Shane, how are you feeling about everything right now?
I am totally blown away by all the support and the very kind comments from my supporters! Some of the ladies really know how to make a fellah blush, its all fun I guess! More than anything though knowing how many people are supporting us is incredible. We have fans from as young as four right through to some very senior citizens!

What’s the most surprising thing at the moment?
Well we have been consistently number 1 on the MAX FM listener charts and I really want to say thank you because without the support of the listeners none of this would be happening! It’s also pretty amazing to see the comments coming in from all over the world on the website, that is the one thing that blows my mind more than anything!

Thinking back on the last year what has been the greatest memory musically speaking?
It’s truly amazing to think that all this started with me wanting to record my favorite song, Loving Arms! Then the movie Hobby Farm came along and the rest really is history! But to be honest recording Loving Arms with Jason Brooks and Hamish McDonald in November of 2008 is still my greatest memory, that is one very special song and that song, simple as it is started all this for me again!

We heard that Facebook banned your film clip when it was released.
Yeah… that was funny! Apparently they had complaints that it was “abusive” so they banned it and thanks to public outcry they reviewed the clip and reversed their decision. Hobby Farm is a very controversial movie but people need to be aware that this is the world we live in and people can’t continue to bury their heads in the sand while women and children are treated like animals. I get pretty angry when people knock the content of Hobby Farm, these same people would rather sit back and pretend sexual abuse and sex slaves don’t exist in the world today!

What are you up to at the moment?
Jason Brooks, Greg Nix and I have been working very hard behind the scenes getting ready to go back into the studio to finish the album. We couldn’t finish the album with Hamish McDonald at Paradigm Studios because he was unable to meet our dead line which is a real shame, however this misfortune has afforded us the opportunity to move to Turn Around Music’s studios and I am very happy with the sound coming out of there. Turn Around Music would have to be one of the best studios around and Peter Stevenson is a master in the studio, we have been friends for around 25 years so it’s a little nostalgic to be back there considering I first recorded in his studios about 23 years ago!

What will the rest of the album sound like?
To be totally honest I was really feeling a lot of pressure to come up with songs as good as Hold On, I know I wrote it but I am so proud of that song. I remember reading in an interview that Jason Brooks made the comment that Hold On was the benchmark for the album! No pressure Jase! All jokes aside what that comment did was make me realise that we had to come up with better songs, nothing else was an option. The truth is we have at least three more songs that are as good if not better than Hold On. The songs are very catchy and definitely rock and roll! Although in saying that there are a couple of quieter songs including a very beautiful ballad. The overall sound is really guitar based thanks to Greg Nix, his sound is well and truly all over the album and I’m glad because he is the best of the best of the best and he is playing in my band!

How have you come up with the songs?
In most cases I wrote the basic structure of the song, then Jason, Greg and I would sit down with acoustic guitars and work on the songs until we were happy with the sound and structure then we would introduce electric guitars and begin to work the music until it got where we wanted it. Greg has done a lot of pre studio work and I have to say that he is an absolute genius! One song in particular I am proud to be recording is a song Jase and I wrote with my friend of around 25 years Jo Chapman. We used to play music together as teenagers and then he did an album in the early 90’s and I ended up playing in his band so it is great to have had Jo contribute, he is one of my favorite song writers.

When can we expect the album to be finished?
I’m really hoping for September! The delays we experienced at Paradigm studios put us a couple of months behind, but everything always works out for a reason and what we are going to end up with is a better finished product than before mainly because of the extra time we have had to focus on the sound, we have also been able to explore more ideas. I really enjoyed working with Hamish but we had to move.

There has been a lot of talk about you playing live, what is happening?
Well… we have an album to finish and that’s where our focus is, in saying that we are about to start rehearsing for live shows and venues and locations are being suggested right now I believe. I’m pretty excited about taking our music out on the road, it’s been a long time since I have done that. I’m very nervous but I think that’s a good thing, I never wanna be over confident in anything I do because that’s how you lose your edge. I believe that they are trying to get me into Tamworth for the country music festival, I know I’m not country but I think it would be a great idea.

Shane, thank you for your time and we look forward to catching up with you soon!

After the number of comments we have had about Shane's former band Turn The Page we thought it was time to get some questions answered so we caught up with Shane to talk about his time with Turn The Page.
May 9th 2009

Hi Shane and thanks for your time, when did you join (TTP) Turn The Page?
Well, I joined the band in late 1985 when bass player Brian Lambert left the band. It was a big deal to me because Turn The Page were very popular back then in the gospel music world and I was only 16!

What are your happiest memories from TTP?
Apart from life long friendships I would have to say that touring was the one thing I really enjoyed, it was a great band to play in and we clocked up some miles! We would turn up in a town and we would fill town halls and venues and I can only ever remember a couple of times when we walked off the stage and felt disappointed. I love playing live, as a musician there aren’t too many things that beat that feeling.

