Upper Lake >> When Sheridan Malone retired from his career as the owner of an auto parts and repair shop, he didn’t take a long breather. Instead, he barely stopped working, replacing engines with a guitar. “Music was always an afterthought, now it’s become my art,” Malone said. “For me it’s become a method of self expression.”
Malone, who has been playing the guitar since the seventh grade, performs once a month at the Blue Wing Saloon in Upper Lake during dinner for $20 Tuesdays. He plays tonight.
He attaches a fairly broad label to his music, describing it as folk Americana. Though he plays mostly bluegrass, early country and folk music, he’s also been involved in rock ‘n’ roll groups, barber shop quartets, opera and musical theater. He covers a lot of ground, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“To me, if a song has something to say … or does something to affect you and you’re capable of reproducing it, why not?” Malone said. “Music is music. It isn’t about styles or genre and when you sing a song that tells a story and has an emotion, that’s universal for every kind of music that’s out there.”
Bob Dylan, the Louvin Brothers; Emmylou Harris; and Peter, Paul and Mary are just a few of the many artists who have had an impact on Malone’s music. “I tend to gravitate toward harmony music,” he said. “It’s nice to listen to people who sing with grit.”
Just as he doesn’t stick to one genre, Malone also plays multiple instruments. In addition to the guitar, he’s picked up the bass and the ukelele, the latter for practical reasons more than anything. “It’s kind of difficult to get a full sized guitar when you’re taking a trip on an airplane,” he explained. “My mom got me this little ukelele which doesn’t even count as a carry on, it’s just a personal item.”
While the small instrument has a higher sound than a guitar, Malone can use it to play almost any style, even bluegrass. Though musicians used to only use a ukelele for swing and Hawaiian music, now, the instrument is “all over the place.”
Malone didn’t add songwriting to his repertoire until later in life, but he’s found the process inspiring, even if it is sometimes a challenge to remember his words. Inspiration can spring from anywhere, either in verse form or as a melody. One of Malone’s favorite songs to write was inspired by his daughter, who went off to college and had her heart broken for the first time. She called her father and told him of the heartbreak she was facing. “I got off the phone and what I was thinking was, ‘she’s not the only one.’ As a parent you don’t want to see your children suffer but sometimes that’s part of life,” Malone said. The song ends on a positive note, with the message that his daughter would get through the pain.
“Every now and then the songwriting thunderbolt strikes you and it just comes pouring out,” he added. “Something strikes you and you gotta get it down.”
Malone’s love for music runs so deep, he’s not satisfied unless he’s sharing his passion. He teaches vocal production and harmony at workshops and camps. He first caught the teaching bug while attending the California Coast Music Camp. “What I found was an extraordinary close knit community and an encouraging environment where all sorts of vocal styles are taught. That kind of inspired me to do more,” he said. “I like teaching because you learn things that help you understand how to play and not worry about it. The operative word is play … If you can just get in and express yourself, the more fun that is.”
Where some artists paint or write, Malone uses his music to express his identity. “For some people, their art is their life. This is the point where I’m getting to exercise that option,” he said. “It’s a personal risk, it’s very personal to sing. It’s more about having everybody transported somewhere for a brief moment. It’s a wonderful method of self expression. I can’t imagine not doing it.”
Performing for restaurant goers, be they at the Blue Wing or elsewhere, requires an knack for versatility, something Malone certainly possesses. “When you’re a live entertainer and people haven’t come necessarily for the entertainment, you have to get a sense of what seems to be appealing to this group. Sometimes it’s a gentle song and sometimes it’s a door buster, with a big high finish, and I tend to do both of those,” he explained. “It starts as background music but I think often it’s a little more engaging than that. Sometimes it inspires diners.”
Malone hopes to elevate the dining experience of everyone at the Blue Wing tonight. “It’s a pleasure for me as well as the people who are listening to it,” he said. “If anything, I’m trying to embellish their experience of going out there.”
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
