Charleston singer, songwriter and upright bassist Shelby Means will do something she’s never done before as a musician. On June 7, she’ll debut a solo album at the Pour House on James Island.
That will be quite an accomplishment, considering that she’s toured the world as part of Grammy-winning bluegrass guitarist Molly Tuttle’s Golden Highway band. She’s also part of the acoustic Americana duo Sally & George with her husband, Joel Timmons, of Charleston’s Sol Driven Train.
And before all of that, she spent time in the Grammy-winning bluegrass outfit Della Mae.
But somehow, Shelby Means has never released a solo album. At least until now. Her Pour House show celebrates the release of the self-titled debut. And it’s worth it. It’s a sparkling collection of acoustic music that touches on Means’ past and points towards her future.
“I’m super-excited to bring my record to the Pour House,” Means said in a recent interview. “And I’m happy that we’re playing on the deck because it’s an early show. That means that friends with kids and people that don’t want to stay up late can come enjoy the music, and we’ll play the whole album.”
A sparkling collection
The songs on Shelby Means are full of burbling banjo, wailing fiddle, soaring vocal harmonies and pumping bass, recorded with a lean and clean sound courtesy of producer Maya de Vitry. There are also touches of sassy humor like “Wild Tiger Style” and “5 String Wake Up Call” that Means hasn’t explored before.
In short, it’s a debut that’s strong enough to make one ask, what took her so long?
“I didn’t want to record too soon,” she said. “I remember my voice teacher saying that a woman’s voice doesn’t mature until she’s in her 30s. So I just took my time with it.”
But once her husband made his own solo album, Means couldn’t resist the itch to make her own, pulling from songs she’d been stockpiling over the years.
“A couple of things inspired me,” Means said of making her solo debut. “Joel made his solo record about three years ago and seeing him go through that process sparked a little inspiration in me.”
It also sparked a collaboration with Timmons’ producer, de Vitry, a Nashville singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist herself.
“I realized that I would like to have a producer whenever I made my solo record, and Maya did a great job with Joel,” she said. “So I just tucked that bit of knowledge away into my brain.”
Who’s who of acoustic music
The result is not only a collection of lively, bluegrass-infused acoustic tunes, but it’s a who’s-who of modern acoustic music, featuring multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien, dobro master Jerry Douglas, guitarist Bryan Sutton, Grammy-award winning mandolin player Sam Bush and more. Molly Tuttle also shows up on backing vocals.
Thankfully, Means had worked with most of the players in the past, so she wasn’t intimidated. For the most part, anyway.
“They’re definitely still legends and heroes to me, but a little bit of the star-struck stuff had already been handled,” she said. “I had a relationship with both Bryan and Jerry going into it, so that helped me just take a breath and remember that these guys are human beings just like me, and we can relate to and enjoy music and coffee together before we settle into the studio.”
Means’s Pour House release show, a trio setup with de Vitry and Timmons, is the only promotional show she has on the books at the moment. But there are more events coming. And more music, too.
“Golden Highway is taking this year off,” she said, “so I’m not sure what the future holds for that. But I have my team in place, we’re booking more live shows and I’m excited to tour this record.”
“Then I definitely want to get back in the studio,” she added. “Because the next one will be even better.”
IF YOU WANT TO GO: Shelby Means, with Maya de Vitry and Joel Timmons. Doors open at 5 p.m. June 7, Charleston Pour House, 1977 Maybank Highway. Tickets are $10. charlestonpourhouse.com.
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