Multi-talented California musician Shane Hall teams with Hawaii’s Tavana at Mulligan’s
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Serving for 15 years with the United States Marine Corps, Shane Hall developed his musical craft while stationed in Okinawa, Italy, California and during two tours in Iraq, where he produced two records.
"Both deployments I recorded little EPs there," this gifted musician explains. "It wasn't like 'Pet Sounds' or anything, but it was a marker of the time. The second time I recorded, l lived in this wooden plywood shack, and it was right beside the helo pad. I'd record at night because there's not much going on and I'd have to stop because they'd be doing medevacs or missions or whatever, and you get huge choppers dropping in. Well, I'm just going to take a break. But it was also kind of therapeutic for me. Even though it took energy, it was still worth it and kind of kept me sane."
Based in Oceanside, California, Hall draws from a wide pool of blues, rock, funk, soul and Americana. A versatile musician, he will perform on a great double bill with Hawaii's Tavana on Jan. 16 at Mulligan's on the Blue as part of the King Tide 2025 islands tour.
"I'm trying to build it out annually," he says. "This is the second one I've done. Last time I did three shows on two islands, and this time it's six shows on four islands."
One of Hawaii's acclaimed musical talents, Nā Hōkū Hanohano nominee Tavana performs as a one-man band singing soulful, island-inspired rock and blues, using electronic drum triggers to lay down a variety of grooves with his feet while accompanying himself on guitar, lap steel, ukulele and banjo.
"We were kind of fated to meet," says Hall. "We had mutual friends telling us about each other, and last year, I went to one of his shows, and we hit it off. He later came to Southern California and played the Belly Up Tavern, and I sat in with him. He's phenomenal, absolutely."
Hall's most recent album, "Howl & Sway," debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Blues Albums Chart. Describing it as "fuzz funk voodoo blues," he opened with the growling ZZ Top flavored blues rocker "Buster." From there he ventured into the funky grooving "Keep Your Love," with swinging horns and ripping lead guitar, the sweet, soulful ballad "Heat" that recalled Smokey Robinson, and the chugging rockabilly of "Embers."
"It's one that crowds always respond to," he says about "Embers." "'Howl & Sway' is like my crown jewel. It's the first record that I put 360 degrees of consideration and effort into it."
Raised in the small town of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, his stepfather is "a folk gospel singer, and my mom sang with him. She also played French horn." He began his music explorations in Okinawa, his first duty post with the Marines.
"My roommate was deep into rock and roll, and he gave me my education on classic rock from the '50s," he recalls. "And then the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s, and he broke it down for me and played stuff. I bought a guitar because I was homesick and started jamming. When I went back to California, I got really into it, and I had a couple bands later in my tour in Italy, and that's where it all kind of started going faster."
In 2019, he released a trio of EPs reflecting his eclectic musical influences -- the stomping bluesy collection "West," the rootsy Americana of "River" and the classic soul of "Queen."
"It came about out of necessity, because I was gigging a lot," he explains. "I would try songs out at gigs and some people would like some and some would react to others, but I didn't have enough in any one area to make a comprehensive album of a certain vibe.
"So I cut it up into three parts, and that's why it was genre specific. I put all the bluesy rock songs on one, and all the Americana on another one and then the soul on the other one."
In terms of influences, he cites a range of artists from guitar legends like Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy to funk master James Brown and the grunge of Alice In Chains. Covers in his shows may include classics by Hendrix, Guy and Neil Young. "Hendrix was a good teacher," Hall says. "He taught me to think outside the box. But it makes it hard for people to know where to put me as far as genre goes."
For the Mulligan's show with Tavana, he says, "I'll probably play on a song or two during his set, and he'll probably play on a song or two during my set. Then it will turn into jams. I'm really looking forward to it. Being in the islands is a privilege. I feel honored that I'm welcomed here."
Hall and Tavana perform at Mulligan's on the Blue on Jan. 16. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $20. Tickets at $25 and $30 and are available as table purchases.