Rachel Collins: Shawn you just look like you came off the boat and spent time hanging with Jimmy Buffet. Where did this laid back idea of a song “Lawnchair” come from?

Shawn Perry: I need a damn vacation LOL. ….but to elaborate on that, I have always really liked songs that evoke summer times, I have always had “summer songs” for just about every project I have ever done, so this just takes it to the next level. Moreover, I am always thinking of visuals when I write a song (music video) so I knew we were gonna get our Miami Vice on for this track….but all that aside …I need a damn vacation.

RC: How was it working with Grammy-winning producer Christian Davis at the Castle in Nashville?

Shawn Perry: I really loved working with Christian, I am hoping to do a couple more tracks with him later this year a part of a full length… In a perfect world, I would cut the more “pop” driven tracks with Christian in Nashville and do more of the Country/Rock songs either with my dude David Dominguez (Papa Roach) out in LA or with David Bendeth (Paramore) in Jersey.

The really cool thing about working with Christian though was how much he let me just explore my love of boy bands and 80’s and 90’s pop music….I was ridiculed endlessly when I was a little kid for liking NKOTB and Paula Abdul… And I have never given myself permission to explore that on any of my records before. I think that was the missing ingredient in the gumbo of what I do. There are country and classic rock and now we add that candy pop polish and we have something pretty unique…the only other person that I can think of that really went deep into mixing styles like that was Prince. I would never say that I will ever be as good at anything as he was …but he set the bar…..forget clearing it…if I can just touch it …I’ll be fine.  

RC: You have quite an extensive background in the music industry in some form or another. How did your whole journey in music begin?

Shawn Perry: Listening to my older brother’s Michael Jackson and Van Halen records, he was 20 years older than me and had some rad ass records, and well it just stuck. I started playing drums and guitar when I was 10, discovered Queen and Nirvana when I was 11 and started my first band. I started playing out when I was like 13 and never looked back.

RC: When listening to this song and some of your others a keen ear and eye would pick up the variety of influences that play in your sounds.

Do you find yourself relating musically over the years to multiple genres and artists?

Shawn Perry: Yes and thank you for picking up on that. The desire to color with more crayons was a big part of the reason that I decided to go the “solo” route. Nothing much has changed really I still play full time with a few of the folks from my last band Switchblade Scarlett which was super influenced by ’70s and 80’s rock and metal….and a few of the other guys still fill in when one of the regular members can’t make a gig. But now because I am a “solo” artist, not a band, I get to play with all the styles like David Bowie, Beck, Kid Rock or dare I say …Pat Boone… look it up he did a metal record 🙂 Me and Grayson (Latimore, Jr/Drums) call it puttin’ gravy on it. I guess to get really disgusting our songs are KFC bowls …there are some taters….some veggies and some damn chicken….but it isn’t fit to eat until you put the gravy on it. That’s what I try to do everything when you think it’s great you add that one last ingredient that just makes people say (paused) swear a little bit because they like it so much.

RC: Is there a genre you would still like to play?

Shawn Perry: I still love playing metal…. actually I think I am gonna drop Mick Mars a line I heard he is looking for vocals for his new solo record. Hold my beer.

RC: What did your time with MTV draw out of you?

Shawn Perry: Wishing that I worked for them 15 years earlier when they still played music :)….it was really cool, I get to say I did it and I got to talk to the man behind the curtain about hosting Headbangers ball….so that was rad.

MTV was almost like a religion for me growing up… honored I get like one like on their Wikipedia page.

RC: What comes first for you acting or singing?

Shawn Perry: Oh for sure music, I wanna start doing more film stuff, but hopefully that will be like a Jared Leto situation where one feeds the other

RC: You have shared the stage with some well-known names. Any in particular stories or humorous anecdotes along the way?

RC: What’s next Shawn? More lemonade?

Shawn Perry: Always Lemonade… We have been working really hard on new music….trying to get Snoop on my next single, new music videos, landing a label, and maybe launching my own whiskey company. Who knows if all goes well I’ll by myself a brand new Stingray.