By Chris Spiewak
The music business makes it difficult to find success in both career and love, with so many long days and late nights cutting into personal time. Those artists who can actually make it work are fortunate, perhaps because they truly value their “alone time,” away from the studios, stages and paparazzi. Two of our area’s most popular and talented musicians, Mr. Matt O’Ree and Ms. Eryn Shewell, have recently teamed up, both professionally and personally; two fantastic people on the precipice of national and international success.
For guitarist Matt O’Ree, formerly Holmdel’s best kept secret, his many years of hard work has paid dividends this year with his inclusion into the legendary rock group Bon Jovi. For the record, O’Ree has already had international success, having performed with the band on their 10-date tour of southeast Asia in late summer 2015. When not on tour, O’Ree and his local band (with keyboardist Eric Safka, bassist Scott Bennert and drummer John Hummel) have kicked into high gear this year, opening for Deep Purple at the Count Basie Theatre, Lynyrd Skynyrd in Yonkers, New York, and last month for the Whitford/St Holmes Band at BB King’s in Manhattan. Longtime friend, and now Bon Jovi bandmate, David Bryan has been a great supporter of O’Ree for many years and is a frequent attendee at many shows.
Photo by Jimmy Cavallo
Local vocalist Eryn Shewell has also had burgeoning success this year, winning the Blues category (over nearly 4,000 entries) in the annual Belk Southern Musician Showcase competition, and having the Belk department store chain feature her music in two of their television commercials. Originally from Maryland, Shewell relocated to New Jersey almost 20 years ago, and comes from a music-filled home. She mentions that in her house as a child, “everyone was always singing; I didn’t know that wasn’t the norm until I got a little older. I thought everybody sang!”
With a natural sultry voice genuinely built for the Blues, she has been nominated for numerous Asbury Music awards over the past eight years, and is a two-time winner for Best Female Vocalist. Her local band, Eryn Shewell and The Whiskey Devils, works regularly all around New Jersey, and she has also shared the stage with Greg Allman, Johnny Winter and Robert Cray. A recent thrill for her was being asked to join Buddy Guy for a song onstage at BB King’s in NYC; admittedly nervous beside the 79-year-old Blues leg- end, she rose to the occasion that night in her own inimitable style. A fledgling modeling career is something in the works for Shewell, and she presents her “retro” style with great class and elegance. A visit to www.erynshewell.com will take you back to the 1950s, and make you realize that she really is “Bringing Classy Back.”
So, you may ask, are Matt and Eryn really good together? Well, after a sold out weekend at the Knights of Columbus hall in Fair Haven recently, I would say that they were made for each other. The Matt O’Ree Band shows, with fabulous guitarist Keith Kenney as opening act, had room for only 200 fans each night, and the front door men were vigilant to ensure no code violations. O’Ree invited highly sought after vocalist Layonne Holmes to execute her moves and harmonies beside Eryn Shewell, and she did so flawlessly. Holmes was a perfect counterpart to Shewell all night long; high energy and pitch perfect. The Friday show featured O’Ree’s original music, and select Led Zeppelin songs for the second part of the evening. Few groups have ever presented Led Zeppelin better, with “Ramble On,” “What Is and What Should Never Be,” and “No Quarter” done with intensity and precision. The highlight of the night was the band’s rendition of “Stairway To Heaven;” O’Ree began the song on lead vocal and absolutely fantastic work on the double-neck guitar, and Shewell finished on lead vocal triumphantly, with as much energy and panache as Robert Plant brought to the stage years ago.
Many thanks to Jim Sharkey and the staff at the KOC hall for all that they do, for both music fans and for the community with their many programs to aid the less advantaged. As for Matt and Eryn? Well, when Matt proclaims publicly that “he won the lottery” when he met Eryn, I think we have a new “power couple” here at the Jersey shore. Salute!
Chris Spiewak is currently the bassist with Rock/Blues cover band VyntEdge.
