Music Monday Artist Feature: Michael Shaw

At 22 years old, country musician Michael Shaw packed up his car after graduating college and moved across the country to Montana. “I fell in love with Montana. I volunteered in Glacier National Park shortly after I got there and got hired the next year as a Wilderness Ranger. I was a seasonal ranger living in the park half the year and lived alone working on a horse ranch the rest of the year. For the longest time, Montana felt like it was one of those hidden secrets that many didn’t know about, but I was in on it.” After over a decade of living off the land, Shaw pulled from his experiences to develop his upcoming album He Rode On which will be released on June 3rd.

“Music has always been part of my life. In Montana, I had a band called Whiskey Rebellion. My best friend and I were musical partners with him on guitar and I was on the drums. We played together for a really long time, but after the band broke up I picked up a guitar at 27 years old. I didn’t start writing music until that age either. I love it and gravitated toward it. My friend and I always had music as our goal. We loved Montana and weren’t rushing into music, but we were organically building our careers. Then he suddenly passed away in an accident and left me wondering where to go from there. I stayed in Montana for a while after that but realized that I needed to be where more people were as I was somewhat isolated in the northwest. So I moved to Nashville. I found an amazing band and we started gaining some traction, then the pandemic hit.”

Now, Michael is at it again performing around Nashville and anywhere else the wind takes him, hoping to find himself back in Montana someday. Unpredictable landscapes, isolation, and even cheating death are the foundation of his lyrics and lifestyle. He Rode On is rooted in those wild Rocky mountains and will bring listeners to those small wilderness towns alongside Shaw.

Pre-order He Rode On through the shop on vinyl and CD. Follow Michael Shaw: Website, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, YouTube