Bringing you the SERIOUSNESS of three of your fave musicians: Sam, Marcus & Bobby!

Marcus, Bobby & Sam

Welcome to the newly created Shack of Soul, a fan site for the fans, by the fans of Bobby Long, Marcus Foster and Sam Bradley. Our idea came after we went to see the guys in Dallas for the first time. We both fell in love and realized these guys needed a fan site where fans could come and just have fun and learn more about the guys. And we want you all to be just as involved. We want to post your pictures, your videos and your stories about the guys!

This site is also meant to be a Twilight/Rob Pattinson light zone. That means that unless there is a direct correlation between the guys and Twi/Rob, then we will not report things like “Rob’s BFF says…” or “Twilight artists…” But, if Rob jumps up on stage to do a duet with Marcus, then we’ll definitely cover that!

We are going to start our new blog with our own introductions and fan encounters, right after the jump!

Meet Amber

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Amber and I run another blog (Rob My World). I’ve been talking up Sam and Bobby a little bit on my other blog, but when I went to Dallas I was a changed woman. I went to the Friday night show with Marcus and Bobby, as well as the Saturday all-niter will all three of the guys!

When Marcus first came on that stage, for the first time in the U.S., and started to sing, I thought I was going to die. His voice was so soulful and full of emotion. It was something that I had a hard time feeling when I listened to his MySpace page but that I truly “got” while he stood in front of us and crooned. This is how bad it was, Sam was in the audience watching and I didn’t care. There was nothing else in the world other than Marcus and that guitar!

Then Bobby came on and won me over with his emotion, the amazing faces he made while he sung, the hair, EVERYTHING! I had never really been to a small gig like that where you had so much personal interaction, and I felt that with Bobby. When he was singing, it felt like he was just singing to me and no one else. It was AMAZING!

The next night was the first time I saw Sam live and that man has a stage presence that cannot be beat. He comes off like the seasoned pro and plays fan favorites in addition to his own songs. Sam had me won over before I saw him live, but  after seeing him in person I just couldn’t get over how really great he was.

Meeting all of the guys was another great treat! They are truly appreciative and seem willing to do anything for their fans. They stayed out in the rain to sign autographs and take pictures. They waited around till 4 a.m. to make sure everyone got to meet them. I just couldn’t believe that these guys were not only such amazing performers, but that they were humble, sweet and in Marcus’ case, even nervous.

I came home and decided that blogging about them on a Rob-related site seemed unfair to the guys. They are trying to separate themselves from Twi/Rob, and it’s understandable why. And I want to help that processing by separating my own love for them and placing it all in a Twi/Rob light zone. So, here we are!

Meet LiLi

Coming from Austin, I can safely say that I have seen hundreds of shows in my life.  And I while I am no music expert, I do know what I like and what I don’t.  Usually I tend to veer towards the heavier stuff– I like it loud, hard and fast (that’s what she said).  So it’s pretty rare that I get into many singer/songwriters, but when I do I become fiercely loyal.

All three together-- *died*

That is exactly what occured the first time I heard a Bobby Long track.  I was hooked from that first note.  Which of course, after many You Tube searches and Myspace listens, his music led me to Marcus Foster and Sam Bradley. Naturally, I was pretty stoked when all three were in Dallas the first weekend in August and a group of us went to see them play at Poor David’s Pub.

The first night was only Bobby and Marcus and the second had all three of them playing.  Both shows were seriously two of the best that I had seen in a long time.  All three played solo, only their voice and guitar and yet all three were so completely different in style and sound.

Soulful– that’s the only way to describe Bobby.  He sang from deep within and there were moments when he was so completely immersed in a song that I felt like an intruder spying on something private.

Marcus, who incidently played his first ever American show that first night, was just incredibly raw and powerful.  He would get so lost in his performance that he would just take off and riff.  That to me is the beauty of seeing live music.  Watching an artist take his own song and change it up in the heat of the moment because he feels it and that is where it takes him– and Marcus does it beautifully.

And of course there is Sam, who (shhh, don’t tell the others) was the one I was dying to hear the most.  He did not disappoint.  There is one word to describe watching Sam on stage– electric.  As soon as he grabs that mic and begins, he just owns you.  He stage presence and interactions with the crowd are magnetic.  You can’t take your eyes off him.

But it doesn’t end there people.  These guys, who have been on the road and had a full weekend of commitments aside from Poor David’s Pub, were so generous with their time before, during and after shows.  They stood and visited with fans until the last person in line was gone.  All three were nothing but gracious to everyone and took the time to sign endless items and take dozens of pictures up until 4am on the last night.

It is artists like these that I feel like we should be supporting.  Those who are working hard, making good music and never forgetting to take time for their fans.  That is why I am excited to start this new site with Amber.  I just want others out there to discover, learn and enjoy the music of these guys.  So, stop by often and let us know what you think.  Or even better, share with us your pics/vids/stories of seeing Sam, Marcus and Bobby live.  The more the merrier!

Image courtesy of Krazy_Kidd