Tres Pescadores Records

California country singer-songwriter Rick Shea’s new Smoke Tree Road is an exceptional set that highlights his signature mix of communicative artistry, contemporary vision and traditional form.

With each album, Nick Justice continues to carve out his place in the rich tradition of American songcraft, carrying the troubadour spirit forward with honesty, soul, and grace.

Southern California artists collaborated to create this tribute to Patty Booker, who suffers from Lewy Body Dementia.  All proceeds from sales go directly to Patty to help her in her time of need.

A cross section of blues, folk, country and rock & roll from a gifted storyteller. the
essence of Americana music delivered by one of its severely under recognized talents.
 - Jim Hynes / Glide

Rick Shea cut his teeth in the bars and honky-tonks of San Bernardino and his songs reflect the folk, country, rock and Mexican influences he grew up with there. The Town Where I Live, Rick’s latest album, emerges from that world of haunts, hard choices and dusty rock & roll.

The Good Intentions, Peter Davies and Gabrielle Monk from Liverpool, England, are releasing their fourth album on Tres Pescadores Records, an independent label based in Southern California. This new release was recorded in California and features some of the region’s finest musicians including David P Jackson, Don Heffington, Brantley Kearns, and Rick Shea, who doubled as the producer. Comprised of ten original songs and one traditional song, the CD is a melancholy and melodic commentary on life and its myriad issues.

Sitting squarely on top of the main fault line of the San Andreas, the old railroad town of San Bernardino has seen its share of troubles.  On Sweet Bernardine, the title track of Rick Shea’s new album, Shea sings about San Bernardino and its troubled story, but still finds bittersweet comfort in the old and the familiar.

Shelter Valley lies somewhere midway between the mountains and the badlands east of San Diego - hard, desolate, beautiful and remote. Shelter Valley Blues is the title track to Rick Shea’s latest  album, a stark look at the tough places we sometimes find ourselves in and the price we pay, on an album that travels between the light and the dark.

Sawbones (Wagon Wheel, 2000)

Rick Shea

Reviewed by Eli Messinger

This third release ranges from a sweet acoustic cover of Lefty Frizell's "Saginaw Michigan" to muscular, electric tunes that bring to mind Lynyrd Skynyrd's less anthemic moments and a host of electric blues greats. Throughout, Shea's picking covers a lot of ground. His mandolin provides tender old-tyme and bluegrass runs on "Walking to Jerusalem" and the instrumental "Mesquite," then ranges to British folk sounds on "Deep Within the Well." His guitars run the gamut from softly picked and rhythmically strummed acoustics to low, reverberating waves of electric notes and bluesy twang.

Patty Booker brings the whole litany of life experiences to bear on this latest release.  You may not know who Patty Booker is and, she admits, “Sometimes I don’t even know.” Patty has lived life to its fullest – she has been wife, mother, daughter, sister, singer, songwriter, healer, blue collar worker, friend, lover and a lot more.