The Makin Waves Song of the Week is “By the Light of the Moon,” the title track of Highland Park-based bluegrass outfit Magnolia Street String Band’s sophomore LP. PHOTO BY ROB SHOTWELL
There’s something special about discovering a new act on the ascent. For a fleeting moment, you feel like you’re in on a secret.
The Magnolia Street String Band might not yet be a national name. Push play on their sophomore long-player, “By the Light of the Moon,” and soon you’ll be wondering how much longer that can last.
The title track is the Makin Waves Song of the Week.
As the Makin Waves Song of the Week, “By the Light of the Moon” also can be heard between 6 and 8 p.m. on Oct. 4, on “Radio Jersey” at ThePenguinRocks.com. If you miss it, you can tune in any time in the archives at The Penguin and Mixcloud.
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Frontwoman Sheila Shukla’s honeyed vocals are lifted by blue-sky harmonies, while the group’s elegant, eloquent musicianship is sure to bring a smile to anyone who considers themselves a fan of bluegrass. While this is ostensibly a record aimed at engaging younger listeners, “By the Light of the Moon” speaks to the wide-eyed child in all of us.
Although Sheila and her sister grew up harmonizing on choral and folk music, it wasn’t until attending college in North Carolina that she would discover what would come to be her primary method of artistic expression.
“I stumbled upon a bluegrass quartet and was absolutely paralyzed” Sheila said. “I had not known that acoustic instruments could provide such a sweet, rhythmic and complex sound.”
Magnolia Street String Band started in 2013 as an informal project between Sheila, Matthew Backes and friends in Highland Park.
Soon enough, they found themselves joined by Bobby Baxmeyer (Steve Martin’s “Bright Star”), Ron Greenstein (Chad Mitchell Trio, Tom Paxton), the late Paul Prestopino (Peter Paul and Mary, Chad Mitchell Trio), Gary Olyear (Loggins and Messina) and Nick Conte.
“Matt and I were playing a festival, and Paul showed up on stage playing the mandolin behind us,” Sheila said. “He asked us if he could join the band! Of course, we said ‘yes!’ The guy was a legend and was just as humble as he was talented.”
Bobby arrived via mutual friends, while Paul that brought Ron into the fold.
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“Matt, who really had a special brand of charisma and stage presence, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about seven years into the project,” Sheila said. “He was able to play until his symptoms became severe. Fortunately, we were able to get our first album, ‘Wrong Side of the Rain,’ out before things got too bad for him.”
The follow-up to the 2019 debut LP came to be naturally.
Sheila has been teaching music to children for years, and in the midst of a particularly fraught class one day, she used music to change the energy in the room. Inspiration struck, and she then decided that the new record would be aimed at listeners of all ages.
“Once I mentioned this to my daughter, she helped me write the first song, ‘Slow Down Rabbit,’ and the songs just kept coming,” Sheila said.
Once the bones of the record had been written, the band turned to guitarist and producer Bob Harris to track. A bluegrass icon who has played guitar for fiddle legend Vassar Clements for decades, Harris has been a part of more than 1,000 records by the likes of Johnny Cash and more. Winner of Guitar Player International’s Ultimate Guitar Competition for best flatpicking, Bob owns two recording studios and produces primarily acoustic music. In addition to producing the record, he contributed his timeless guitar work to the record.
Joining the core members of the band is Sheila’s sister, vocalist-songwriter Rita Shukla, who wrote and sang “Morning Waltz,” contributed to harmonies on several songs, and collaborated on the creative direction of the album.
Last but definitely not least, their dear friend, MSSB co-founder Matthew sings on “Oh Susannah,”the only cover song on the album.
Sheila is unique in the bluegrass world as a South Asian woman but has found her voice through inspiration from Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss, and Molly Tuttle, strong women in bluegrass. She has collaborated with other South Asian bluegrass artists, including on a virtual recording with Sav Sankaran from Unspoken Tradition.
“Bluegrass is beautiful and special,” Sheila said. “I’d love for people to see that it’s a form of community music with its own etiquette, like jazz. Bluegrass musicians around the world can play with each other without saying a word because it’s a language in and of itself.”
The LP captures the contagious joy that is inherent in the genre, painting pictures full of whimsy and fun.
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About the work of art created for families to enjoy together, Sheila said, “My dream is for this record to become one of the albums that families listen to on road trips and think, ‘Let’s listen again!’ That would make this all worthwhile.”
A duo version of Magnolia Street, will perform Oct. 20 at Historic Walnford — Music on the Porch in Upper Freehold. The full band will play North East Fall Folk & Bluegrass Festival, Nov. 2, at Milburn Stone Theatre in North East, MD, with Charm City Junction, Wicked Sycamore, and J.D. Webb, and Highland Park Public Library Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Nov. 10.
New Jersey Stage is proud to be the home of Bob Makin's Makin Waves column since 2017. His Song of the Week column comes out every Friday. He also writes an Album of the Month and Interview of the Month as well.
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