Shaene Marie Pascal is surely one to watch. She’s going places, even if she sings about being in the backseat. With her first debut five-track EP, “To Make New Friends,” recorded by Steven Hartwell of Featherlight Studios, Pascal hits local stages this summer for her first performances after releasing her album — which already has her friends and fans singing her lyrics back to her in the crowd. Pascal hails as lead singer, songwriter and guitarist. She’s accompanied by her four-piece band that includes local musicians Trent Carper (drums), Matt Green (bass), Ryan Pickard (lead guitar) and Evan Forsythe (pedal steel). Hot tip: You might catch them wearing astronaut costumes on stage at a show.
“To Make New Friends” is “bravery on a small scale,” Pascal shared with me as we chatted about the new EP. The tracks “Backseat Driver,” “Seasons Greetings,” “Wildman,” “Sci Fi Fantasy” and “Spring” ebb and flow gracefully on the 25-minute record.
“A special thank you to Steven [Featherlight Studio], who mixed and mastered the record, and took great care to patiently mentor me through my first formal recording project,” Pascal wrote in a recent Instagram post. She and Hartwell have been working on the album for the past year.
Every note and moment count throughout the album. Pascal writes about everyday kinds of love and friendship; relatable thoughts and feelings through all seasons. She’s clever with how casually she makes something simple sound so beautiful. She angelically sings about finding her church in the rocks and dirt (off the EP’s third track, “Wildman,” that Pascal wrote in high school) and wanting to be as close to the sky as she can. Her Oregon roots shine through; Pascal grew up in Mitchell, Oregon, went to high school in Redmond (shoutout to her high school jazz band days) and always felt comfortable hanging a hat in Bend. It was in Corvallis at Oregon State University where she continued writing songs while studying forestry, one that includes “Spring Time,” the final song on the 2023 album.
The album starts out with “Backseat Driver.”
“I like the idea of being in the backseat of your own mind,” said Pascal. Her lyrics create psychological visuals of eyes looking at you in the rear-view window and wondering who that person might be. Next is “Seasons Greetings,” which was written during the holidays and gives the gift of love and writing to your loved ones. “Wildman” was influenced by a trip to Yosemite where Pascal was inspired by the mind, words and perspectives of nature writer and explorer John Muir — in addition to the higher power of being outside, a topic of clear passion for Pascal. You can also hear a lovely violin in there… another instrument Pascal plays. “Sci Fi Fantasy” was released as her first single and already has a shiny 8,000 listens on Spotify. The song was evoked by her new found love of Marvel movies during the pandemic and how sometimes mundane things can really result in being brave heroic things, like going to shows alone and making new friends.
“It’s not monsters. It’s the telephone,” she sings.
“Spring Time” closes the album with reflections and sentiments of the often-brutal Oregon winters and longing for spring. The first half of the track starts out more melancholic, like the fogginess of winter — poetic remnants of rain on the rooftop and leaves on the ground. The main melody chants, “In the spring, I’ll be fine.” And in the second half, you feel the sun come out with a soft trumpet and background restaurant chatter, opening it up to a new season of sounds.
Pascal’s musical influences include an array of artists, such as St. Vincent, Madison Cunnigham and Wilco’s frontman, Jeff Tweedy. Both of Pascal’s parents are musicians, and “there were always guitars laying around the house,” she shared.
—Catch Shaene Marie Pascal on July 4 at On Tap and July 7 at The Barn at Brasada Ranch.
Shaene Marie Pescal Upcoming Shows:
This article appears in Source Weekly June 22, 2023.
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