Alone in a room that's full of people 
Nothing on my mind except more sleep 
Take my forty dollars and head for home 
Ninety miles an hour pass beneath my feet 
My eyes are too tired to see the yield signs ahead 

The further I go, each town is the same 
Space between the leather and headlights is what to blame 
You know that game 

Driving in a car with only three wheels 
Praying that i make it before I fall 
Out the door and onto the pavement 
Locks give out when you can't handle them all 
How far does this road go 
Are you sure it'll get me home 

The further I go, each town is the same 
Space between the leather and headlights is what to blame 
You know that game 

Spinning wheels quickly turn 
Over knowledge you have learned 
You can either deal with the bumps and pot holes or let go 

Mechanical failure pull it over 
Parked on the side with an oil leak 
This frame will be dust if it gets any older 
Engine wasn't built for this speed 
But I'm way too cheap to trade it in 
With all the years it'd be a shame to see it end 

The further I go, each town is the same 
The space between the leather and headlights is what to blame 
You know his name

Ben Shaw - vocals, acoustic guitar
Mark Medeiros - electric guitar
Tom White - piano
Ryan Kowal - vibraphone, glockenspiel
Joe Grilli - bass
Brian St. Pierre - drums

recorded by Matt Lombardi

photo by Evan St. Martin

Between The Leather And Headlights

Alarm kicks on the radio
Picking out words to a song I know
Sunlight through an open door
Shining on scars that weren’t there before

Fell asleep in dirty clothes
With muddy shoes and battered bones
My body aches from heavy loads
A mind weighed down by a laden soul

Kettle will be ready soon
Singing out its lonesome tune
Morning tea that speaks to you
Warming in ways my words can’t do

Staring at your empty shoes
Waiting until you have to choose
Trying hard not to move
Taking sips like you got nothing to

If I feel uneasy, does it show?
If you’re on the mend, won’t I know?	
Take a seat and linger on this note 
Tell me about it
	
When I leave my bed to clear my head
You make me feel able
When you're weak come to speak
Meet me at the table

Meet Me At The Table

Untitled Folk Melody

How Do I Know You

Working Title

Modal Interchange

Somewhere there’s a porch light shining
Casting out the night with its glow
Inside there’s a wife who’s sitting in the dining room 
Praying that her husband will come home 

Somewhere there’s a dog who’s barking
Tied up to a tree, all alone 
Sun’s been beating hard while he’s stranded in the front yard
Chewing on the end of his rope

But there’s hope inside you
That can anchor a wandering soul
And I know we‘re going to find it, somewhere in Rhode Island
Let’s pack our things and go

Somewhere there’s a boat that’s rusting
Washed up and abandoned on the shore
Ocean left the engine busted, and let the rest return to dust
Except the word “faith” carved into the floor

Somewhere there’s an old man driving
Counting miles markers on the road
Across the bridge he comes alive, heading North on 95
Towards Providence, where salvation goes

Because there’s hope inside you
That can anchor a wandering soul
And I know we‘re going to find it, somewhere in Rhode Island
Let’s pack our things and go

It’s hard to believe
A place like that exists, 
Who could resist the urge to leave for it 
I know
We’ve been hurt before 
And you’re nervous to walk out the door
But in my heart is hope... that

Somewhere there’s a town that’s waiting
With everything we’d ever want and more
We’ll find it made for you and I, perhaps with fate or lucky timing
Whatever it is, I know you can’t ignore

That there’s hope inside you
That can anchor a wandering soul
And I know we‘re going to find it, somewhere in Rhode Island
Let’s pack our things and go

Somewhere (in Rhode Island) - demo

I was a beauty queen at seventeen
Planning life by quizzes in magazines
Now I hand out receipts for gasoline 
At the filling station off exit three
Selling cigarettes and coffee rolls
Faded maps that show only local roads 
Behind the glass in my booth all alone
I see that young girl reflected in an old woman’s clothes

How do I tell young Madeline that
I think it’s time she moved on
The better life that she had in mind for us
Well, that fairytale is all gone

But I still put on the dress and try to impress
The girl in the mirror who knew she was worth more than this
Tell her it still fits, and that if I want I could quit this job 
Give her the world that she thought would exist

Midnight comes as the cars all go
The only people around are on the radio 
I try not to think of all the cash in the drawer
Because I ain’t looking for that kind of trouble anymore

How do I tell Madeline that
I think it’s time she moved on
It’s not going to turn out the way you’d like
But it’s good enough to carry you along

But I still put on the dress and try to impress
The girl in the mirror who knew she was worth more than this
Tell her it still fits, and that if I want I could quit this job 
Give her the world that she thought would exist

Someday I’ll wear it to work and I’ll put on my crown
Twirl in the booth while I make change
Do my routine for people headed through town
Then I’ll blow them a kiss as they’re pulling away

