Shaunna Hall

{{Short description|American composer and musician}}

{{BLP primary sources|date=March 2012}}

Shaunna Elizabeth Hall (born July 28, 1963) is an American composer and musician from the San Francisco Bay Area. As guitarist, she was a founding member of the band 4 Non Blondes and is currently a member of George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic.

Early life

Hall played trumpet in school, studying under Jon Simms, the founder of the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Marching Band and Twirling Corps, at Benjamin Franklin Intermediate School in Daly City, California. She started taking the guitar seriously as a teenager at Serramonte High School, and studied songwriting at the Blue Bear School of Music in San Francisco with Bonnie Hayes.S. Hall (interview and personal communication, Fall, 2008).

1980s

Hall joined her first band, The Crash Puppies, in the early 1980s. In the late 1980s, she and bassist Christa Hillhouse formed Cool and Unusual Punishment, a new wave duo. Later, they joined, along with drummer Wanda Day, The Lesbian Snake Charmers, led by singer Jai Jai Noire.

Hall met vocalist Linda Perry, and when The Lesbian Snake Charmers broke up, they co-founded the alternative rock group 4 Non Blondes with Perry, Hillhouse, and Day in 1989.

1990s

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In 1990, 4 Non Blondes won the SF Weekly Award (Wammies) for Best Rock Band. Bigger, Better, Faster, More! by Interscope Records was released in 1992 and was the only studio album released by the band. It includes performances and five compositions by Hall ("Morphine & Chocolate", "Spaceman", and others). The album peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Top 200. "Spaceman" was released as a single in 1993 and peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Hall left the band in 1992 during the recording of "Bigger, Better, Faster, More!" over musical differences with the band as well as with the producer. The album was completed with session guitarist Louis Metoyer.

Hall and Pat Wilder subsequently founded Bad Dog Play Dead in 1992. The all-female ensemble played funk, rock, country and pop songs written largely by Hall and Wilder, and the group reunited Hall and 4 Non Blondes drummer Wanda Day. They recorded a demo, engineered and mixed by Garry Crieman at Hyde Street Studios, San Francisco. Janis Tanaka played bass on the demo but did not join the group. The band played live in San Francisco for several months until the permanent disability of Day in December 1992.

Hall played as a part of the agro-core hard rock band The Alcohol of Fame (named by studio engineer Garry Crieman) from 1993-95. The group began as an ensemble Hall put together to perform a benefit for Day at the I-Beam in San Francisco in early 1993. The band changed line-ups, with the core trio of Hall, Crash and Spingola finally teaming with drummer Becky Wreck from the Lunachicks later that year. Their first official performance was at Female Trouble's "The Dykemare Before Christmas" in December 1993. With the addition of bassist Erica Liss of MDC in early 1994, the lineup made a six-song demo, Mendocino Demo 1994, and played the New Music Seminar in New York, NY followed by an east coast summer tour in 1994.

Though Wreck remained on the east Coast, the core trio of Crash, Hall and Spingola returned to San Francisco. Drummer Peter French and a series of bass players including Dennis Dismore and the late Warner Harrison joined The Alcohol of Fame in 1995. The group recorded a second demo in the spring of 1995 at Gush Studios in Oakland, California. Warner announced his departure from the band only weeks after finishing the demo, and the group disbanded.

In 1996, Hall and Tribe 8, Bay Area queercore pioneers, joined Nirvana, Soundgarden, Joan Jett, The Gits, and others on the Home Alive! Compilation. The project raised funds and awareness for self-defense education for women in honor of Mia Zapata, the singer of The Gits who was beaten and murdered while walking home.

Hall appears on Frat Pig and another song from the Tribe 8 CD Fist City on Alternative Tentacles Records. She co-produced Tribe 8's Role Models for America released in 1998 on Alternative Tentacles.

Throughout the 1990s, Hall played with the theatrical six-piece group The Eric McFadden Experience. In 1998, the group received the SF Weekly Award (Wammies) for Best Americana Band and released Our Revels Now are Ended. The CD includes one Hall composition, "Macaroon", which also appeared on an early 4 Non Blondes demo.

2000s

Alien Lovestock's 2000 CD Planet of Fish includes the composition "Alien Love" co-written by Hall, Eric McFadden and George Clinton.

Hall composed eight tracks with Storm, Inc. for the independent release The Calm Years in April 2001. Storm, Inc. started in the summer of 1999 when Hall sat in with singer Storm Large as a support guitarist for acoustic gigs. Hall and Storm, Inc. wrote and created The Calm Years. and toured the US west coast following its release.

As a sound designer, Hall helped create the first online video game developed by Shockwave in 2000. Tamale Loco is now available in the Shockwave Favorites Vol. 1 game bundle or as a standalone download at Shockwave.com.

In the summer of 2001, she played with Dog Ass, a trio with Los Angeles drummer Becky Wreck and bassist Christy Michel. Formed specifically to play a Breast Cancer Awareness Benefit presented by Loudithfaire, a festival celebrating lesser-known women in rock, the trio gave a few shows in San Francisco and Los Angeles before Hall moved to Barcelona, Spain in 2002.

