The Awkward Stage

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and raised in Vancouver BC, Shane Abram Nelken, leader and songwriter for The Awkward Stage has long been considered one of Vancouver's best kept secrets. Where some play hard to get, he has taken it a step further and played "hard to find " Much like TV "Fall Guy" Lee Majors, he's the unknown stuntman who made Vancouver's indie scene sound so fine. Shane's ability to seamlessly shift among a wide variety of musical styles (and instruments) has made him a much sought after "hired ringer" by many of Vancouver's elite acts: A.C. Newman (of The New Pornographers , Sparrow, Vancouver Nights, The Ronnie Hayward Trio The Come Ons, The Buzzards, The Blue Lodge Quartet, to name but a few. He is finally stepping out from big brother's shadow with his own band, The Awkward Stage and the debut album on Mint Records, Heaven Is For Easy Girls co-produced and engineered by The New Pornographers drummer Kurt Dahle, and possessing that distinctive intangible musical essence - some say "The Vancouver Sound" - initially spearheaded and made famous by those notorious New Pornographers. Shane Nelken currently lives in Vancouver where he works as a cremationist.

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