But I still put on the dress and try to impress
The girl in the mirror who knew she was worth more than this
Tell her it still fits, and that if I want I could quit this job 
Give her the world that she thought would exist

Madeline - demo

Night lifts its veil
Off eerie valley side
A silence so frail, shattered by wail
Mercy Brown has died
Illness took its toll
Consumed her from inside
Here she lay cold, thin as her bones
Shuttered sunken eyes
Entombed away from the light
From frozen world unkind
Mercy dances around her grave
Madness spreads as truth
Cruel specters feasting on lives
With body exhumed, her guilt was assumed
Mercy’s peace denied
Wicked plot takes hold
They carve her flesh with knives
False sins to atone, Burn her heart on a stone
Ghastly smoke arise
Ashes her brother imbibes
Sullied with his lies
Mercy dances around her grave
Though now she rests in twilight
Be wary of ghoulish fright
For Mercy dances around her grave tonight

Ben Shaw: voice, upright piano

Image by Jenkins/Muchadoville Studios on Flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/muchadoville/28127929646/)

Mercy Brown (demo)

I see sailboats finding better shores 
Ships built with three masts or more 
Other men fat off the catch they bore 
And I'm wondering how long I've been anchored for 

Diesel from the harbor is thick in my breath 
Pushing out what fresh air I had left 
Salt water rusts the parts I need to fix this busted up machine 
Currents pull but I try to keep the canvas clean 
Soon sails will fill with hopes of reaching home 
That storms will break and make way as you roam 
Keep land to your starboard side and be weary of the tide 
I yell from my barstool in this cold northeastern dive 

I see sailboats finding better shores 
Ships built with three masts or more 
Other men fat off the catch they bore 
And I'm wondering how long I've been anchored for 

My first years on the coast I saw ghosts about to crack 
Carrying storylines pre written on their backs 
Hopped a freighter hauling cargo to try to find a different end 
But here I am again 

Cemetery near my house is getting full 
Established names fill almost every row 
Familiar faces leaving roses take traces of the stone 
Tending to the ground they plan to be below 
I keep my eye upon the wind to take me out 
When an easterly comes through to get me South 
I’ll cut the mooring line and say goodbye to the shore as I move on 
To the deep, darkened waters where I belong 

I see sailboats finding better shores 
Ships built with three masts or more 
Other men fat off the catch they bore 
And I'm wondering how long 
I’ve seen sailboats finding better shores 
Ships built with three masts or more 
Other men fat off the catch they bore 
And I'm wondering how long that I’ll be anchored for

Ben Shaw - vocals, acoustic guitar  
Nick Sanfilippo - organ  
Dylan LaGamma - upright bass  
Brian St. Pierre - drums   
recorded and engineered individually at home  
mixed by Matt Lombardi   
photo by Evan St. Martin

Sailboats

Composer and performer Benjamin Shaw lends a particularly unique voice to his compositions and projects. 

He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Composition from the University Of Rhode Island, studying from such incredible, diverse musicians as Eric Hofbauer, Joe Parillo, David Zinno, and Eliane Aberdam. There he also studied saxophone performance under Dr. Jared Sims. More recently, Shaw has been studying privately with internationally renowned composer Alla Cohen. Shaw has written for a wide range of ensembles and media - short film and animation scoring - spanning the breadth of musical diversity. While primary focused on jazz and 21st century classical music, he has shown equal proficiency in a range of disciplines and styles. Recently he received high marks for his String Quartet no. 1 and Solo Flute No. 1 from the IBLA Foundation in their 2018 and 2019 Grand Prize competitions, earning distinctions in the “Most Distinguished Musicians” category. 

As a performer, Shaw has played across the Northeast as a member of several different ensembles, spending time as both a leader and sideman. He plays saxophone and composes for several different jazz ensembles - ranging in size from duo to octet - in which he and his colleagues perform modern compositions in the jazz tradition. Shaw also writes and performs as a singer/songwriter where he digs into the uniqueness of American music and seeks to blend all its facets together for a rich experience where the sounds of old folk ballads and raging second line rhythms can be heard alongside lush jazz harmonies and contemporary styles, all with the craft of a honed musician. He was also the principal composer and lyricist, as well as vocalist and sax player, for Rhode Island based hip-hop/rock/R&B band Milkbread. Although the have since disbanded, the group released a couple of albums, collaborated with local artists, and worked with Converse Shoe’s Rubber Tracks to record and release a single, “Contiguous”.

Aside from being a performer, Shaw also organizes “Is This Jazz?” which hosts concerts around the city of Providence, RI presenting both local and international musicians exploring the outer limits of jazz. He is also a contributing writer to Motif Magazine, where he covers Rhode Island’s evolving jazz scene.

Shaw is excited to be a part of the growing New England arts community as a modern composer and performer.

Ben Shaw

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