The Odyssey of an Enigma: Shannon Curfman Returns to Fargo

          Many things have been said about Shannon Curfman: “local girl made good” or “best blues singer to hear locally,” to name just a couple, and on Saturday, August 1st at the Aquarium, Fargo was once again given the opportunity to find out that those rumors are true.

          Shannon, who was born in Fargo and lived locally until she was twelve years old prior to moving to Plymouth, Minnesota, has an interesting connection to the place: for a performer who emphasizes a love of “going back to the roots” of music, these are hers, both as a community and musically.

          She discovered she wanted to become a singer at the age of seven while still living in Fargo first performing in talent shows, opening for acts that would accept a child performer, and any odd gig she could find. Around the age of 10, she picked up a guitar and realized it was time for her to expand her musical sphere. Shannon, while sitting in the back of her bus prior to going on for her performance explained: “I came to the conclusion I’d have to back myself up one day- or use karaoke types- which really left me with only two options: a piano and a guitar…and for me, it just had to be the guitar. I guess it’s my influences. Guitar based rock…I still love Zeppelin,” she says smiling. By the age of 14 she had already been recognized as an up-and coming singer\songwriter, after the release of her critically acclaimed album “Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions.”

          In terms of her influences musically, Shannon described a kind of pastiche of everything. ”I like breaking things down, going back further and further, and combining the sources.” She believes it gives her music more options.

          She learned to love the oldies- blues, and folk, appearing on stage with music icons such as B.B. King, John Mellencamp, and Frank Sinatra Jr.- (not to forget Fargo’s own Johnny Lang) and of course, there’s the rock and roll- a love that recently led her to work with Kid Rock while staying in Detroit working on “Fascinating Addiction””

          When asked how she thinks of herself as a musician, whether she feels she can classify a genre affiliation, Shannon laughs. “My music? Huh…that’s pretty funny. I guess I’m kinda shocked when people say my music is anything…at first when I came out…because I have a guitar in my hand and have older influences everyone immediately went to “she’s blues” but what’s funny is I never thought of my music as blues myself…so it was funny to hear the media say ‘it’s blues…blues…blues… blues…built me up with that about as high as I could go and then it was “she’s not blues, she’s not blues, oh- and she’s not blues. I guess I really don’t know- I’ve just really have done more of what’s in my own head. If there’s something I really dig I like to go and take it over hard.”

          As far as where those “things in her head” come from Shannon is a big fan of all things ‘roots’ she adores bluegrass (a fact we can see an inkling of in her work onstage) “it’s all roots” she says “to me it just feels right.”

          Although Shannon has become quite the recognizable musician she still tends to emphasize her love of the process of songwriting itself.  Lyrically, she prefers the first person because she says it allows “a one on one experience” with the listener of the song. As a rule, most of the songs she’s written have used this philosophy as their literary basis though she hastens to add “There are a couple of songs that I’ve written in the third person where they’re intentionally written so people understand that the people in the story are really talking about themselves. I just like people to be able to feel that connection. “

          After the interview, Shannon went on to give a wonderful show. She’s touring to support the promotion of her new album “Fast Lane Addiction” Her vibrato and down-home vocal manipulation reminded one in some respects of old time gospel sped up to the age, tempo, and dynamics of the modern rock generation. At other times, the beats became mellow, gently lulling the audience into a head nodding, hypnotic state which, to Shannon’s credit can only be defined as going back to “roots.”

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