With a Little Help From My Friends – The Sharon Lane Album Project Fundraiser

Sharon Lane

The Sharon Lane Album Project Fundraiser

On Saturday, April 4 family, friends and fans gathered at Gilly’s Jazz Club to show their love and appreciation to Sharon Lane. Lane’s musical DNA is woven throughout Dayton’s music scene, so when word got out that she was looking to record again, people were more than willing to show their support for one of Dayton’s musical icons!

Sharon has been itching to get back into the studio for some time. Her last album called “Gigs Up” released in 2000 was an instant classic with tunes like “Back Alley Serenade,” “Bus Station,” and “Rattlesnake”. Sharon and I have talked several times over the years about her return to the studio, but she was never able to make the leap. I mentioned Sharon’s desire for a new album to Paula Ashcraft, owner of All Nighter Recording Studio, who immediately offered to help out with the project. We discussed several options on how to get the project off the ground, one being a fundraiser to help with the cost of the CD.

I floated the idea by Sharon, who at first wasn’t convinced of the idea. If you’ve ever met Sharon, you know that she is a very humble person, so it never occurred to her to ask for help. I asked Sharon, “how many benefits she had done over the years?” and her response was “more than I can count.”  I figured these days’ musicians everywhere are asking fans for help with Kickstarter or GoFundMe programs to finance everything from tours to new CD’s, so I knew folks would be more than willing to support Sharon’s project. After a little persuasion, she was down with the idea, and it was time for the planning to begin.

There was no need for convincing when it came time to book bands for the show though!  All I had to do was mention the name Sharon Lane, and bands were ready to pitch in. I first mentioned the show to Ashley Stacy of High 5 Riot, and her immediate response was ”absolutely, anything we can do to help.” I received similar replies from The Repeating Arms, Shrug, and Paige and the Belairs. For the venue, we chose the historic Gilly’s Jazz Club. Gilly’s has been host to a number of music legends including Buddy Rich, Herbie Hancock, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Leon Russell, Buddy Guy and more, so it seemed the perfect setting to host the event.

We arrived at Gilly’s the day of the show, and maybe it was just me, but you could sense the excitement!

Greg Roberts of Productions by G was already hard at work setting up the sound for the night, and the Gilly’s crew was preparing things behind the bar. We were hoping for a good crowd, and Sharon was expecting several friends from out of town. She was a little nervous, but as folks began to file in, she relaxed and began to work the room, greeting guests and dishing out plenty of hugs. Sharon was very a gracious host.

Tracy Lakes

Our good friend, Tracy Lakes, kicked things off with a little saxophone interlude as folks settled into their seats.

As I stepped onto the Gilly’s stage to welcome everyone to the show, I gazed out over the audience in amazement at the show of support from Sharon’s family, friends and fellow musicians.  I was amazed, but I was not a bit surprised! Lane has garnered the love and respect of people all across the Miami Valley. In addition to being one of the most recognizable musicians in the area, she is also a one of the most respected teachers at Dayton’s Stivers School of the Arts. I have heard countless stories from current and former students about how Lane has had an influence on their lives.

High 5 Riot

The stage was set; time to announce the first band!

High 5 Riot has been creating chaos around the Gem City ever since their inception a little over a year ago. In the fall of 2014, the band released their debut EP called “Crowd Control.” The studio release helped set the stage for the band’s high energy live show. High 5 Riot came out and honored Sharon with, perhaps, the bands best set to date! The high octane performance included plenty of tunes from the CD, including one of my favorites called “Turn Out the Lights,” as well as a great new tune called “Halle.” Lead Singer, Ashley Stacy, took time to thank Sharon for her inspiration and for the time they spent together at Stivers before unleashing a killer version of “Uptown Funk” that nearly brought down the house. In addition to kicking the show off with an awesome performance, High 5 Riot graciously donated 100% of the sales from “Crowd Control” during the show to Sharon’s album project fund.

