Life in Black and White

Leaf Eater is a musical collective assembled by American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist John
Shields. Growing up in the Philadelphia area gave Shields plenty of room to plant his musical roots.
Dubbed Leaf Eater because of his height (6 feet 5 inches), Shields would go on to front bands that
would share the stage with other notable and respected bands such as Slightly Stoopid, G. Love &
Special Sauce, Grace Potter, Steel Pulse, The Heavy Pets, and John Brown’s Body.

Beginning early 2014, Shields started work on what would become Leaf Eater. It began as a form of
therapy for Shields. “I have a system where if I mess up, or if I’m feeling regret, I try to get a song
out of it. It’s not only therapeutic for me, but it often paints a situation that most people have
experienced themselves.” This is what drew the attention of producer Chris DiBeneditto (Slightly
Stoopid, G. Love, The Expendables, The Movement), who teamed up with Shields and former
bandmate Samuel Morgan (Long Miles) to co-produce the first full length release. “When I first
heard these songs John had written, I was surprised at the high level of song writing and the way he
had produced these original demos with so much emotion and thought. I had to be part of it. John
has a clear vision of what he hears/wants and I was kind of there to help him get those sounds and
visions into a mix.” 

With influences from contemporary artists such as Beck, Damon Albarn, the Flaming Lips, Citizen
Cope, and older artists like the Beach Boys and Otis Redding, Leaf Eater combines melodic
songwriting with a groove-based, hip-hop-inspired production, creating a sound that finds its way
into your subconscious after one listen!

Life in Black and White

Leaf Eater

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Hunter Cromer