Rock that blends flavors of Pop, Folk, Blues and Rock-Theatre to great rhythms and heart-felt vocals, lyrics driven by political issues, protest, social commentary, love, fun and relationships.

14 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Modern Rock, FOLK: Power-folk



Details:
Donalie Sheldan & Ian Rivers - Vocals & Guitar

When singer/songwriters Donalie Sheldan and Ian Rivers met, they were trained actors pursuing careers in Hollywood. Ian had received a BA from UCLA and trained for the theater at The American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco (ACT); Donalie had studied acting and voice throughout high school and later at The Garden Grove Conservatory and Santa Monica College. Together they took workshops with AFI (American Film Institute), SAG (Screen Actors Guild), other local classes and performed in local theater, film and television and studied voice privately with Dr. Don Richardson, then Music Director of Santa Monica College. Both had nurtured a secret addiction for music throughout childhood and now found themselves sharing their best moments singing and creating together.

The seductive lure of music and their mutual enjoyment of language started a natural progression of events that would eventually find them writing and performing their own music. Their performances reflect the influences of musical theater and rock 'n roll. Their songs have meaningful lyrics and memorable original melodies. If you frequent coffee houses or restaurants with live, original entertainment, you may have seen them play as a duo at any of various locations around Los Angeles or at a friend's wedding. They have also played larger venues with bass player Darren Burns and Drummer Karoosh Daryaie Check out their website using the link in the column on the left to see pictures with more personal information about the players and a calendar of upcoming events.

Daren Burns - Bass

Daren's initial influences were Paul McCartney, Jaco Pastorious and Stanley Clarke. He attended the Musician's Institute in Hollywood, CA and studied with bass playing greats, Jeff Berlin, Gary Willis and Putter Smith, then transferred to the prestigious California Institute of the Arts, where he studied with composer, trumpeter and founding member of the AACM, Wadada Leo Smith; jazz bassist, Charlie Haden; jazz guitar player, Larry Koonse; and bassist, Dave Carpenter. He has been playing steadily with the bands Muzzleloader and The J.S. Bach Experience. Daren has been playing with Sheldan - Rivers for the past couple of years. When not performing he spends his time writing music and teaching privately at the Woodlowe music store in Woodland Hills, CA.

Jonathan Borke - Drums

Jonathan started out beating on coffee cans and oatmeal boxes at his home in Detroit at the age of 4. His parents bought him a snare drum at the age of 11, and when he demonstrated a real potential 6 months later they bought him a full drum kit, used. Mostly self-taught by playing with the radio, reading books and beating on metal objects down by the railroad tracks, Jonathan played until his ears rang. In high school he played with the Symphony, Stage and Marching bands. The Marching band was invited to play at special events in New York and Washington DC and for the New Years Day Parade in London, England. He played for the local Detroit bands: No Limit, Motion Control, and Crimson Hollow. After some regional success with Crimson Hollow, he moved with the guitar player to Los Angeles to work on the Transcendent Reality Project and soon joined up with the punk band Scott Free & the Inmates for about 1 ½ years when he left to pursue the electronic side of music, forming the band Maeve Doino. He has also worked with The Kartoons on a "musical drama". Jonathan worked with sheldan - Rivers to complete this CD. He holds a degree in social work and continues to work with the developmentally disabled on their day to day challenges.