Paige and the Belairs

Next to take the Gilly’s stage was Paige and the Belairs. It was about this time last year when I began hearing the name Paige Beller, but it wasn’t until the Miami Valley Music Fest that I was able to get my first glimpse of this wonderful talent. Beller caught my attention performing with Such a Night: The Last Waltz, but it was her performance on the small acoustic stage that made me a fan for life. Paige shared the stage with none other than Sharon Lane and Lane’s longtime partner, Danny Sauers. Lane and Beller took turns wowing the crowd that had gathered to hear one of the best performances of the weekend. This evening, Paige and the Belairs turned in a stellar set, featuring tunes like “I’m Well Aware”, “Out of My Hands” and an amazing version of her song “Terms of Agreement”.

One of coolest moments of the night occurred during an unexpected power outage. All eyes were on Beller as she led the crowd in an acoustic version of Blind Melon’s “No Rain”.

Sharon Lane and Dale Lutz

After two great sets and the excitement of the power outage, it was time for Miss Sharon Lane to take center stage. Lane thanked everyone for coming and for their generosity before beginning her set with the instrumental “Golden Slumbers” by the Beatles . Sharon was accompanied by multi-instrumentalist, Dale Lutz. Together, the pair charmed the crowd with their rendition of the song “Waiting on the Love Train”. As the set continued, Lane’s soulful voice filled the room with an original called “In That House” and the Tom Waits classic “Christmas Card for a Hooker”. Though she only played a few tunes, Lanes performance nearly stole the show!

When she finished wowing the crowd, it seemed only fitting that Sharon introduce the next band. “Shrug has been around for awhile and they have left their mark on Dayton. They are a part of that Dayton legacy of many great bands and musicians that have come out of this area. I’m so glad they could be with us tonight to play for me, because I love them. This is Shrug!”

Shrug

Since hitting the Dayton music scene over two decades ago, Shrug has amassed a loyal fan base that stretches all across the Midwest. The band’s longevity is highly attributed to co-founders, Tod Weidner and Dan Stahl. Together, the pair has stayed true to their roots, and with the current line-up also including Tim Pritchard, Bryan Lakatos, and Ken Hall, the band is as strong as ever. On this night, the band solidified their reputation as one of Dayton’s premiere bands with a killer set. Shrug’s repertoire includes the 1995 debut album called “Straight to Beta”, the classic ‘98 release called “Everything’s Blowing Up Roses”, “Whole Hog for the Mocho Jesus” and more, so there were plenty of great tunes to choose from including an amazing version of the song “Devils”!

The Repeating Arms

I had the honor of introducing our final act of the night. I first met The Repeating Arms a few years ago when the guys came by for a living room session. Even then I was impressed with the band’s smooth harmonies and musicianship. Since that time, the band has warmed their way into the hearts of a host of Dayton music fans. The release of their debut album “Blackberry Winter” in 2014 help to propel The Repeating Arms into one of the most beloved bands in the area. The band entertained us with their brand of Americana/Folkgrass and plenty of tunes from the CD like “Perfect Little World”, “Way Down Low”. At one point, the band was joined by The New Old Fashioned’s, David Payne, and the guys ended this great night of music with the song “Chasing the End”.

What a night! It was such an incredible evening of music, and, as always, the Dayton music community comes together! We have so many great folks to thank! First, we would like to thank Paula & Jim Ashcraft of All Nighter Music Studio for all your help in making this project a reality. Thank you to Guitars to Gunstocks, Artistic Delirium Tattoo, Love of Life Inc’s Wham Bam Thank U Jam, High 5 Riot and Achilles Tenderloin for providing items for our raffle. Big shout out to Jerry Gillotti and the staff at Gilly’s, You all rock! Last, but certainly not least, a big thanks goes out to Greg Roberts and Productions by G for providing sound for the evening!

On behalf of Sharon and everyone involved we would like to thank each and everyone who came out in show of support for this project, and THANK YOU ALL for your amazing generosity. We will keep you posted on progress of Sharon’s Album Project as things we move forward. Thanks again Dayton!!!