Shawn has been critically acclaimed by his local peers and writers alike for his deft use of finger picking style through folk/pop influences, most notably those of the singer/songwriter era (James Taylor, Jim Croce, John Denver, Simon and Garfunkle, Wilson Phillips), and he has been known to make a smooth transition into composing eclectic, gripping and hyperkenetic alternative rock songs, with hints of his favorite current influences, the Flaming Lips, U2, Travis, Coldplay, Dave Matthews, Five for Fighting, Fountains of Wayne, etc. Though be not ashamed, Shawn has grown to appreciate the local and independent scene as a critic and music writer himself, and quite often favors the sounds and passion of young artists struggling to make it or making music just for fun and local fame. Strangely enough, Shawn uses his favorite references to classical composers Debussy, Chopin, Stravinsky, Dvorak, Bartok and others in his work. In the peak of 2005, Shawn began a project with friends under
broadjam URL: http://www.broadjam.com/shawnmhaney