Elvie Shane takes the unfiltered path with new album 'Damascus': 'I wasn't focused on writing for one genre'

In October 2021, Elvie Shane won his first Advertising sign No. 1 Country Airplay hit with the tender ode 'My Boy', inspired by his role as a stepfather. The song was certified platinum by the RIAA and he followed it up with his debut album Backsliderfurther bringing Shane into the fold as one of country music's hottest new talents.

But while “My Boy” and its successor “County Roads” were relatively tame odes to family and life lessons learned during moonlit nights behind the scenes, his new album, Damascus, out April 19 on Broken Bow/Wheelhouse Records, offers a fuller picture of Shane's struggles and outlook. Combining elements of country, rock and hip-hop, Damascus follows an emotional arc, guiding listeners through heavier themes of addiction (“Pill”), prison (“215634”), blue-collar advocacy (“Forgotten Man”), redemption and peace (“Does Heaven Have a Creek”)

“I had songs like 'Forgotten Man', 'Baptized' and 'Jonesin', but there seemed to be a stark contrast to those songs, sonically and lyrically. I wanted to do something with all of them,” says Shane Advertising sign. “I hadn't focused on trying to write something for a certain genre.”

Shane from Kentucky drew inspiration for the album and the album title from a biblical story, but also from Damascus steel, which is made by forging different types of steel, making it stronger in the process.

“I approached this album like I was making a Damascus knife, working with different types of steel—sounds and genres that have inspired me. I put it all together and created this album and the idea frees me. I wanted a narrative on the album and I didn't have it Backslider. I had a collection of the best songs I had written along the way and I got some idea from the songs I chose Backsliderbut it wasn't as targeted as this.”

For Damascuswhich he began working on in 2022, Shane and producer Oscar Charles teamed up to record in a rented house in Alabama, writing and recording with creatives like Ryan Tyndall, Dan Couch and Luke Preston.

Shane doesn't hesitate to explore difficult subjects on his new album. Songs like “Pill,” “Jonesin'” and “Appalachian Alchemy” address opioid addiction, giving voice to people struggling and seeking solace. The music video for “Pill” refers to opioid addiction, and the song was essentially written as an apology letter to his brother for the years Shane faced his own tough struggles.

“Jonesin'” was written as Shane, after the success of “My Boy,” slipped back into some of the self-destructive habits he had previously struggled to put behind him.

“All the pressure of continuing to play was piling up and taking care of my family and everything,” he says. “And unfortunately, I wasn't as strong as I should have been. I allowed things back into my life that I had sworn off years ago. I wasn't going as far into it as I was in my twenties,” he says.

However, he describes the night he wrote 'Jonesin'' in detail, saying: 'I probably had six different substances in my body that whole day and we wrote that song. That night, I stayed awake and I think I had a resting heart rate of 180 for 20 minutes. I was having a bad time alone there in the living room. But the next morning I got up and sang that vocal on 'Jonesin'' and I feel like that's the most part of me I've ever put into a vocal. It was real and in the moment.”

The provocateur who launched the album “Outside Dog” was disappointed by the feedback he received when he introduced his new batch of songs to his band members.

“They were hesitant, like, 'I don't know if we should put this stuff on here or if we should look for some other songs.' And I really didn't like that,” says Shane.

Shane had moved with his family to his wife Mandi's hometown in Kentucky during the making of the album. According to Shane, the back-and-forth with his team regarding the album's content continued, until it reached a breaking point.

“I got to a point where I had to call and say, 'I'm just going to stay in Kentucky.' I was struggling with the industry and thought, “I'm going to go back to cutting trees for my father-in-law or I'm going to drive a truck with my brother and my dad.” I could play some bar gigs from time to time to have music in my life, but I was just done with the idea of ​​having to write for very general or a small set of topics that could be covered, to be able to be successful. Everyone on the team wants the same thing. They want to see success — people listening, buying tickets, consuming the music. I did, however, want to include themes that I feel at times are unraveling. I want to go in and use the right word and tell the stories as they are.”

The turning point came with Robert Deaton's production Stoned Cold Countrya Rolling Stones tribute project that featured several country artists performing classic Stones songs, including Shane's cover of “Sympathy for the Devil.”

“They made a documentary and played it for the label and the team here,” says Shane. “The story I heard from the team members is when they saw this video, they got a deeper look at who I am and what I am, and they wanted to go down that path — so I thank God that Robert Deaton let me be a part of of this work because it led to a boost in faith in this work.”

Elsewhere on the album, the lighter “First Place” welcomes Little Big Town – although Shane says it took some liquid courage to get them on board.

“After I wrote it, a friend videotaped me and the writers jamming it out. I was just drunk enough to send it [Little Big Town member] Karen Fairchild on Instagram,” she recalls. “I was like, 'Hey, I heard 'Boondocks' today. Thanks for the inspiration.' But that was a serious cop out, because what I really wanted to do was ask them to be on the song. So about 20 minutes later – a bit more wet courage later – I asked them to sing on it. I woke up the next day and had a text from Karen saying they were going to sing on it. They were so great in the studio, worked so hard and sounded incredible.”

The album closes with “Does Heaven Have a Creek?”, which he wrote after thinking about his late grandmother.

“I was sitting outside my camp in Kentucky at the lake where we lived. I was listening to Tyler Childers' Can I take my hounds to Heaven? and Brent Cobb's And now, Let's turn the page, so I kind of immersed myself in gospel and hymns,” he recalls. “I thought of my grandmother who has been gone for over 20 years now. I looked up at the sky and said, “Grandma, does heaven have a creek where I can swim in my old blue jeans?” And I took my guitar and played it.”

WME-signed Shane previewed the album on his Acoustic Stories tour earlier this year. The album's harder rock moments seem to fit beyond exclusively country radio, something Shane is also interested in.

“It's on my bucket list to have a rock single. That would be amazing,” he says.