David Shultz and The Skyline (Marcus Shrock, Curtis Patton, Matt Morton, Kenny Shultz)
Influences
Paul Simon, Modest Mouse, The Band, Ron Sexmith, Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan, Buffalo Springfield, Billy Bragg, The Feverfew, Dire Straits, Minor Threat, Aaron Robinson, Sam Baker, Mermaid Skeletons, Josh Ritter, 7 Seconds, Son Volt, Tom Waits, Talking Heads, Orchestra Baobab, Roy Orbison, Liza Kate, Wilco, The Get Up Kids, Television, Mason Jennings, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Nirvana, Dan Bern, Jack Kerouac, Lil Wayne, Ryan Adams, Prabir and The Substitutes, M.A.S.H, Bruce Springsteen, others.
David Shultz and The Skyline - Sinner's Gold
SINNER'S GOLD:
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"Dripping thickly with catchy acoustic guitars, unabashed hometown storytelling and a voice that wavers between twang-y Dylan-esque and a more intelligible and possibly sober Isaac Brock (of Modest Mouse fame)...David Shultz knows how to work with what he’s got — a husky, gentle voice that effortlessly carries the songs — without trying to conform to what is already out there musically." - Exclaim!
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"Regardless of whatever influences he may have, and sounding at times like Bob Dylan, Josh Rouse or pre-Summerteeth Wilco, it is undeniable that Shultz does a good job at combining different styles into a varied and cohesive work. Be it folk, country, or "other," Sinner's Gold is a highly recommended work, the stride of an artist with a distinctive ear for pop showmanship and commendable words who aims undeniably high." - Lost At Sea (8.3/10)
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"These are the kind of songs that can spawn a singalong in a beer-spilling, soft-lighting, small-town kind of a way, not in a faux-spontaneous end-of-the-pop-rock-video dance party kind of a way. With their mix of sounding comfortably worn and vaguely familiar, the songs allow you to skip over the icebreaker stage of listening to something new. " - Sparkplugg
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"On “Sinner’s Gold,” his sophomore release for local label Triple Stamp Records, Shultz sounds remarkably self-assured and ready for mainstream radio. The acoustic-guitar-driven album is filled with catchy, pop-friendly melodies fronted by Shultz’s warm-toned, slightly weathered vocals, recalling the aforementioned Adams and Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco) — if they both sang Tom Petty songs." - Style Weekly
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"Shultz and The Skyline don’t beat the listener over the head with too much country or too little song differentiation. Each melody and soulful guitar lick serves its purpose better than the last. This is an album that can sweep you away, which is just what I was counting on." - Absolute Punk
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"Sinner's Gold doesn't have the twang or drawl of folk or Americana, but it definitely has an intimate, rootsy, down-home feel. It's highly melodic, softly rhythmic and complex without being brainy. It's transcendent of genre and time - these are songs that could have been written at any time somewhere in the wilds of America. It's our luck that we were able to be present at the time when Sinner's Gold was actually released." - Independent Clauses
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"If you find yourself having to listen to Sinner’s Gold over and over again – say, you’re writing a review – you find yourself in a treasure chest of nuance and subtlety. "Natural” is a soft and powerful song and one that displays Schultz’s lyrical and vocal talent, which seems to channel the emotional, heavily-annunciated vocals of Isaac Brock of the Lonesome Crowded West era. “Can’t Can’t” is the perfect companion for long, lonely drives through America’s farm country, and “Branches” brings a much needed electric jolt to the disc." - Three Imaginary Girls
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"Shultz has the charm of the singer who can’t really sing technically but is determined to do it anyway. He doesn’t force a twang or a polished pop sound. That honesty that you heard in Dylan and hear now in Conor Oberst... is in abundance in David Shultz." - Kaffeine Buzz
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"Jangly roots fare with the appropriate twang, thick bass and rough hooks. Good for foot-stompin' and hootin and hollerin' and whatever else you do to drive away the blues, with a mellow side to soothe even the most jaded. Of a type, I guess, but a very good type indeed." - Aid and Abet
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S/T:
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"Shultz approaches pop perfection in almost every one of his songs, delivering one so-easy-I-shoulda-thought-of-that melody after another over humble acoustic guitar, but he uses his music's simple elegance to explore some serious hurt. His warm-as-an-old-LP voice cracks and shakes when he probes deep, chipping away at his music's rounded pop surface and pushing on in search of intimacy and revelation." - Splendid
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"Similar to Jonathan Richmond, Gordon Gano, Bob Dylan, Paul Westerberg and a few other hot shot songwriter types, David Shultz had given us a record warm and deep with unexpectedly haunting melodies (How It Was), flecks of humor (Gray Away) and a little bit of ironic jingle-jangle business (Tones). With a diverse body of influences behind him and a masterful command of the English language and the language of pop music, David Shultz gives us plenty of reason to be excited about the future of the singer-songwriter. And this, of course, is just the first step." - Copper Press
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"College folk rock is a particularly loathsome genre in my books, yet David Shultz's self-titled debut is still impressive. He performs with a talent comparable to noteworthy contemporary singer-songwriters "Fisher King" is reminiscent of Iron & Wine, and "Abyss," with its waltz tempo and soft, elusive guitar melody brings Giant Sand's "Chore of Enchantment" to mind. Shultz is gifted, and he wears his heart on the sleeve his button-down shirt. His lyrics are charming, innocent, emotionally weighted, and far more believable than unfortunate contemporaries such as John Mayer." - Exclaim!
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"There is a lot to be said about Shultzs humble, spartan voice, but its really incautious to reduce this record to his vocal delivery. In Shultzs music, arrangements arent merely illustrative. In little more than half an hour, he shows how to grow cotton from apparently obsolete echo boxes..." - Lost At Sea (8/10)
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David Shultz and The Skyline's Friend Space (Top 16)
Have you guys heard yourselves on 'catch me if you can.' Pretty cool, eh? Let me know if I can ever return the favor with some glorious accordion/and or auto-harp stylings (heh).
