Shelley Doty

Improvisation extraordinaire

By Justin Abbott

Just from hearing her songs, you can tell that music is second-nature to Shelley Doty. Her music is a seamless amalgamation of jazz, folk, rock, and pop sensibilities. The fact that she is composing the soundtrack for an anime television series is a testament to her flexibility and the diversity of her musical tastes. After playing guitar in several bands, Doty has struck out on her own in recent years, both playing solo acoustic and fronting her own band, the Shelley Doty X-tet (so-called because of its rotating line-up). Doty has toured extensively over the years, sharing bills and jamming on-stage with many well-known musicians. She beat out over 800 other unsigned artists to play in the 1999 Lilith Fair, in which she was invited to play the final number with Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan, Chrissie Hynde and Bonnie Raitt. Doty's most recent CD with the X-tet, "Possible Reasons for My Insomnia," was released the same year. Her acoustic EP, "Opportunity," was released in 1997.

CYBERARTS: How long have you been performing? How did you start out?

SHELLEY DOTY: I have been performing professionally since 1987. My first couple of bands were started in college, and really just played around campus, and at parties and stuff. In 1989 four of us formed a band called Jambay which started my life as a road dog. In the subsequent seven years that the original four members were playing together, we toured hard for five of those seven years.

CYBERARTS: WHY did you start out? What did you, and do you still, hope to accomplish with your music?

SD: I've always loved music of every stripe, and playing with other folks (like I said earlier) was a great opportunity to get to "play," just like a kid. I've always hoped to be able to express myself through my music as honestly as possible. My hope is to always continue to grow as a musician, and to hopefully inspire other girls and women to pick up an instrument and enjoy the thrill of playing.

CYBERARTS: Do you prefer playing with a band, or solo? And why?

SD: I find that both ways of playing are satisfying in different ways. Playing with a band allows the interaction and communication that one can only experience with other musicians. I love to use my instrument as an access to another language -- and I truly feel that music is a language. One of my pet sayings is "Improvisation is the key to life" and I love being able to improvise with other folks. It is probably the closest thing to the childhood play that I used to love ... just making shit up!

On the other hand, there is also a real satisfaction to sitting with my instrument and presenting a tune. It is almost like the song is raw or naked, and can be an incredibly intimate experience for an audience. It's funny cuz I go back and forth between craving the feeling of playing in a band, and playing an acoustic gig in a venue where folks are really listening. Both are great but fulfilling in different ways.

CYBERARTS: What have been the biggest obstacles to getting where you are now -- both in the biz, and in life?

SD: Hmm -- I don't really think in terms of obstacles ... life is and always will be a constant challenge, but I am always grateful for it (as life beats the only advertised alternative). As to where I am now, I am happy, and thankful to be alive and healthy.

CYBERARTS: What has been your greatest show ever?

SD: Hoo boy! That is a hard one. I reckon that there have been shows that I have come off stage with more enthusiasm and excitement than others, but it would be hard to decide which one that would be ... I know that I've had several gigs at the WOW Hall that could certainly qualify ...

CYBERARTS: How about the worst ever?

SD: The worst gigs are always the ones where I have some kind of equipment failure (amp blows up or something) something out of my control at the time. That is the sort of thing that takes me out of "the moment" and forces me to put the music on automatic while trying to deal with the equipment failure in some way. I hate that.

CYBERARTS: Can you tell us a bit about the Lilith Fair? What was that like?

SD: Lilith fair was great. I've played a few of the big festivals, and I can honestly say that at every level the folks at Lilith were a real class act. One thing that was great about my experience was that my band (the Shelley Doty X-tet) was the only unsigned band on the bill that day, so that gave us license to run around and promote the hell out of ourselves. I handed CDs to everyone I saw, and got wonderful feedback from all of the folks that I chatted with ... It was a blast. Some of my highlights of the day were: playing basketball backstage with Kate Schellenbach (drummer for Luscious Jackson), playing my guitar onstage for the big jam at the end (I was the only person not in Sarah McLachlan's band that brought my axe and amp up there), getting a dirty look from Sandra Bernhard during the jam (classic!), enthralling Martin Chambers (original Pretenders drummer) with my light up yo-yo ... the fun never stopped!

CYBERARTS: You've played shows with No Doubt, Blues Traveler, and others ... who's the coolest band to hang out with?

SD: Hmmm -- lots of cool folks.