Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Lay.
Hi Shannon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Redondo Beach, CA. I never really liked school but I loved learning and discovering new things. It always felt like there was so much I wasn’t being told about, I knew there had to be more than what I was being shown. When I left home after high school, I started finding ways of learning and thinking that worked better for me than traditional education. I picked up guitar around age 13, it was a great place to put excess energy. When I moved to LA in 2009 I was working at a weed store outside of downtown LA and I joined a band called Facts on File playing guitar. Then I joined Raw Geronimo which eventually evolved into Feels. In 2016 I released my first solo record and began playing music full time in 2017. It’s been a great way to learn how to communicate and explore my own vulnerability. I love raging in louder bands but there’s a really unique feeling that comes from a more one on one interaction. I like having the juxtaposition. I spent 2019 playing in Ty Segall’s Freedom Band and now here we are in 2020 where all bets are off, haha!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Life was much more difficult when I was younger. Everyone has superpowers and as we get older, we start to figure out how to use them and it gets less overwhelming but until then it’s pretty intense. For me I was really sensitive to the energies around me and my environment was pretty hectic. There’s lots of mental illness in my family so I worried that something was wrong with me for a long time. When I was able to control my environment, I learned I was ok, at least chemically ok haha. It’s hard to find your place in the world and I was no exception. About seven years ago, I started learning about mindfulness and meditation, intention and awareness and everything started shifting in this really beautiful way. I saw my whole life, my outer world, morph to match my inner world. We have much more control than we think we do. In fact, playing music full time didn’t happen until I asked for it, I fully flipped the switch and set my intentions to make it happen and it happened. I’m learning to be more observant of my inner landscapes and a big part of this year has been a lot of letting go and cleaning out.
In my observations, I found so much that wasn’t mine; conditioning, ancestral trauma, old narratives, limiting beliefs. I had always functioned in such a way that these things would suck me in, I figured I was stuck with these structures, these feelings, after all good or bad they were who I was. Then I discovered that I could tear them down and rebuild. The last year, in particular has been an amazing opportunity to clean all the dark corners. It’s amazing how letting go of outdated beliefs or behaviors can be just as painful and letting go of something good, but we have to make room for the new, we have to get out of our own way. I am realizing the road is as smooth as I choose to make it, the ebb and flow is still in effect but if I can recognize any resistance then I can better manage suffering.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I play music, primarily solo right now. It feels like creations come from beyond you a lot of the time, something bigger than you that wants to get through. There is so much to learn and so many directions to grow in. I love creating and I see it has any other kind of relationship, it takes attention, compassion, and honesty. The music I’ve been making this year feels very honest, it is simple but the themes are quite dense. I want to help people with the things I create; help people to feel more connected to themselves and to each other. Music is an amazing part of life and I feel so lucky to make it. We grow to suit our environment so never limit your environment, your imagination, it’s so powerful. I’m always discovering new frequencies to tap into.
What’s next?
I’m looking forward to the beginning of a new world, haha. It feels like everything is shifting and changing. It will take time but I’m stoked to be a part of it. Less fear and more compassion. As for music, I’m working on some songs that I’m very excited about, more to come on that soon.
Contact Info:
- Email: mmfreegoo@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.shannonlay.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanny2dope/?hl=en
- Other: https://shannonlay.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Kai Macknight, Denee Segall, Brian Lee Hughes
