Will Shirley

Will Shirley is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Santa Cruz, CA. He grew up in Oklahoma, where he formally learned piano at a young age and eventually taught himself guitar and drums. He expresses his love for music by frequently jamming with friends, playing local shows around the Santa Cruz mountains, writing songs, and recording music at local studios. He has plenty of experience behind the boards, recording and mixing music for other artists. He's well-versed in communicating ideas and breaking a song down to its parts, which has helped him in his teaching career, especially with students who are looking to take their next steps in songwriting and composition.

His musical inspirations include Wilco, The Black Keys, Talking Heads, Pixies, Beach House, Velvet Underground, Fleet Foxes, and The Flaming Lips. His musical interests go deep, as he's a big-time crate-digger and spends hours going down rabbit holes of connections between musicians over the last several decades.

Along with music, Will has hobbies in film photography, video recording & editing, writing, and cooking. On a day off, you might find him sitting at the fireplace & strumming George Harrison songs on his trusty acoustic guitar.