Hall wrote, produced, and directed a short film called The Beauty of Betrayal in May 2002. Brick Seriously and Hall recorded the video in San Francisco. It features her composition Beauty Sleeps recorded in San Francisco and Los Angeles with drummer Kevin Carnes, EricMcFadden Experience members Sam Bass, Ben Barnes and Paula O'Rourke. Janis Tanaka plays the saw on the instrumental. Hall appears in the film along with actress Natalie Richie.

In July 2002, Hall began touring with George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic. Since then, she has played on several US, Canadian and European tours as well as dates abroad. She was the monitor engineer from 2002–2004, and the P-Funk Live at the 2004 Montreaux Jazz Festival DVD credits her engineering work. She became the first official female guitarist of P-Funk in 2007.

Hall and Dutch artist Margot van Ham shared an art/music studio in Barcelona, Spain from 2004 to 2006. In 2004, Hall released a video called The Third Eye. Van Ham produced the video in 2004 with a song Hall wrote with Paul Hill and Clip Payne of P-Funk in 2002. The video was released in 2006 as a part of Hall's multimedia project, Electrofunkadelica: e3+FUNKnth = music for the body, mind & soul.

In 2007, Hall appeared on the BBC program The 100 Most Annoying Pop Songs We Hate To Love, which featured the 4 Non Blondes song "What's Up? at number 91 on the list.

Hall joined a number of artists for former artist liaison and backstage manager Tiffany Travalent's benefit at 12 Galaxies in San Francisco in 2007. Led by Eric McFadden, a large group of musicians including Bernie Worrell (Parliament-Funkadelic), Dawn Silva (Brides of Funkenstein/Sly and the Family Stone), Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), Pete Sears, Carol Hernandez, and The Meters' drummer Ziggy Modeliste gave their time to benefit Travalent, who suffers from severe chronic pain, is unable to work, and had large outstanding medical bills. A DVD of the event was released with footage from the show and related content.{{cite news |url=http://www.metroactive.com/arts/freedom-from-pain.html|title=Free From Pain |work=Metroactive.com|first=Jody |last=Amable |date=23 December 2009|accessdate=21 March 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://www.jambase.com/Articles/10091/BENEFIT-FOR-TIFFANY|title=Benefit for Tiffany |work=Jambase.com |date=8 March 2007 |accessdate=21 March 2012}}

Hall earned two engineering credits in 2008—the first for Clinton's vocals on the song Heads Will Roll, for Lee "Scratch" Perry's Return of the Super Ape. The second, George Clinton and his Gangsters of Love, charted on both the Billboard R&B and Independent Charts.

Current projects

Hall returned to the United States in 2005, and continues to tour the world as a guitarist with George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic in The P-Funk Allstars. She became an official band member in 2007 after five years of touring as a part-time player, monitor engineer, and crew member.{{cite web|url=http://www.shaunnahall.com |title=San Francisco guitarist, composer, producer |publisher=Shaunna Hall |date= |accessdate=2014-08-27}}

She released a solo project, Electrofunkadelica, in 2006. She wrote, produced, and recorded most of the project on a Macintosh laptop with a portable studio while touring the world with P-Funk on the road between 2002 and 2005, and the tracks feature many P-Funk members and musician friends. The 2006 release Electrofunkadelica: e3+FUNKnth = music for the body, mind & soul, is a collection of audio recordings and three videos. It consists of contemporary music and projected visual imagery performances described as "containing some social and political messages, some emotional and inspirational, and some are just plain fun". The Electrofunkadelica live performances feature Hall on guitar, electronic sources including looping samplers, Kevin Carnes on drums, Stephan G. as VJ, and occasional guest vocalists or instrumentalists. Projected visual imagery plays a large part in the show, with VJ mixing, animation and film.

She is currently creating the next Electrofunkadelica collection, which will again feature many musical guests and the recording debut of drag king character BB Kink. Hall created BB Kink as an Electro-GoGo-Love-Blues guitar player. She introduced the character in late 2008 with performances in Barcelona at Sala Monasterio and San Francisco at Anon Salon.

Interests and affiliations

Hall was a panelist for the 2000 and 2005 ROCKRGRL Music Conference, and has been a volunteer performer for Bread and Roses since 1997. She is a member of ASCAP.

Discography

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George Clinton

George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love

Shanachie - 2008

Engineer

Billboard R&B and Independent Charts

Lee "Scratch" Perry

Return of the Super Ape

Goldenlane Records - 2008

Engineer

Electrofunkadelica

e3+FUNKnth=music for the body, mind & soul

Make Music, Not War Records - 2006

Guitar, producer, songwriter and more

Eric McFadden

Dementia

Bad Reputation Records - 2006 Guitar

420 Funk Mob

Alive in Spain

wefunk 2kAD - 2004

Guitar

wefunkFM.com, wefunk records, and thefunkstore.com

Eric McFadden

Eric McFadden

2002

Guitar

Alien Lovestock

Planet of Fish

NMX Records - 2001

Songwriter

Storm, Inc.

