Original songs about familiar feelings

By Lyndsie Kiebert
Reader Staff

Originality is everything for Newport, Wash.-based band Shedroof Divide.

Husband-and-wife duo Randi and Mike Lithgow along with Randi’s mother, Tina Shaw, and friend Jessica Martin make up the four-piece outfit, which is set to play all original tunes at Matchwood Brewing on Friday, June 12 from 6-9 p.m.

Shedroof Divide: Tina Shaw, Jessica Martin, Mike Lithgow and Randi Lithgow. Courtesy photo.12

“Being able to play our own music is how we bring something special to the table, and everything is welcome at the table,” Randi Lithgow said, noting that she, Shaw and Martin write all of the band’s songs. “We all have very different life experiences, so each songwriter writes from a very different perspective.”

Shedroof Divide’s comforting, down-home sound and soaring harmonies flirt with a myriad of genres, including folk, gospel, bluegrass and even some pop ballad vibes. Lithgow — who provides vocals and plays guitar and keyboard — said she tends to describe the band’s music as Americana, since the genre emcompasses so much, from more distinguished tunes to those that are simply fun.

“Sometimes, you just need to write a trashy country song, and that’s OK,” Lithgow said. “A friend told me that whatever is in your heart will come out in the songs you write. I have found that to be true.”

Shaw plays guitar and sings in the band, while Martin plays percussion and sings as well. Mike Lithgow, who played upright bass in high school, picked the instrument up again at his wife’s request. 

Although Shedroof Divide has only been playing together for about 10 months, Lithgow said she has been playing music with her mother for as long as she can remember.

Shedroof Divide finds inspiration for its music in “nature, love and the human condition,” which means anything that makes up the human experience is up for songwriting fodder, according to Lithgow. The goal is to create music that people can relate to, she said.

“Some lyrics might make someone laugh or cry, might make them miss someone who has passed, remind them of their childhood or bring them to dancing,” Lithgow said. “We write about experiences, so we can share and create a new experience and emotional engagement together with our audience.”

The band’s name falls under the “nature” category of inspiration, the actual Shedroof Divide being a scenic piece of the Colville National Forest in northeast Washington. Lithgow said she spent many childhood weekends in the area enjoying the fresh air and trails.

“The Shedroof Divide represents aspects of life that are extremely important to all the members of our band: natural habitat, the beauty of rugged nature and the internal peace discovered at the tops of mountains,” she said. “We try to convey all of these things in the way we live our lives, and in many of our lyrics and songs.”