Sat 11/12 @ 6-10:30PM
Akron-based guitarist Marc Lee Shannon is best known to northeast Ohio audiences for the 25 years he spent as a member of Michael Stanley’s long-running final band, the Resonators. But his story and background are more complicated than that.
As a starry-eyed 19-year-old he moved to L.A. to attend the Guitar Institute of Hollywood and spent a decade performing with bands in the city’s roots rock/alt country scene. He moved home in the mid 90s when he hooked up with Stanley, and performed both with the Resonators and Stanley’s classic rock side project the Midlife Chryslers until the pandemic shut things down and Michael Stanley passed away in March 2021.
Meanwhile, Shannon did his own solo album in 2007 called An Ordinary Man, produced by Stanley and released on his Line Level label. His second, Walk This Road, in 2018, was produced by Ryan Humbert of Akron’s alt-country band The Shootouts. He released #3, called Lucky 7, earlier this year. “Lucky 7” is a reference to something that’s become a dominant passion in Shannon’s life, along with his music: his sobriety. He had recently celebrated his seventh year of sobriety.
Reaching out and supporting others looking for a path to sobriety has become a big part of Shannon’s life. He’s an Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Certified Peer Recovery Supporter, and he volunteers weekly at treatment and detox wards. He also speaks and performs for Music and Message, which encourages others in recovery. He is also a member of the Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board.
To reach still more people who might be looking for a way out of addiction, he’s now released a book called Sober Chronicles™: My Journey of Discovery on the Road to Recovery in which he shares the story of his journey in the hopes of helping others. It collects columns called “Sober Chronicles” that he wrote for Akron’s alternative newspaper The Devil Strip between July 2019 and August 2021, detailing his recovery from substance abuse disorder and mental health issues, even while dealing with the grief and uncertainty following Stanley’s death. Sober Chronicles™ is available in paperback and eBook formats from Amazon as well as Shannon’s website. Its official release date is Thursday November 10.
Shannon will mark its release with a headlining slot at the 2022 My Recovery Day Jam on November 12 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, sponsored by the nonprofit My Recovery Day. He’ll be one of several musicians sharing the story of their sobriety and performing. The event will be live streamed to facilities that treat and support those in recovery. Find more about the event here.