MUSIC IS THE ANSWER
A CONVERSATION WITH SHEBAD’S CLAIRE VOY & CICCIO SPAGNOLO
For SHEBAD, 2024 kicked off with an opening set for Kamasi Washington at Toronto’s History and culminated with the release of their debut, full-length record, Music Is The Answer, on November 1. Speaking on a monumental year, their roots, the making of their new album, and beyond are founding members and lead songwriters, singer and guitarist Claire Voy, and bassist Ciccio Spagnolo.
Formed in 2019 in Guelph, ON, Voy and Spagnolo have achieved a great deal in the last five years. Describing the early days, Spagnolo says, “When COVID hit, that’s really when we locked in. We learned how to use our DAW [digital audio workstation], learned how to record, how to write… It’s very emotional and intense when you’re a musician your whole life, and you’ve never recorded something, you have very high expectations of your first stuff.” The result of this period was their debut EP, Show Us It’s Real, a five-song recording released in 2022, that, with the exception of mastering, saw the band do everything themselves. Voy states, “That was a huge learning curve for us. I mean, the title, Show Us It’s Real, is just us making that callout to ourselves to prove that this is truly the path that we’re choosing to follow and following that deeply with ourselves, our bad, that this is real, this is a real opportunity in terms of a direction to take our lives and as musicians… I mean those recordings are dinky, but I’m super proud of them.” While the first five years saw impressive milestones, including being placed on curated playlists, performing at Riverfest Elora, both Voy and Spagnolo laugh as they recollect the moment that they both agree is the moment that they knew they were onto something special. Voy explains, “It was the second time that Ciccio and I hung out together. We were up in my attic of my old student house that I lived in. I had this little keyboard on my floor because my attic was too low to stand..… Ciccio had a bass line that he wrote for our first song, ‘Oneiro’, and he played it on the keys and, immediately, I had a melody, and I sang along, and, that night, we wrote ‘Oneiro’. It was just a feeling, that connection with each other, I had never written a song like this, that feels so resonant, so interesting! It was so intriguing to write a song like that with someone else.”
PHOTO CREDIT: ALEXIS MIMACHO
The first half of 2024 saw SHEBAD sharing the stage with the likes of Anomalie, Thievery Corporation, and Kamasi Washington – the latter two at Toronto’s History, and featuring a new iteration of the band. Spagnolo states, “2024 was definitely the biggest year for our band, without a doubt.” Afterwards, the band moved on to making Music Is The Answer. Once again, the album was made almost entirely independently in their home studio, only this time, they worked with an engineer for mixing the album, a process Spagnolo calls “elevated DIY”. Voy adds, “We really spent two years total from writing to the release of Music is The Answer.” The result is an absolute odyssey of an album; a truly musical experience that celebrates creativity and an incredibly unique authentic voice as the band blurs all stylistic lines between neo-soul, jazz, pop, and folk. With that, SHEBAD has celebrated by taking part in Exclaim! Magazine’s class of 2025 showcases and, along with a string of dates across Ontario, have announced their debut American performances for the Spring. Remaining in constant motion, SHEBAD has already begun the work on their next album, a body of work that has both Voy and Spagnolo excited, as they embark further into a dance vibe inspired by the likes of Daft Punk.
Throughout our conversation, I am awestruck by the sheer passion and unrelenting creativity that exudes from both Voy and Spagnolo. Effortlessly, they each tap into a much deeper vibration, one most artists aspire to reach, with few being able to, and even less doing so in a genuine fashion. Their pursuit through the creative cycle has led them to Music Is The Answer, a breathtaking album that should be celebrated while further inspiring a new wave and approach to creating fusion music. As they discuss their plans for further releases, I cannot help but feel a tangible wave of excitement myself for where SHEBAD will venture next.
Listen to the full, unabridged conversation on episode 39 of Beats By Ger on Spotify and YouTube.
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SHEBAD – MUSIC IS THE ANSWER
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Main Photo Credit: Alexis Mimacho | Background Photo Credit: @bellabroughphoto
