When a group of friends in Highland Park, New Jersey started an informal music project together, they had no idea they’d go from a living room-picking situation to touring and playing major festivals. That’s exactly what happened with Magnolia Street String Band, named after the street where their first practice space was located – in a house on the corner of Magnolia Street and Fourth Street. “Magnolia Street sounded better than Fourth Street, so we went with it,” laughs the band’s frontwoman, Sheila Shukla.
Sheila and her sister grew up listening to music in their parents’ home in Branchburg, NJ, but it wasn’t until she attended the University of North Carolina in Greensboro that she discovered bluegrass. “I had learned piano and choral singing as a kid and picked up the guitar and folk/rock singing in college.”
A trip to a street festival was a pivotal musical moment for Sheila. “I heard a bluegrass band, and it hit me the right way. I loved the four-piece acoustic sound. Soon, I discovered Alison Krauss, and it all came together for me. When I returned to New Jersey, I eventually found my way into playing in folk and bluegrass groups.”
Sheila and Matthew Backes started Magnolia Street String Band in 2013. The band picked up the late Paul Prestopino at a festival. “He showed up on stage and began playing mandolin. Then he asked us if he could join our band,” says Sheila. Paul had a world of experience playing with legendary groups like Peter Paul and Mary, John Denver, and the Chad Mitchell Trio. Bobby Baxmeyer and Ron Greenstein were connected by mutual friends and joined soon after.
As the band developed its own sound, it started performing for audiences in 2014, and the response fueled it to keep playing. Its music tapped traditional bluegrass as well as covers of contemporary tunes, paying homage to the “grassicana” sound of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The band, led by Matt at the time, recorded an album, Wrong Side of the Rain, in 2019, produced by Backes and Bob Harris in Bob’s studio in Bridgewater, NJ. “It was unfortunate timing for us. We were planning a tour, and then the pandemic hit, so we just enjoyed the album at home,” says Sheila.
As the world recovered from the pandemic, Matt took a health leave due to Parkinson’s disease, and Sheila emerged as the band’s leader. As a music and movement teacher for children under six, she realized how music can change the energy of a classroom. “I do a lot of creative improvisation in my classroom, and I thought I should make an album for kids. I called Bob and told him the plan, and he suggested a children’s bluegrass album.”
Sheila says she “knocked it out” with the album By the Light of the Moon, released on October 4 – National Children’s Music Day. The album was created with children in mind, but the excellent instrumentation will also appeal to bluegrass fans of all ages. Produced by Bob Harris, Sheila Shukla, and Gary Oleyar (who played with Loggins and Messina), By the Light of the Moon transports listeners to a magical place through forests, gardens, and into the sky. Bob, who has played with Vassar Clements for decades and been part of more than a thousand records in his career, played guitar on the album.
Sheila wrote all but two songs on the album. “My sister, Rita Shukla, wrote and sang “Morning Waltz” and contributed to the harmonies on several songs. She also collaborated with me on the creative direction of this album,” Sheila says. Sheila’s three children, Surya (14), Sonia (12), and Dhruv (7), lent their vocals to the album. Matt Backes makes an appearance in “Oh Susanna,” and Nick Conte sings harmonies.
“I wrote the songs on the album to be educational for children – it includes life lessons, as well as fun, whimsy, creativity, and calm and peace.” One of the singles, “Slow Down Rabbit,” was co-written with Sheila’s daughter. “That song is definitely for me,” she laughs. “I need a reminder sometimes to slow down and enjoy each moment.”
Realizing that she is unique as a South Asian woman in the world of bluegrass, Sheila says she has found her voice through the inspiration she has gained from artists including Mollie Tuttle, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch. “I have been playing with and hoping to collaborate with other South Asian bluegrass artists in the future.”
Sheila hopes families will listen to By the Light of the Moon together. “I would love for families to have fun with this album together and want to listen to it over and over again.”
Magnolia Street String Band
Booking contact: Sheila Shukla
Publicity: Ever Kipp
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