Diane Coffee is the alter-ego of songwriter/musician/actor Shaun Fleming. And if there’s anything Shaun can’t do, we haven’t seen it yet.
The songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has penned two full-length albums under this moniker and has been touring relentlessly since the release of the latest LP, Everybody’s A Good Dog. Described as Psychedelic Motown, the music is part glam rock, part soul, part Broadway musical. The motown sound permeates Down With The Current and Tams Up, while infuences of David Bowie and Hedwig and the Angry Inch are crystal clear on I Dig You, with swirling organ and singalong chorus.
High-energy live shows feature a killer backing band in Drake Ritter (guitar), Caleb Hickman (keys, sax), Glenn Myers (bass) and Ben Lumsdaine (drums), but Fleming is a dynamic frontman and unmistakable star of the show. He immediately connects with his audience with unselfconscious enthusiasm, direct eye contact and personable banter.
The band is about to hit the road again, and I highly recommend checking it out. You can also catch Shaun as the drummer for Foxygen.
All photos by Cleveland rock photographer Mara Robinson.