Were there ever any personality clashes?
Of course there were. Whenever there are people involved there is a pretty good chance of conflict. There were times things got heated but for the most part we all got on very well. There was a massive age difference between myself and Ken Hawkins and I think that caused some issues between us at times. He was the leader of the band and at times my vision and ideas were in a totally different direction to that of TTP. Now Ken and I get on very well, and to me that’s what’s really important. There is a lot of pressure associated with touring, you get tired, you get tired of answering the same questions in every town you go to but most of all you are living in each others pockets and most people need there space, I know I do!

Why did you leave the band?
Well I fell in love and left the band to move to Brisbane so I could be with my sweetheart! I have to say though that had that not happened I would have left the band anyway. Musically I was moving in a totally different direction to TTP, when I joined the band they were really country rock and I was listening to bands like AC/DC, Petra and Bon Jovi so it wasn’t the music I really liked but it was an amazing opportunity for someone my age.

A lot of TTP fans have wanted to know if any more recordings were ever done, can you shed some light.
Sure, well Ken Hawkins did a solo album back in around 1981 called "Searching" and it really did have that Turn The Page sound because at the end of the day Ken Hawkins was Turn The Page and if it wasn’t for him TTP would never have existed. Turn The Page released their first album in I think 1984 called "Lost In The Dark", I liked the album then in 1986 we recorded "Win or Lose" and sadly there were no more recordings from the band. I remember on one tour Bryce Steep rejoined the band as lead guitarist and we did some recordings through the mixing desk and they were awesome. We were a very tight band live and Bryce was an amazing guitarist, I wish I knew where those tapes wound up!

We have been asked if Ken Hawkins has released any more albums, has he?
Yes! I bought a copy and can’t find it anywhere!!! It is a good recording and if my memory serves me well it is called "Caught in a trap". It was released about two years ago.

What happened with TTP after you left?
Well they went through a few bass players and a lot of other member changes too. I know Jo Chapman played and sang with them at one stage, Mitchell Hutchinson and a few others too. I know Brian Lambert rejoined the band because I went and heard them play in Newcastle. It was a strange feeling watching my old band from the sidelines, I just wanted to join in, they were good days.

The million dollar question, do you think TTP will get back together?
Unfortunately I don’t think so, there was a time about seven years ago when a couple of us were talking but I think there comes a time when you just have to move on. There are some things in life you can walk away from and there are other things you can’t, TTP is now one of those things I can feel good about walking away from.

Shane thanks you so much for your time.

Who is your biggest musical influence?
Thats a difficult question to answer because I listen to everything from Keith Urban to AC/DC, I like music that is catchy... Its a very hard question to answer, I either like music or I don't with me I don't have songs that I "kind of" like...

What would be your message to the leaders of the world today?  
Mmm... Put aside your petty differences, lay aside your agenda's and learn to live in harmony with one another... Remember that the person you are bombing is someones mother, brother, sister or grandfather! Life has the greater value regardless of how much oil or religion is involved!

Whats your favorite colour?  
Blue, White, Black and Red... Oh, did you ask for one? Sorry!

Favorite song and why?
Loving Arms (Elvis' version of course) and why because it holds a very special place in my heart.

Whats your favorite food?
Is this a trick question? Well I love Herbalife and have lots of it to maintain my health, I also love Mexican, Thai, Chineese and you cant beat a good BBQ! Oh and chocolate... I seem to be eating more junk food latey, I wonder why! I will be eating alot more Minties in the future too...

How do you wind down? 
Well on a clear night there is no better way to relax than to gaze into the awesome vastness of the universe... otherwise the water does it for me!

Favorite singers?
Elvis Presley he really is the king, John Schlitt amazing vocal ability, John Farnham once again a great entertainer and amazing vocal ability, Cliff Richard because he is a living legend and The Beach Boys, I love their harmonies!

What is your most embarassing live music mishap?
Well... there are a few but the two that stand out the most are these, one night i was singing in a vocal quartet and as we walked on the stage I triped over a microphone lead and landed flat on my face! That was back in the 80's and people used to fall over a lot then... Secondly I was on tour with Turn The Page and we started our show with our opening song and all the power went out except for the stage lights and the power to my amp, it was a bad mix that night and I knew I could'nt really hear the other instruments anyway, Barry Muscio was on drums and we were playing away and I looked around and the rest of the band were just standing there looking at Barry and I... I felt pretty silly but it was funny! You really had to be there...

If you could live in any time when would it be?
Now! I am so excited about now... now is where it's happening! Well, ok, I would love to ga back to 1988!

What is your greatest fear?
Waking up as an old man and having let my life and dreams pass me by...

