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Singer Sheila Marshall is "a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll."
Sheila Marshall -- vocals
Scott Steinsiek -- guitar
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Radio
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Makes Perfect Sense
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Believe
Beautiful For Situation EP, 2003
Sheila Marshall, 2005
Maybe Donny and Marie Osmond were onto something when they sang about being "a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll."
Singer Sheila Marshall and guitarist Scott Steinsiek personify that musical mantra — minus the blood relation and the sugary sweetness. The couple is originally from Nacogdoches but moved to Houston seven years ago to pursue music full time.
"Being from Texas, you can't get away from country music," Steinsiek says.
Marshall's roots are in gospel, Patsy Cline classics and singing with mom around the house. She attended Angelina College, where she crooned alongside the ensemble AC Singers, then went to Stephen F. Austin State University.
"Even as a small child I remember trying to sing louder than everybody else," Marshall says. "I just liked it, I think, more than the average kid."
Steinsiek has played in various rock outfits, but he seems comfortable with Marshall's roots-country edge. The duo is sometimes joined onstage by bassist Jorge Badillo, and various other locals fill out the band when needed.
During a recent acoustic gig at Goode's Armadillo Palace, Marshall and Steinsiek showcased a casual, confident energy amid the rowdy bar's happy-hour hustle and bustle. They also offered some dining recommendations: Marshall loves the salads, and Steinsiek raved about the "mountain" of guacamole that is served with chips.
Accompanied by Steinsiek's thoughtful guitar work, Marshall wrapped her strong, raspy voice around tunes from Linda Ronstadt, Martina McBride, Dolly Parton and a pair of her own favorites, Sheryl Crow and Lucinda Williams.
There were also a slew of impressive originals from Marshall's spankin'-new, full-length disc, Makes Perfect Sense. It's the follow-up to a 2000 self-titled effort and 2003's Beautiful for Situation.
"This new CD puts both our ideas and our tastes into one," Marshall says. "I started out doing country and then did the rock thing for a little while. As we started writing more and more of our own stuff, it became a mixture."
Indeed, the aptly titled Makes Perfect Sense offers an effortless blend of sounds, and it's nearly impossible to pick a favorite track. Radio, Believe, Goodbye, Should've Said, Zip Zero and the bouncy title track — each one is a keeper.
Marshall and Steinsiek, who have been married eight years, are aggressively promoting the independent release to radio stations and hope to make a dent on Texas music charts and secure a label deal.
"It's been good so far. Everyone is picking it up," Marshall says. "We've been playing around Houston for seven years. We've built up our following, now it's just getting radio behind us."
Marshall kicked opened a few doors in early 2004 when she was one of the top 10 finalists on the second season of Nashville Star, USA Networks' country-music talent competition. Winner Brad Cotter went on to middling success, and the show also featured George Canyon, a big star in his native Canada, and wildly talented Texan Brennen Leigh.
Marshall says she went through about six auditions before she finally made it onto the show, and she feels they were well worth it.
"I think I learned a lot about how everything worked. It's kind of who you know, making the right connections. It opened my eyes up a little bit more to that," Marshall says. "You've got to do something on your own before anyone's really interested. It makes it a lot harder on the artist, but you (the artist, not the label) can also make more money that way, too."
So far, the independent path seems just fine for Marshall and her music. She has plans for more touring and record promotion this year — with Steinsiek at her side, of course. It's likely neither one would have it any other way.
"It just happens. It's not something singular," Steinsiek says about the pair's chemistry. "There's a lot of things that we don't agree about, musically. But it's that fire and ice thing that makes it work for us — the yin and the yang."
-- Joey Guerra | June 29, 2005
