About//

 

“Affable and unpretentious” would sum up Tony James Shevlin perfectly,  yet this UK-based Anglo-Irish musician has a musical pedigree that would have gone to a lesser man’s head.  It’s not often you’ll have a solo guitarist playing a small venue who can introduce his next song and casually mention  “this was the International Anthem of Peace chosen by Amnesty International”  or  “I wrote this one for REM”.  However,  as he starts to play,  the tune and lyrics have that rare quality of true originality and you wonder why you’ve never heard of this singer-songwriter before. Tony’s been a professional musician for most of his adult life,  and has performed around the world,  from Europe to Russia,  Africa,  America,  the Middle East,  Australia…  in fact it would be quicker for him to tell you where he hasn’t been.  In between songs he’ll tell you of times spent in a cell with Shane McGowan singing in his ear or some of his many other tales from a life spent in music.

 

On his travels,  he’s played with top flight musicians such as Pete Thomas  (Elvis Costello,  Neil Finn,  Sheryl Crow),  Mike Casswell  (Brian May Band,  Cozy Powell Band),  Bruce Thomas  (Elvis Costello,  Suzanne Vega),  Justin Hildreth  (Joan Armatrading,  Thomas Dolby),  Tim Bye  (Tony Hadley,  Martin Fry)  and Spy Austin  (Desmond Dekker,  Style Council).  He’s also recorded with producers such as Colin Fairley  (The Fabulous Thunderbirds,  Elvis Costello,  The Bluebells),  Robin Millar  (Sade,  David Gray)  and Jim Abbiss  (Kasabian,  Adele,  Arctic Monkeys).  Tony’s work has been featured on national ad campaigns  (for BT),  recorded at BBC’s Maida Vale Studios,  performed at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire,  and played on BBC Radio 5 Live.  Dues, as they say, have been paid.

 

And the REM song?  It’s “Déjà Vu” featured on the REM / Troggs collaboration Athens Andover ;  and yes,  his song “Cut Me”  was indeed the Amnesty International Anthem of Peace,  and has been performed worldwide.

 

At the start of 2014  Tony recorded a new Celtic-infused americana album Songs From the Last Chance Saloon which was released on Oh Mercy Records,  a label based in the East of England.  The album brings together his influences of growing up in an Irish household, listening to the Beatles and Marty Robbins.  He then road-tested the songs with a succession of solo shows in and around Nashville,  Tennessee.  The summer months were spent playing a variety of UK festivals accompanied by his backing band  The Chancers.

 

2015 started with Tony recording an acoustic EP for release later this year. In late May he headed back to the US for a tour which saw him visit 17 States and drive 10,500 miles either playing shows or co-writing songs in Nashville, TN.

 

When not performing,  Tony is very active in his local community,  teaching music to college students,  and helping to organise music festivals where the emphasis is on local talent;  he was one of the first people to book an aspiring young singer-songwriter by the name of Ed Sheeran.

 

In an era of anodyne covers bands and manufactured musical mediocrity,  Tony James Shevlin retains and exudes originality.  He might count himself lucky to have made a career from and with music,  but through sharing his gifts with his audience and in training the next generation of songwriters and musicians,  it’s hard to tell who are the lucky ones…