Paper Butterfly by Shana Halligan
If it isn’t obvious from knowing me (or even from my blog), I’m a Los Angeles native. Born & raised in “The S.O.” (what I like to call Sherman Oaks), I grew up in the company of good people & good friends, some of which have matured into amazing artists. One of those people is SHANA HALLIGAN. Let’s see, I’ve known Shana since…hmmm…I believe it was 1st grade. Now, it could quite be that we were in kindergarten together, but my memory is slippin’ these days. Regardless, we go back. Way back. And even though I’ve known her for that long, I could’ve never predicted where she’d be today. I could’ve never predicted that on a Sunday afternoon in early January, a busy eve for her meant preparing a meal as a caterer for a private event and then immediately after heading out to sing for another private event with Thievery Corp. (Did I mention she collab’d with Thievery? AND Wax Taylor? Um, yeah.). So, not only is she an accomplished vocalist, with a new solo record, PAPER BUTTERFLY (that just so happened to hit in the Top 3 on the iTunes Electronica charts when it debuted), but she’s also quite a ridiculous chef – trust me, I love food and when I stopped by her house to take some pics, she fed me a salmon green curry thai dish that had me salivatin’ for a few days after – the champagne was to calm her nerves, she’s very shy in front of a camera Look, simply put, she is the definition of an artist. Her food, the flavors, the presentation, was a work of art. Her home, her studio/work-space, is a work of art. Her music, again, work of damn good art. I love being around people who exude creativity, so I felt lucky to reconnect with her after many years. Shana & I ran into each other, post college days, on St. Patty’s Day in a bar in Santa Monica. It was completely random. I hadn’t really seen anyone since I returned to LA from attending CAL (Go Bears!!!), so it was nice to see a familiar face. She invited me to her show at House of Blues, Sunset. Perfect, because at the time, I was the resident DJ in the Foundation Room, even more randomness. Back then, her band didn’t even have a name, it was just her and another musician/producer (who just so happens to be Kiran from the band, Supreme Beings of Leisure…um, yeah again). They linked on Craig’s List. Yes people, it happens…for real. Dude was looking for a vocalist. Girl had maaad skillz. Boom, BITTER:SWEET was born. And did they make some luscious music (getting placement in damn near everything, including The Devil Wears Prada, Entourage, Nip & Tuck, Friday Night Lights, etc.). So, naturally, I was very excited to hear the news that she was dropping a new solo record…and more excited to go check out an album preview back in early Dec 2011 to kick off the release. The record is called PAPER BUTTERFLY and you can download a free track from the album right here –> “C’est Si Bon“. I basically just about love everything she’s put out. Some amazing bodies of work in her collection and some quite impressive collaborations under her belt. Alright, ’nuff said…now go enjoy her beautiful voice and the quality aural goodie that she’s giving away. Who knows, maybe one of these days she’ll bless one of my tracks?…if I were only so lucky Keep puttin’ out dope music Shana, I’m always listening…