Originally formed in Brooklyn in 1997, Shagg combines classic R&B and soul with modern pop/rock songwriting.

Shagg is Ben Cannon (bass), Jeff Garfin (drums), PJ Loughran (saxophone, vocals), Aaron Mitchell (vocals), Michael Preston (guitar), Eddie Rubeiz (piano, vocals), and Stephen Shirk (guitar).

Shagg started humbly with apartment jams and coffeehouse performances. As our lineup grew, our writing evolved from folksy, roots-based songs to full-blown compositions borrowing liberally from jazz, funk, soul, and world music.

We recorded our first demo in early 2000 with producer Stephen Shirk (Marc Ribot y los Cubanos Postizos, Michael Maxwell), whose apartment studio was the perfect setting for our homegrown sound. Those sessions resulted in the Peach EP, featuring the songs ""Shade of Melancholy"" and ""Just Ain't Enough,"" both finalists in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest that year.

We returned to the studio in 2002 with producer Joe Devico (Joe Elefante, Dave Murphy), best known for his work with jazz ensembles. The goal was to make a record that captured our live sound, with a minimum of overdubbing. The record took three days to record and three years to mix, but it worked out in the end! The result is Buh Ba Ba Ba, a set of 12 songs ranging from the exuberant funk of the title track to the aching ""Shade of Melancholy.

Based on rough mixes from the Buh Ba Ba Ba sessions, we were selected by the editors of CMJ to compete for the Coca-Cola New Music Award, which is the unsigned artist category of Dick Clark's American Music Awards. We didn't win, but we're doing all right.

	Shade of Melancholy A song about finding the light in spite of the darkness		Soul
	Shade of Melancholy		Soul

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