SHIM MOORE Live! - At The Hotel Cafe In Hollywood

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Laura De Gaetano

The Hotel Cafe in Hollywood became the hottest spot in town on Wednesday, September 12th when singer/songwriter/guitarist Shim Moore took the stage to promote his first solo record titled Shim which was released a few days later on the 15^th.

For those who have seen him perform with his previous band Sick Puppies, this was surely a different side of Moore that many hadn’t seen before. Wearing all black and with a red curtain behind him, Moore picked up his guitar and began strumming as he told the story about the song he wrote when he was 17 years old titled The Way. As Moore strummed his guitar, he spoke about how he moved out of his father’s house at the age of 14 and eventually moved in with his godfather who had cancer. He was told that he needed to get his heart broken in order to write some good songs, and when eventually his godfather passed away and he wrote the song. It was a tender moment and the audience was completely drawn into his smooth and heartfelt vocals.

He continued playing and telling the story of when Sick Puppies came to Los Angeles in 2005. They saw every single record label twice and when it seemed like things would never happen for them, one of the executives told them their songs were great and the performance was great but they were missing something. Moore asked what they were missing and was told to come back when they found it. From there, he would sit down after work and write lyrics to the music he wrote the night before. He talked about a friend back in Australia he called the “free hugs” guy and it inspired him. Eventually, he ended up making a short film about his friend which ended up going viral and suddenly drawing massive attention to Sick Puppies. Calls began coming in from Oprah, CNN, Jat Leno, and all of the record labels were seeking them out. As Moore began to play the song featured in the video titled, All The Same, he truly poured his heart out to an attentively silent crowd. You could have heard a pin drop as everyone listened with their soul and not just their ears.

Shimon Moore performs at Hotel Cafe’ in Hollywood, CA on September 12th 2018 ©2108 Ron Lyon / Screamer Magazine

One of the highlights was when Moore played a cover of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean as a dedication to late Chris Cornell. Moore clearly has all of the passion in the world for his music and the words he sings. As Moore continued talking about his story, you could hear the sadness that still resonated in him from losing his place in the band in 2014. Moore wasn’t sure what he was going to do with his life and he had all of these songs and these clichés in mind that don’t always help when you need them to, The experience helped him to move forward, but he still held his head down as if he was broken and waiting for another setback. So, when he decided to do the new album he had to go all in. Broken Men from his record spoke of all his failures, struggles and triumphs.

Moore’s house band came up as he began talking about the Sick Puppies song Maybe which has been inspirational to anyone who has heard it. Moore spoke of a woman who quit working at the label to pursue a career in culinary arts. He was happy that she was so moved by the song but she was supposed to promote their record. “For anyone who knows what I went through and where I have been, you know how this song affects me. But, now that I am no longer in the band I just laugh and laugh when I hear it or play it.”

Moore was incredibly generous with his vulnerability in a show that was simple yet impactful at the same time and a look into his journey from before Sick Puppies to the remarkable artist he has grown to become. The talent he has is finally being showcased the way it was meant to be and Moore gave until he had nothing left, and ending the show on an inspirational note. “People kept telling me to write songs that make money but what is the point of writing songs if they aren’t going to make a difference” as he finished out the set with the hit single Hallelujah.

Now that his first show is out of the way and the album has been released, it is only a matter of time before Shim Moore is known for his solo work because this is where he belongs. His personality and willingness to relate to people and open up to people is what sets him apart. We can’t wait to see where the journey takes him next.

CLICK HERE to view more pics from the show.

Set List

The Way

All The Same

Odd One

Billie Jean

Broken Men

Maybe

Fearless

Crucified

Our Time

Secrets