Shane opened for Hanson on the live and electric tour in Cleveland, OH, November 12, 2005.

I am glad you remembered the opening slot I did. The band is still around but the names and faces have changed. Angela (drummer) and I are still close but she’s in Cleveland and I moved to Nashville this year.

Where is your band based out of?

I am living in Nashville. I spend most of my time here working on the songs for my next album. finding a network to help me put it out independently when it’s finished. I still spend a good bit of my time touring in the Midwest, Ohio mostly where I grew up but I’m working on expanding that. it’s been a great move for me- being a band out of Ohio was like stabbing in the dark and believing someday the right A&R guy would walk into the restaurant you were playing at. haha I’m not knocking it- but I found out I was a lot closer all along to what makes a band successful. Fans. Good music. Loyalty. Band T-shirts. Groupies. Mini-van Touring. ( i own a white Caravan without any side windows.. it makes everyone wonder who’s inside when I pull up to gigs.)

Can you give us a little background on the band?
Yeah… I wish we had a name. we never really cared about naming the band because I had already started a couple years before that under my name (Shane Piasecki). So when I met Angela (drummer) we just wanted to play music and most of our shows were local anyways. We weren’t really much of a band either. We played songs that I wrote and we knew that people wanted to dance and have some fun. Angela is a nasty drummer and Tom Miller who was playing bass at the time knew how to keep a groove and all I had to do was sing the songs that I wrote and try to keep my voice from cracking. The three of us had some special, naive, spunk. it was contagious and we still all have that feeling.

What made you decide to enter Hanson’s opening act contest?
Angela found out about the contest a month before it hit their official website. (I think Hanson let it leak to give us a headstart). She was the most die-hard Hanson fan I’d ever met at the time and she told me that the contest was free- I was in. You know how contests go… it’s easy to get used to not winning them. SO I did not expect much until the ball got rolling and people were voting for us. I owe a big thanks to Angela for her hard work as well as everybody that voted.

What were your expectations before opening? Were they met?

We were pumped about the show to begin with. We knew Hanson was the shit and we were excited to see their show.. we were not excited about the legions of screaming girls that are notorious for following their entire tours.. okay, I lied, I was really excited. It is such a good memory and yes my expectations were met and exceeded before the show even began. Pat Mcgee Band was awesome. They took us into their dressing room and made us feel like we were in. Before we sound checked my band went to this rib/steakhouse and these sweet girls walked up to me and asked for my autograph and picture. these are things that you remember and for me it was a taste of what I knew I wanted for the rest of my career. more ribs and steak.

Since opening, what has your band been up to?
I moved to San Diego in 2005. I loved Jason Mraz and wanted to play out in the city he was from. I lived their for a bit, wrote a song called Madison Leigh which very well may be one of my career songs. It might even be on an episode of Army Wives this year. yata yata yata.. California was glorious- I moved home started working with the same band again and we fizzled out somewhere in 2006. I had a stupid break-up with a girl that I wasn’t good at handling, Angela was living a couple hours from where we practiced and Tom had some personal things going on we never found out about until the band had slowed down. Angela is now the drummer of the Nick Zuber Band in Cleveland. Keep an eye out for them, they’re really talented, ambitious, and hungry for a future in show biz.

I am writing my songs. I have 2 albums for sale on Itunes- “All for Coffee..” and “You’re Here and I’m A Mess.” I ripped off this Pearl Jam line for the name of that song. I am trying to make records and trying really hard to get on tours and put my music out there face to face with a new audience every night. Usually when I do the response is encouraging so I’m not freaking out because it’s taking FOREVER. I just turned 22. I’ve been fortunate with myspace- I get 1500 plays a day.. are you kidding me? I’m really excited about that and I feel like it buys me some time to keep writing and make my songs as good as the live show. I’m not bullshitting anyone.. I will never give up and tell them I’m coming. whoever they are. if they care.

Do you have any upcoming shows?
Why yes I do.. I’m playing at the Defiance College Homecoming on October 2. my band in Nashville was booked that night so I’m going to be playing my songs with my friends from a band in Toledo by the name of Empire Drift. They’re such a good band and awesome friends of mine. After that we’re playing on an island called Put In Bay. If you’re from Cleveland or Toledo, Port Clinton, take the Miller Ferry for $6 across Lake Erie and check us out at The Roundhouse Oct. 3-4, 2008. details are on myspace.com/shanepiasecki
* keep in touch on myspace for other upcoming dates. I have you tube videos for you to see and I’m always adding demo’s of the new material on the net. Myspace is my biggest tool right now until Hanson picks me up on another tour.