be listened to, more so then digital files. I also love album art, the dimensions of a record displays the art (in my case by Jessica Rae Gordon) so nicely!
- What’s your favorite record shop in Toronto?
It really depends on what I’m looking for. I love stopping in Sonic Boom to look around. I’ve bought the most music from Soundscapes, though. Their listening stations are dangerous, I rarely leave empty handed! I actually just checked out a new place on Dundas West (near Roncesvalles) called Tonality. They have a really cool set up where they display albums by record label (all independent) instead of recording artists. Maybe a little niche, but cool!
- Other than music, name one thing you do really, really well
Ha ha. Filter Canada’s premium pilsner..?… I’m pretty good at listening, if anyone wants to talk.
- How do you start your songwriting process? Do you have any tips for overcoming writer’s block?
The process usually starts with just me and a guitar. The music seems to come first, then I hum a melody on top of that. After those things are in play, I sound out a few words and the ideas (hopefully) start to flow!
I’m generally a pretty slow songwriter, there were 4 years between my first and second album, so any writers block tips I have probably won’t be too helpful. It’s good to be able to accept that some days creativity just isn’t going to come.
- What’s the weirdest thing that sparked a song idea?
Hmm… good question. On my first album there’s a song called “Untitled” which is about not being able to write a song. It ends with a chorus singing “la la la’s”. It’s pretty meta.
- What’s your favorite hidden gem in Toronto
I think Toronto has some really great rep cinemas. My all time favourite was a place called Trash Palace. They used to show 16mm prints of genre and cult films out of a basement print studio. Sadly they shut down that location, but they still show prints once a month at the Revue Cinema. Soooo yeah, go see a flick at a rep theatre!
You can catch Shawn preforming alongside Anamai at the Steam Whistle curated music night of the Wavelength pop up on February 6th. This all encompassing pop up is happening until Feb 15th and will feature a poster and photograph exhibit, installations, music talk series as well as intimate concerts. The best part is, it’s all PWYC – so don’t miss out!
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