Shane Sweeney - The Finding Time

Those in the know may recognize the Shane Sweeney name from his role as the bassist and co-leader of Columbus, OH roots rock powerhouse Two Cow Garage. who released their excellent fifth record Speaking In Cursive in the last year or three.


The Finding Time is Sweeney's solo debut.  I picked it up a while ago, but Shane's recent Two Cow stuff hasn't been totally up my alley and I had put off giving it a virtual spin until recently. Shane and his lady had their first child recently and I figured this was going to be heavy on the wide-eyed new father tip. Well, once again it seems like this asshole's face is red, as The Finding Time is a great record.

The lion's share of The Finding Time is solo and acoustic, with only the odd backing vocal for the most part. The vibe is Steve Earle meets Mike Cooley and heavy with the populist sentiment. It's almost folky in that way, normally a death sentence at JS-NYC, but The Finding Time songs are solid enough to carry the sentiment. The talking blues of Promised Land Blues might be accused of a misstep, as could the cover of Big Star covering Loudon Wainwright, but for the most part the eleven tracks here come highly recommended.

Get The Finding Time in virtual or actual form here from your friends at Last Chance Records.

R