We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shannon Clark. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shannon below.
Hi Shannon , thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
At a young age , 3rd-4th grade I had an interest in writing and creating music . It started with having a Mother who was a well-known radio Disc-Jockey in our area of Dayton, Ohio . Being around music and I remember sitting on the control room floor coloring why she would spin records . I knew I loved the energy I felt from music . Later it came natural to me to start emulating the sounds and music I heard . Eventually that led to playing music . My first instrument was a harmonica followed soon by a keyboard.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started playing and writing in a band at around 17 but didn’t really drive to be an official musician/writer until around 19 . At that point I wanted more . More shows , more records , wanted to write more and do it professionally. My musical journey like many was long and full of hardship. I hit the pinnacle of my career around 25 when I got to play Warped Tour with my band at the time we were playing pop/rock but within a few years we broke up and didn’t quite achieve everything we wanted. I did however meet my wife of now 18 years from playing music and we have 3 beautiful kids . Our oldest now plays in our current project, Shannon Clark & the Sugar .
Art is so subjective. I’m not sure I do things differently than other artists but I will say we try to write songs that we have a personal connection with . They are not always happy but they are very real . I’m a sucker for a sad song.
We took a brake from music for several years after the loss of our second daughter and felt we needed to focus on our family . Ironically music is what ultimately brought us back together because we needed to write to heal . We formed our current project from the ashes of our old music career. We had one of our biggest highlights of our career in 2020 when much of the world was struggling we got the opportunity to work with Grammy Winning producer Mark Howard (U2, Bob Dylan ) on our first full-length record “Marks on the Wall” this was such a thrill to work with someone at Marks level .
No matter what you are working on , push yourself but always be true and real with who you are . Make music for you and from the heart and people will find a connection with it .
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me it’s being able to explore your depths as a person . Writing gives you that ability to see inside yourself and learn more about who you really are .
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Go to live shows ! Buy a record or merch . Share a song on your social media and tell others . Get out of your comfort zone and expand your horizons. Don’t always listen to the same music , variety is the spice of life and many musical styles can enhance who you are . Would you only ever look at one type of art in a museum?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shannonclarksugar.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scsugarmusic
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/shannonclarksugar
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/scsugarmusic
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mlEhTgTrWgNsnaDAEv_naq8bHT78SVXwI
Image Credits
Photos by Rachel Lockman and Austin White