The Calm Years

Gender Nectar Records - 2001

Guitar, BVs, songwriter

The Flying Other Bros.

Secondary

Producer/ Engineer

2000

The Flying Other Bros.

Demo & IPO

1999

Producer/ Engineer

Tribe 8

Role Models for Amerika

Alternative Tentacles - 1998

Guest Guitar, BVs, Co-Producer

The Eric McFadden Experience

Our Revels Now Are Ended

NMX Records - 1998

Guitar, Songwriter

Eric McFadden

Who's Laughing Now

NMX records - 1997

Guitar

Various Artists

Home Alive: The Art of Self Defense

Sony - 1996

Guitar

Tribe 8

Fist City

Alternative Tentacles - 1995

Guest guitar

Nicodemus

Dance Hall Giant

PSM Recordings - 1995

Guitar

The Alcohol of Fame

Gush Demo '95

Recorded at Gush Studios, Oakland, CA - 1995

Engineered by Allen Kraft, Mastered by Matt Murmen at Different Fur Studios, San Francisco

Songwriter, Guitar

The Alcohol of Fame

Mendocino Demo Session 1994

Recorded by Joey Mobile Sound - 1994

Songwriter, Guitar

Positive Sound Massive

"Sex & Guns" and "Unity"

PSM Records - 1993

Bad Dog Play Dead

Hyde St. Demo

Recorded by Garry Crieman at Hyde Street Studios, SF - 1992

Songwriter, Guitar

4 Non Blondes

Bigger, Better, Faster, More!

Interscope Records - 1992

Guitar, Songwriter

Video projects and performance videos

Second Wind{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP1hyK8mS5w |title=Second Wind |publisher=YouTube |date= 3 January 2008|accessdate=2014-08-27}}

Beauty of Betrayal{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4FzsFlPGeQ |title=The Beauty of Beatrayal |publisher=YouTube |date=2008-01-24 |accessdate=2014-08-27}}

The 3rd Eye{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz8fie0RPvw |title=The Third Eye |publisher=YouTube |date=2006-04-18 |accessdate=2014-08-27}}

Going To The Hukilau{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqs-suyThsk |title=Goin' to the Hukilau |publisher=YouTube |date=2008-01-24 |accessdate=2014-08-27}}

Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdM1HS5iw4s |title=Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts |publisher=YouTube |date=2008-02-14 |accessdate=2014-08-27}}

Stellar Evolution{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvYC-kaO7sg |title=Electrofunkadelica - Stellar Evolution by Steffan G. |publisher=YouTube |date=2007-12-14 |accessdate=2014-08-27}}

Details{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHevvw2QIzU |title=Details |publisher=YouTube |date=2007-12-19 |accessdate=2014-08-27}}

George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars - Cosmic Slop

Projects and groups

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2008–present

BB KINK

2005–present

Electrofunkadelica

live band

Shaunna Hall - guitar, keyboards, vocals, & various machinery

Kevin Carnes - drums, samplers

VJ - Stephan G.

Other members, characters, and guests TBA

2004

The Third Eye Video

With Margot van Ham

2002–present

George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars

2002

Beauty of Betrayal Video

With Brick Seriously

1999-2001

Storm, Inc.

Shaunna Hall - Guitars, bvs

Michael Cavaseno - Guitars, bvs

Storm Large - Vocals

Kevin Carnes - Drums

Ubidube Whitaker - Bass

1997-2005

The Eric McFadden Experience

Eric McFadden - guitar, vocals

Shaunna Hall - guitar, vocals

Paula O'Rourke - bass, vocals

Paulo Baldi - drums

Sam Bass - cello

Benjamin Barnes - violin

1993-1995

The Alcohol of Fame

Band Members 1993-1994

Shaunna Hall - Guitars, bvs

Cara Crash - Guitars, bvs

Steve 'Spit' Spingola - Vocals

Becky Wreck - Drums

Erica Liss - Bass

Band Members 1994-1995

Shaunna Hall - Guitars, bvs

Cara Crash - Guitars, bvs

Steve 'Spit' Spingola - Vocals

Warner Harrison - Bass

Peter French - Drums

1992-1993

Bad Dog Play Dead

studio band:

Shaunna Hall - guitar, vocals

Pat Wilder - guitar, vocals

Wanda Day - drums

Janis Tanaka - bass on recordings

Christi-on Crawford - Vocal on "Head Spin"

live band:

Shaunna Hall - guitar, vocals

Pat Wilder - guitar, vocals

Wanda Day - drums

Katherine Chase - bass, vocals

Anna Carney - keyboards and vocals and guitar

Christi-on Crawford -guest vocalist

1989-1992

4 Non Blondes

Christa Hillhouse, bass

Shaunna Hall, guitar

Wanda Day, drums

Linda Perry, vocals

1988-1989

Cool and Unusual Punishment

Shaunna Hall

Christa Hillhouse

Press and media

References

{{Reflist}}