We recently had the opportunity to listen to the writing and compositions of Dave Shanaberger. Dave records and performs as Alberta.

His music has been referred to as Yankee Indie…but neither Dave nor myself know what that means.

Let’s start with the basics. Introduce yourself and let us know where are you from? What type of music do you make?

Hi there Joshua. Well, My name is Dave Shanaberger, I write, record, and perform music under the name ALBERTA. I am from Michigan. As far as what kind of music I make…hmm. I used to say Americana, until this recent surge of folk pop music started using that label. Maybe Americana rock and roll, I don’t know. Some one once called it Yankee Indie– whatever that means.

Yankee Indie…I have no clue how to interpret that. I feel like I am listening to a mix of Bob Dylan, The Who, and some more modern elements. Who or what influences your music? What were your favorite bands growing up?

Haha, yeah either do i. Bob dylan is one my favorite artists as well. Along with bruce springsteen and tom waits. Sam cooke, al green, howln wolf. Skip James. Billie holiday. Anything from the 1930’s jazz scene, kind of when blues and jazz could’nt tell the difference between eachother. Growing up I went through lots of phases, the first CD i ever bought was Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff, CODE RED. classic. Lots of Will Smith records. but my favorite was Nirvana. I still listen to them.

What led you down this journey known as music? Was there one moment in your life where you knew this was it?

I was a band geek in high school. I played percussion. And then one day I heard Nirvana on the radio and that was the end of that. I didn’t start taking it to seriously until after I graduated high school though.

What made you decide to take it more seriously?

You know, I’m not too sure really. I guess the more I wrote songs and started getting exposed to more music I just fell deeper into it. It something that just happened with time I guess.

Do you have a songwriting process? Does inspiration hit you randomly? Do you have a method for organizing and remembering song ideas?

Songwriting process, not really. I carry little tiny notepads around for when I think of things I want to remember. But it really just depends on the song. Some of them get worked all at the same time, music and words, others separately. Sometimes real fast and other times it takes for ever to figure out what that song wants or needs.

What is the music scene like in your area? Do you actively gig…do you tour?

The musicians from Michigan are great. So many really talented people there. I’ve been playing a lot as of late. I took quite a bit of time off from booking gigs but recently have been trying to play as much as possible. A lot in Chicago.

How do the two scenes compare? What makes them different? Michigan and Chicago?

Both places are cool. The great part of Detroit is the camaraderie there. Everyone knows eachother or has at least heard of each other, at least that is what it felt like sometimes. Chicago’s network of venues and bands and studios and all that is just that much bigger. So many options–which is great.

Is there a particular producer or engineer you like to work with? Or do you record and produce yourself?

The past couple of records I have put out have been all recorded and produced by myself, with huge help from friends.

Do you co-write? Do you have any favorite songwriters you prefer working with?

Only happened a couple of times. One with the my talented friend Mike Galbraith and the other with the one and only Ashlan Ounanian, who played all the slide on “It’s A Viral Darling”. It’s not something that I purposley stray away from, it just has to be the right people and the right mood I suppose.

What guitar(s) do you play? Do you have a favorite?

I have a 1987 Guild acoustic, which I adore. My electric is a 51 tele, which I also love. I also play “the box guitar”, which is homemade guitar I recently built. It’s weird, for sure. But I like it.

Is there one thing you could share with aspiring artists and musicians that you wish someone had shared with you when you first started?

Haha. Don’t get your hopes up. No, I mean one thing is how hard this shit is. You have to really really work, and then keep working. Some people are great at writing songs and others are great at the business end, telling people how they write great songs. I’m pretty sure you have to be good at both to move down the line or whatever. Or have a group of people who are willing to help. The other thing is honesty. Always search for honesty in performance and songwriting. People can tell the difference.

How big of a role does the Internet and Social Media play in your career?

Oh the internet. It plays a huge role in the music world today, it is a necessity, at least that is what everybody says. I am terrible with social media, I mean awful. I don’t get it and don’t know how to be good at it, so as of right now, for me, its role is small.

You are not alone. A lot of musicians and small businesses are trying to figure how to use these mediums right now. It takes some thinking and strategy, but the bottom line is just being yourself and sharing the things you like while connecting directly with those who like you. Most artists are doing it all wrong because they are looking at their numbers instead of creating value for their current fans.

Yeah, right on man. I will definitely keep that in mind. It is just weird for me to share thoughts in my head to the internet world, something I’ll just need to get over.

Its not necessarily about sharing your thoughts. Its more about sharing the things that interest you which allows people to connect with your personality. Once you start connecting to people and they learn you make music, they will be naturally inclined to see what that is all about. I think most people overcomplicated the social media sharing thing. The news stories, videos, funny photos, and other random things we share show the world a piece of our personalities without us necesarily having to share our thoughts or silly things like what we had for lunch.

Any awards? Recognition? Or other bragging rights you can share?

Ha, no bragging rights here, only that I am being interviewed by you and your fine people at Middle Tennessee Music.

Well we think your music is great. Your music includes many elements and influences that I already enjoy but there is something about you that makes you unique. I just haven’t put my finger on it yet.

Thank you, much appreciated. thats real good to hear.

Where can people find your music? And what is the name of your newest project?

You can find it on numerous places, but the easiest is the website. www.albertasound.com

The newest music released is the EP called Caves, I have another to records on the site right now. I’d love to record a new one by summer, but we’ll see how that goes.

Any last words or shout outs?

Only to say thank you to you, Joshua. I appreciate it