Shawn Mullins

He’s a singer-songwriter. He’s one of the most talented musicians that ever held an acoustic guitar. He’s had a platinum album and sold out shows across the country and now he’s gearing up for several performances this month including one at The LOFT on January 29th where he’ll perform songs from his latest album “Honeydew“, but somehow Shawn Mullins still found time to answer a few questions for TST.

TST: You were born and raised in Georgia. So, I have to ask, being a musician who has had the chance to travel, see the world and live anywhere he chooses, what is it about Georgia that keeps bringing you back?

Shawn: I was born here in Georgia and have lived here all my life. I have definitely traveled the world and seen a lot of places, but what keeps me here is that I am familiar with it. Other than knowing how to get around and knowing the good restaurants, I’m just comfortable here. In the craziness of a life when you travel all the time you need some sort of constant and that’s been Georgia for me.

TST: There was a period of time when you were in the armed forces. How did you go from life in the military to a career as a musician?

Shawn: I can’t think of a lot of ways where the military would transfer into a life in music other than the fact that it toughens you up a little bit. So when I was traveling it wasn’t a big deal to sleep in my van because in a previous life I had been camping out in fox holes. The military prepared me for a tougher life and gave me a lot of discipline. I went into music with a “never quit” attitude that was instilled into me from the beginning of my training.

TST: You are probably best known for your album Soul’s Core that was released in 1998 and featured the top 40 hit “Lullaby”, but in that span of time since, how has Shawn Mullins changed? How has your music changed?

Shawn: I’m not sure that my music has changed that much since the big record that I had- hopefully I got better. That’s what you strive for… to get better… grow and change for the better. I think that my writing style is as similar as it was then, as my singing and guitar playing.

TST: Out of all of your Albums do you have a favorite and if so which is it?

Shawn: I don’t know if I have a favorite record, usually it’s the one I just finished because it’s fresh. I like “Soul’s Core” and “9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor” a lot, but it’s definitely “honeydew” right now my latest studio record.

Shawn: I’m not sure if I have a greatest musical influence, but I definitely have song writing influences. People like Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Billy Joel, Elton John and Townes Van Zant. I guess musically I lean towards Billy Joel, Elton John, Jackson Browne- the singer-songwriter types that perform their own songs.

TST: New artist/bands seem to come and go on a daily basis, but its artist like Guns N’ Roses and Metallica appear to be making a comeback. What do you attribute that to? Is it that groups that have been around for a while are just doing it better or are we just nostalgic?

Shawn: I wish I knew how all of that worked. If I had a handle on the formula of comebacks I would have already made several comebacks I don’t really pay attention to that stuff all that much. I think that a band like Metallica or Guns n’ Roses are good enough bands that they are never really going to go away. They continue to sell enough records that even when they go down in sales they are still really popular. There are cycles to everything- 80′s music is making a comeback on radio today. It has a lot to do with people wanting to hear less whiny singers, less guitars or more keyboards. It seems to me that it changes more monthly than yearly with the “popular” sound. I try not to get caught up with what the latest fad is in music or song writing because it’s always going to keep changing because people get bored. I suppose that it depends on whom you ask but I think that it’s a little bit of both boredom and nostalgia. Good music is timeless.

Shawn: When reality TV started I thought it would just be fad, even more so with the conclusion of the writers strike. However it continues to be the cheapest way to go for major networks because they don’t have to pay actors and writers- just producers that create the story as it happens. Whether or not it helps or hurts us, I don’t know. For some folks that’s the way they are going to break in to the music business, it’s not going to hurt me at all. It’s not any less real than entire decades of music that our parents listened to that could have been deemed as not real. It’s just another avenue to get the stuff out there, any way you can get out there and get it heard is a good thing.

TST: Do you have any advice for up and coming musicians that might be struggling in a industry that seems to be changing on a daily basis?

Shawn: I get this question a lot and I never really seem to have good advice or advice that anyone wants to hear. I struggle constantly with being a song writer especially from a money making point of view. It’s never easy, there are a lot easier ways to make a living. If there is any doubt in your mind that’s its not what you want to do with every bone in your body than you ought to do something else because it’s mentally very challenging and tiring. You have to really want it, whatever “it” might be.

Now if we didn’t satisfy your Shawn Mullins fix then head over to ShawnMullins.com

Live at The Variety Playhouse: Available on CD & DVD

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