biog
band
The Sheppertones could never be accused of style over substance. Nor could they be accused of possessing luck over talent, for “luck is not chance, it’s toil; fortune’s expensive smile is earned” and the Sheppertones have certainly earned theirs. And smile, they do, constantly, as they try to convince you that they are “just having fun playing music” but Catherine Shepherd, Jim Mason, Dave Smith and Jim Kean are all serious musicians and each is an important cog in the “melodramatic popular song making machine”.
Lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Catherine Shepherd is self-taught and didn’t pick up the guitar, write a song, or sing in public until she was in her early twenties. She seems somewhat reluctant to call herself a musician. She knows chords not by their names but by their shapes and she sings with an untrained, unaffected voice. Catherine has been fronting the Sheppertones since late 2007 when she met Jim Mason, the band’s bass player. Jim Mason and Jim Kean had been in bands together for several years, so the two Jim’s came as a package. When not playing the mandolin, guitar, bass and glockenspiel, Jim Kean occasionally plays the drums, so it was a given that together the two Jim’s would become the rhythm section of the Sheppertones. Dave Smith, a friend of the two Jims was the last member to join the band and marked a turning point in the Sheppertones’ musical direction, leading them with his violin towards a more folk infused sound.
The combined talent of the Sheppertones is clearly evident in the music they produce. It is fresh, melodic, original, unpretentious and simply very good indeed. What strikes you most about this band when you see them play live is not only that they are experienced, consummate performers but they seem genuinely happy to be there, on stage, making music and more importantly with each other.
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Catherine Shepherd
The lead singer of the Sheppertones picked up the guitar and lots of bad habits at the ripe old age of 21 and hasn’t practised since. She wrote her first song after learning the requisite three chords and joined the London singer/songwriter circuit but she soon realised she wanted some company on stage. After taking a break from performing to concentrate on writing and gathering inspiration from Asia and South America, Catherine bribed Jim Mason with whisky and persuaded him to form a band with her in late 2007. The rest, as they say is history.
Star Sign: Pisces
Favourite colour: Psychedelic purple
Quote: ‘A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world’ – Oscar Wilde
Musical Hero: Guido d’Arezzo
Pet Hate: Idle gossip
Finest Hour: Jumping out of a plane at 12,000 feet whilst still inebriated from the night before
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James Mason
If multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Mack had six hands; he could be a one man band and probably have a career the circus. A talented pianist and DJ, Jim has also been playing the bass guitar since the moon said so. He was very instrumental (get it?!) in the musical collaboration that became the Sheppertones, like all great things, the seed was planted in a drunken conversation with Catherine.
Star Sign: Virgo
Favourite colour: Blue
Quote: ‘All hail the dominant primordial beast! And the captain Ahab Too!’ – Alexander Supertramp
Musical Hero: Robert Zimmerman
Pet Hate: Love and theft
Finest Hour: Falling in love with and buying my beautiful red Czech accordion (and paying for it with money stolen from Sheppertones busking fund!)
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Jim Kean
Jim has been forced to hide his exceptional talent behind the drums for fear of upstaging his fellow band mates. Already an accomplished bass and guitar player, he is currently learning the mandolin (listen out for it on the new Eddie’s Hairdo EP). A studious looking fellow, Jim enjoys playing the drums with peperami sticks and riding his motorcycle across the country.
Star Sign: Pisces
Favourite colour: Ginger
Quote: ‘I’ll look after the dog for the weekend (bow!)’
Musical Hero: Jim Mason
Pet Hate: Jim Mason
Finest Hour: The one before you have to wake up
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Dave Smith
Dave began playing violin at the tender age of 6. After excelling and obtaining grade 8, he dumped his heartbroken strings for the drums and played in various bands. His junk percussion duo Bang On! made it through to the semi finals of Britain’s Got Talent and Simon Cowell has been kicking himself ever since. Dave joined the Sheppertones after gate crashing a band rehearsal with his violin. Contributing his incredible musical talents to the band, it soon became apparent that he was the missing piece of the puzzle.
Star Sign: Leo
Favourite colour: British Racing Green
Quote: Ecky-ecky-ecky-ecky-pikang-zoop-boing-goodem-zoo-owli-zhiv
Musical Heroes: The Cat Empire (all of them)
Pet Hate: People who don’t indicate on roundabouts
Finest Hour: Getting his composition ‘The March of the Funky Millipede’ played by a 30-piece big band accompanied by a giant funkily dancing millipede…