Sean Rowe’s latest release ‘The Salesman and The Shark’ was released at the back end of August last year and whilst I know we can’t cover everything I’ve found myself playing it more frequently and normally with the volume turned way up, he has the most incredible baritone that sounds really classic and soulful…a talent he honed whilst playing the bar scene:
“When I was 18 to 25 you could make a living by playing the bar scene and that’s what I did'” he says. “It was four hour sets with a short break in between. I didn’t have that many originals so I would play a lot of covers. But I never sang a song I didn’t want to play. I did mainly classic R&B, early soul and blues and I loved it. Those years really honed my singing and my ability to work with an audience.”
The man is also a naturalist and loves spending time in the wilderness foraging for his meals, another reason to like him in our books…”My journey with music and my exploration of nature started together,” he explains. “I can’t really separate the two. Because I spent a lot of time growing up in the woods, the naturalistic elements have always had an effect on my writing. It’s my religion, and I try to convey that in my songs.”
After several years playing in crowded bars, Rowe headed into the wilderness for some much needed solitude. He lived at a survival school called Hawk Circle Wilderness Education for an entire year and eventually embarking on the 24-day solo survival quest. “I spent an entire year living off the land and going into the woods and surviving on my own,” he says. “I can’t think of a more pure experience. I wrote most of the songs that were my first album while at the survival school. Writing for me is a very solitary experience. The wilderness is my home and my filter. I try to allude to something bigger in my music, but in a subtle way.”
He hit it off in the UK opening for Noah and the Whale which was followed by the Anti release of his debut album Magic to overwhelming critical praise.
The Salesman and The Shark is rich and well rooted, Rowe wanted an organic sounding album and he made just that, it gets right down deep inside you!
Album Stream: The Salesman and The Shark
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