By C.W. Ross

Tom Shaner is a prolific songwriter having written over 300 songs. His, ‘Get Real or Get Gone’ EP offers up 7 of those songs and gives you, the listener, a wide variety of his musical styles. Some of you might also know Shaner from his previous band Industrial Tepee.

As I listened to Shaner’s music it had this familiar sound with some interesting edges giving it a fresh and at times brooding vibe to it.The acoustic folk sounding track, “Waltz13″, gets things off to a good start. For me it’s on tracks 2 & 3 though when things kick into high gear. The title track, “Get Real or Get Gone” offers up an hypnotic drum part, duet vocals and a sprinkling of strings that drive its lyrics that deal with seducing a would be lover. “If I could Give You a Star,” is an electric guitar filled, up tempo, rock edged track.

You’ll also find the poignant track, “Unprotected Heart (for J.B.),” That is a tribute to Shaner’s old friend and onetime musical cohort Jeff Buckley who was taken much too early due to his tragic drowning in 1997. Being an old trumpet player I have to also mention the EP’s last track, “Waiting for You”, an up tempo track featuring a nice trumpet part. On his ‘Get Real or Get Gone’ EP Shaner offers up a nice mix of songs that are all built upon a rock solid musical foundation.