We talk to Shane about the upcoming album "Odyssey" April 12, 2009

What inspired you to do this album?
It all just kind of happened. I went into the studio to record a song that had always been very special to me and the feedback was very positive so I recorded a second song just for the hell of it really and I cant remember how it came about but Brad Diebert heard them and was impressed enough to ask me to write a song for his movie Hobby Farm. That blew me away because his movie won the New York Film Festival in 2008 and has just been sold to a film company in the US. My good friend Jason Brooks has been a massive support as well and I guess in many ways seeing his passion for what we are doing in the studio is a major inspiration. I guess you could say a way was made, I could'nt "not" do it really.

After years away from music why did you go back into the studio?
The short answer is I missed it! The long answer is that over the years I worked on so many other peoples albums and playing other peoples music in bands and I always dreamt of doing my own project. I had always wanted to do this so I woke up one morning and decided to do it!

Why the break away from music?
I guess I had become dissatisfied with the music I had been playing and had gone from loving playing music to just "doing favours" for people when they needed someone to fill in. I went from playing a lot to playing very little. Over the last 10 years my music consisted of the occasional "jam" with the boys on a Saturday afternoon.

What are the music influences from the past that have been drawn on for this album?
Well I don't think it matters what you are talking about in life whatever we are today stems from what we did yesterday so everything I have ever done musically is reflected in this project. One major influence that I can think of is my love for that big rock sound and beautiful harmonies and that sound can deffinatly be heard on "Hold On". I also love a good balad so we have done a couple of those as well.

In a recent interview Jason Brooks was quoted as saying that "Hold On" had become the benchmark song for the album, how do you feel about this?
Well I love the song but I wrote it! I know Jase loves it too, it has been well recieved so far and I have to say I am very proud of it, not only from a song writing perspective but the finished product is tastey! As far as the song being a benchmark goes... well... I hadnt thought about it before but its a good way of putting it. I had four other songs ready to be recorded for the album but Hold On made me go back to the drawing board and strive to write better songs.

What instruments are you playing on the album?
None!

Why not?
Well I know I am not a very good guitarist, as a matter of fact I'm not a guitarist... I'm a strummer! As for playing bass which is what I can do I am leaving that to Jason Brooks, he is a much better bass player than me in any case. I guess the main reason is that I want the best of the best so I can ensure the best possible end result.

Are you dissapointed with anything to do with the recording so far?
Yes! I really wanted Ken Hawkins from Turn The Page to work on some backing vocals but he declined. Ken was a major influence in my life when I was a teenager and I remember thinking how cool it was when he released his first album in the early 80's... I would walk into a store and see his album and I would smile and say to myself I know him... It wasnt that many years later I was playing in Turn The Page with him.

Has anyone else from Turn The Page worked on the album?
No but I have asked Barry Muscio to lay down some drum tracks and he is keen to come out of retirement to record again. I also ran into Brian Lambert last week and I asked him if he would like to do some backing vocals and the grin on his face was a big yes! The hardest thing is getting everyone into the studio when we need to be there! Michael Haggar hasn't done much either in the last decade but I'm still yet to pin him down.

What is the biggest change you have seen since you first recorded in a studio back in 1986?
Wow... technology! It is amazing! You could get away with so much more in the old days, the quality wasn’t there to highlight every imperfection like it is today. Now, in the "digital age" everything stands out so I think a lot more work goes on in post production. I found I could hear so much "more" and sometimes that was good, sometimes it was very, very bad! I'm just glad Hamish knows what he is doing.

Jason Brooks said in his interview you are fun to work with in the studio, do you ever have hissy fits?
No! We do have fun and my philosophy on life is if it’s not fun you shouldn’t be doing it! We do take what we do seriously but not at the expense of having fun! There are times you would think the atmosphere is tense but it’s generally because you become so consumed in doing what you are doing that everything else has to be tuned out.

Who do you think you sound like?
Me!

Are you enjoying the other things that go along with the album like designing album covers and the like?
Well... sometimes, it’s more that I'm a little out of my comfort zone in a "photo shoot", and I am way out of my comfort zone when I think about the upcoming video clip. It all has to be done and is a means to an end so I will give it my all and hopefully come up with the goods.

What are your expectations as far as this album goes?
My expectations are very low; I'm just enjoying the journey and leaving the rest up to the people out there who like music... If I keep my expectations low and realistic I cant be disappointed.

Will there be a tour?
Well there is a lot of talk about live shows and tours and I am excited about all those things but right now I am focussed on producing the best possible album we can deliver. We have been asked to do a few things recently however we have had to decline, we are simply too busy. In saying all that we are talking with venues and we are looking towards the end of 2009 and early 2010. Like I said though, right now we have an album to finish and as exciting as everything is we have to work within our means. It's hard not to be very excited when doors are being flung open everywhere you look!

Thanks for your time Shane and good luck!