Everett band Fauna Shade shines with new album, ‘Baton Rouge’

  • By Steven Graham Special to The Herald
  • Friday, April 24, 2015 2:01pm
  • LifeWhat Radio?

It doesn’t seem that long ago that Fauna Shade released their three-track EP and took second place at EMP’s Sound Off! 2014 competition.

Now the Everett band is about to turn heads with the release of their debut full-length album, “Baton Rouge.”

Fronted by Everett’s Scotty Smith with Richie Owen on drums and Derek Johnston on bass, Fauna Shade recently went into Swoon studios in Tacoma. They used psychedelic guitar riffs, sudden tempo changes and excellent songwriting to craft an album that is going to be on a lot of “Best of 2015” lists — and not just in Seattle.

Smith plays guitar but his voice is an instrument in itself. When you see Fauna Shade live and Smith starts singing you quickly have to pick your jaw off the floor. The sound Smith, 22, creates with his vocals is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. Smith and the band took that sound into the studio with them and the finished product is already getting attention.

Two weeks ago Consequence of Sound (a national music media outlet) released the album’s first single, “Marzipan,” calling Smith’s voice “the most fetching aspect of the track.”

“Baton Rouge” takes early punk vibes on a trippy magic carpet ride through the cosmos and when you think you have it figured out, the track “Delirium” keeps you guessing with a surprise saxophone solo courtesy of Andrew Vait, of the band Sisters.

“Baton Rouge” will be released on April 28 and Fauna Shade will perform at a record-release party May 1 at The Sunset Tavern in Ballard. Catch Fauna Shade at the Fisherman’s Village Music Festival in Everett May 15 through 17.

Live show

Everett band Fauna Shade will hold a record-release show for its first full-length album, “Baton Rouge,” at 8 p.m. May 1 at The Sunset Tavern in Ballard.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.