April 26–May 3, 2001

music

Hear Here

Ingredients’ ingredients: Mike Shellito (front), Jeff Tanner (right) and Shellito’s cast of many.

New and notable local releases and shows.

by Brian Howard

Nobody tells Mike Shellito how to do his thing. The musician/producer goes his own way. His band, Shellito, a studio project with primary partner Jeff Tanner (also of Photon Band fame), is an exercise in refined pop beauty, and the effort and care that goes into it is evident. Exhibit A: Ingredients, the band’s Y2K sleeper on the local Birtha label. The expertly crafted 12-track CD was recorded in a cabin in Blythewood, SC (near relatives in Columbia). Mike, who’s recorded projects for the likes of Photon Band and The Beach Balls, packed his studio into a U-Haul truck and headed south to write material for the follow-up to the band’s 1997 debut On Sale.

"I respect the process of writing and recording immensely and knew that I had to get out of Philadelphia to find my focus," explains Shellito. It appears that he found it. Two years in the making, with help from Simon Nagle, Ken Finn and others, Ingredients feels meticulously arranged, yet this watched pot maintains a steady, rolling boil. The warm, chummy-strummy songs embody a sense of stripped-down songwriting buttressed by gently layered sonic flourishes, as on the lead track "Orange or Green" with its two lines of lyrics, "a-ha-ha" chorus, acoustic guitar, vocal harmony and pitter-pattering percussion. The song somersaults into "Smart People" which has a crunchy, Byrds-y ’60s-guitar pop feel, but is more than a mere reference. Mike Shellito’s songs tell stories in snippets, and there’s a sort of reserved happiness that permeates the shimmery collection.

"When you’re in the woods alone for four weeks, you tend to get to know yourself or at least convince yourself that you do," he figures. "Since I engineered the record myself, it was nice to drop out of everyday life and have 24-hour access to the process of writing and recording.… I am not delusional enough to assume that my creative gifts allow me to write songs during commercial breaks or at band practice. No pretension, just a healthy respect for the amount of work required of anyone doing anything they can be proud of. Jeff and I were forced to be with each other 24 hours a day. If you know me, you realize how challenging that can be. Luckily, Jeff and I emerged as stronger friends and collaborators after South Carolina."

As a result, they look forward to recording a new album and touring the U.S. and Europe. The band’s live gigs (rounded out by a large supporting cast) have been rare, elaborate affairs and their upcoming performance with Brian McTear at the Mask & Wig should be no different. Though details aren’t abundant on what exactly should be expected, Mike explains that the band likes to have control over most aspects of the performance, from lighting to choreography to music, so expect a little more drama than your standard club set.

Sat., April 28, 8:30 p.m., The Mask & Wig, 310 S. Quince St., between 11th and 12th and Spruce and Pine Sts., visit www.shellito.com for ticket information.