Shanda Cisneros

Shanda & The Howlers

This month Shanda Cisneros of Shanda & The Howlers sits down and answers a few of our questions.

MB: What first got you into creating music? 

SC: I've wanted to be a singer as long as I can remember.  My parents both loved oldies and I remember looking at the cover of a The Platters album thinking how cool it was there was a girl in a "guy band." 

I can't take all the credit for the creation of our music though, it's a collaborative effort.  Our bass player, Luke is the mastermind.  I usually tell him what kind of song or the subject matter and he'll come up with lyrics and a melody.  Then, he & I get together and go over the song.  I'll change some lyrics or we'll figure out a slightly different melody to fit the mood of the song.  Then Trevor (guitar) puts his magical touch on it and BAM! we have a new song. 

MB: Shanda and the Howlers has been referred to as a rhythm and blues revivalist band, is that how you describe your music? If not, how would you describe it? Or what would you add to that description?

SC: Well, we're not strictly R&B.  There's a lot of 50s-60s rock, country, & blues influences too.  I like to call it Rock n Soul.  

MB: If you could share the stage with any act (past or present), who would it be and why? 

SC: This is such a loaded question.  There are so many acts, past & present that I just love.  I would have to say Sam Cooke or Ruth Brown would've been killer! 

MB: What is your favorite part of your profession? Writing? Recording? Performing? Something else? 

SC: I love performing.  I'm kind of in a different place up there.  It's very cathartic for me to be able to get up there and share so much emotion.  I'm exorcising my demons.

MB: What is your advice to other artists who are starting out in the Las Vegas music scene? 

SC: Love what you play.  When you play just for a paycheck, it kind of rips the soul out of it. If you have to do the latter; do it so you can do the former.

MB: What's your favorite thing to do to unwind?

SC: Hmm...I'm not sure I know how to unwind, ha-ha!  It changes depending on my mood.  Sometimes I need to go to a good show or party with friends.  Other times, I like to sit at home drink wine & watch funny movies.

MB: What's next for Shanda and the Howlers?

SC: We've been working on a ton of new music in preparation for our next album which we're hoping to begin recording very soon and release later this year.  In the meantime, we're going to get our first album pressed on vinyl.  That should be available around April/May this year.

Thank you Shanda for taking time to chat with us! Shanda & The Howlers will be performing at The Sand Dollar Lounge in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 14th. In the meantime, if you want to check out some of Shanda & The Howlers talents, check out samples of their most recent album below.