The Shana Stack Band Celebrates The Keene Sentinel's 225th Anniversary

The Shana Stack Band, a leading country band in New England, takes the main stage to help celebrate the Keene Sentinel's 225 anniversary celebration in downtown Keene on Saturday, Sept. 7. Shana Shack grew up in Fitchburg, Mass. and moved to Keene during college. "I went to college for musical theater and when I came to Keene State College I fell in love with Keene and decided to move here," says Stack. "I knew I wanted to be a singer early on. I started listening to Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood and Martina McBride — all the big powerhouse female singers. I started getting into country then," says Stack. The Shana Stack Band's memorable moments include when they opened on the Main Stage for such stars as Toby Keith (Bank of NH Pavilion), Craig Morgan (Delta Dental Stadium), Travis Tritt (New Hampshire Motor Speedway) and The Marshall Tucker Band (Northlands Live). They have performed on the Magic Hat Stage at Bank of NH Pavilion for the following national acts: Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Kane Brown, Reba McEntire, Sugarland, The Band Perry, Rascal Flatts and Little Big Town. The Shana Stack Band members include: Shana Stack on lead vocals; Stephen Dyon on lead guitar and vocals; Sean Patrick Lake on drums, bass and vocals; Emily Lake on keys and vocals; Dave Lake on steel guitar, rhythm guitar, banjo and keys; and Gene Kossakoski on bass and vocals. Stack lives with her husband Ricky and their German shepherd, Abby, in Keene. The Sentinel reached her recently for an extensive interview. Here's an excerpt of the conversation: V.C.: Hi Shana, it's good to speak with you today! Let's dive right in. Who were some of your early music influences? S.S.: Patsy, Loretta, Tammy Wynette. When I started listening to country, my musical heroes were Trisha and Martina McBride — her big voice — that big, belty, loud voice. I really connected with her music. Pat Benatar and Ann Wilson from Heart were other female artists I emulated growing up. Those artists helped shape my voice. V.C.: What was your vocal training like? S.S.: My mother sent me to singing lessons when I was a teenager. I started doing chorus in school. I was a dancer and took ballet, tap and jazz and was a competition dancer in high school. That's when I fell in love with musical theater. I sang the national anthem at sporting events in school. I studied with Sherry Curry in Leominster, Mass. who was such a good teacher and such a good person. V.C.: You represented the state of New Hampshire at a competition in Tennessee? S.S.: Realizing that my vocal style kinda matched that big, belty style, I started by doing contests in New Hampshire. The NH Country Music Association presented me with some awards, so I traveled down to Tennessee, representing NH, and then I put out a solo album and we created my first band Shana Stack and Fastlane. V.C.: Congratulations on winning lots of musical awards. Which one means the most to you? S.S.: The one I am the most proud of is from the New England Music Awards. We won two from them: country band of the year and band of the year, which was the all-genre category. That was very cool. V.C.: You are performing for the Keene Sentinel's 225th anniversary celebration. What are your thoughts on this extraordinary milestone? S.S.: We're very excited to be playing at the Sentinel's 225th anniversary. We have a lot of rich music history in Keene. The Sentinel (reaching) 225 years is a lot for any business, especially for the news. It's so important for people to have a reliable source for news. All the different spins and false narratives you can get online. It's important to have a news outlet you can trust, like the Sentinel. V.C.: What can the audience expect from your set on the Main Stage? S.S.: We will play a mix of some of the classic country songs. The audiences are really enjoying nostalgia right now; they can expect a few of Patsy (Cline), Loretta Lynn and Trisha Yearwood. We're still doing our modern country and some of my originals. SHOW DETAILS As part of the Keene Sentinel's 225 anniversary celebration, The Shana Stack band will perform on the Central Square Gazebo from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7. For more information, visit https://www.sentinelsource.com/. For more information on the Shana Stack band, visit www.shanastack.com