And Shane Walts' EP "Rogers, OH": A Grieving Son's Poetic Remembrance of his Father

San Diego singer-songwriter And Shane Walts presents a politics-inflected, deeply personal and intimate three-track EP where he memorializes a father's love, legacy, and departure. Named after his late father's Ohio hometown, Rogers, OH is a series of spoken word, gentle folk, and raw sentiment that serves as a eulogy only a son could write.

The first track is "Rainbow Connection." It begins quietly, fitting a tone which is reverent. Built around a spoken poem written by the artist's aunt (his father's sister), it feels like a group of people lamenting and recollecting coverage of a family memory, shared through whispered recollections by candlelight and song. 

The title track, "Rogers, OH" unravels where a young boy wiz a carefree, joyful visit where he is experiencing his father's roots, eventually it arrives at the son reckon with the complexity of loss in the same place. This track does an excellent job of muffling the dichotomy of nostalgia that accompanies grief; layers of nostalgia and grief swell into the arrangement, marking the emotional transition from childhood naivety to complicated adult grief.

The final track, “Me and the Cockroaches,” which starts out as a lighthearted back-and-forth, ultimately lands with a gut-punch of longing. The line his dad’s way of saying “Don’t worry about me” that emerges in the song becomes a refrain of persistence and everlasting presence. “Rogers, OH” is music. It’s memory on a melody, loss wrapped in love.

Follow And Shane Walts to get more incredible updates:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/andshanewalts

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andshanewalts/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andshanewalts

Bandcamp: https://andshanewalts.bandcamp.com/music

Website: https://andshanewalts.com/