Welcome back to our Independent Interviews.
Today I am thrilled to introduce you to the artist I will be speaking to: he is the guitarist of my favorite band, Shane Smith & The Saints. The great Dustin «Sunshine» Schaefer!
Welcome Dustin and thank you for your availability.
It is truly an honor for me and I also thank your father Rick, a fantastic person who I met last year at Red Rocks.
When did you decide that music would be your life? Who did you start your adventure with?
I started my professional career with Micky and the Motorcars back in the summer of 2011.
I had grown up around music and played in bands throughout my life but finally got the opportunity to play full time and hit the road for a 6 week cross-country tour right out of the gate!
How and when did you join the band Shane Smith & The Saints? Did you already know them?
I knew of SS&TS but was not friends with anyone in the band yet.
We had shared stages at various festivals, but a mutual friend had put us in touch and I joined the band right as I had moved back from Texas from Nashville in 2016.
You are known by everyone as «Sunshine». Who gave you this nickname and how did it come about?
I have various claims as to who gave it to me first, and I can’t say I remember who it was, but I do know it was shortly after I joined Micky and the Motorcars.
I got that nickname as a reference from the movie “Remember the Titans” and it has stuck with me ever since.
Yours has been a constant growth, but would you have ever believed after the famous «burnt bus» of 2019, that you would get to this point? Headliners 3 times at Red Rocks, Ryman, Yellowstone…
It’s definitely been a crazy ride since the bus fire.
You work so hard to get to a point of “success” which is different for different people, and if I didn’t believe it was possible then I probably wouldn’t be doing this.
In a way, yes I did always think it was in the cards for me, just hard to say how and when it would all happen.
We’re just very fortunate that after all the hardships the dice started to roll our way.
Tell us a little about that famous night of November 22, 2019, the night that could have put an end to one of the most incredible bands on the independent circuit.
It’s really hard to describe.
Very surreal: one minute you’re watching all your belongings go up in flames, the next you are trying to borrow gear and still make it to the show and then finally go onstage two hours late, shoeless and smoky feet from the bus wreckage….truly wild stuff.
5 years have passed between «Hail Mary» and «Norther»: was it a matter of time? Since you are always on tour, was it difficult to sit down to compose and record? How and when was this new album recorded that has given you and is giving you so much satisfaction? (p.s. I remember that in this blog it won the «Trex Roads Music Awards ’24» for best album)
Albums are hard and expensive to make.
With our tour schedule it’s difficult to find time and Norther was particularly difficult with traveling and schedule logistics.
Between that and finding the time to actually craft the music, I think that explains the gap in album releases.
Which is the SS&TS song you are most attached to and the one you love playing live the most?
”Adeline” and “Hail Mary” are two of my current favorites.
They are just powerful and showcase the whole scope of where the band is at sonically, not the mention some fun guitar parts.
You have played in all the most incredible locations in the United States: which is the one that gave you the most emotions? How do you decide the track list?
As cliche as it is, Red Rocks is always that place.
Pure magic.
As far as the setlist, we take a little extra time and just try to craft something that will maximize the listening experience for our diehard fans in that environment.
For a place like Red Rocks, we always do a little longer set and pull out some special surprises.
You have also been to Europe, I saw you in London in 2023: what is it like to play on this side of the ocean? Are you surprised that your music is so successful here too? Will you ever play in Milan (this one if for me, ah ah)?
We love it over there! European fans are so gracious and love country music, so honestly it’s not super surprising we are well received!
Would be awesome to play in Milan!!
Tell us about your solo projects instead? I’ve listened to your songs and they are very different from the band’s sound. Are you thinking about a new solo album?
I’m always working on solo stuff in between the cracks of our tour schedule.
I’ve got some singles out, maybe album #3 eventually, but hopefully always new stuff coming out every year.
Last year Shane Smith & The Saints won everyone over with a wonderful album and an incredible Red Rocks live: what are your future projects beyond touring?
Hopefully “life after touring” is a long long time from now so I haven’t given it much thought.
I think I’d eventually like to have a family, but other than that I think I’m in this thing for life!
Thanks Dustin for your availability: as a fan who has traveled thousands of miles to see you live twice, I thank you with all my heart for the emotions you give me every day.
Trex
