About Shining Wheel

Shining Wheel Pagan Chorus
Shining Wheel Pagan Chorus performing in 2012: Eric Bohner, Rhythm, Lori Newlove, Brian Seachrist, Raine Paar, Colby Parrish, Michael Johnson and Nahani Gorsira (l-r)
Background information
Origin	Clearwater, Florida
Genres	Pagan, New Age
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Self Published
Website	shiningwheelband.com
Members
Connie Beal Eric Bohner Nahani Gorsira Michael Johnson Brian Morse Lori Newlove Raine (Christina) Paar Colby Parrish Brian Seachrist Holli Tempe
Former members
Balinnor Crystal Belden Maria Brueck Lisa Fetter Jennifer Fonslet Chance Gray Jillian Kestrel Jamie Kiefner LuAnn Morris Amy Otero Vicki Scotti Charles Simmons Susan Simmons Kathi Wahls Leah Wall Scott Wall Cody Yunick

Shining Wheel Pagan Chorus is a band that performs praise music honoring the Goddess and the God of Pagans, Witches, and Wiccans. Their lyrics are drawn from mythology, nature, meditation, and divine inspiration. Their music draws from rock, blues, pop, jazz, folk, alternative and even New Age styles. They are best know for their songs, "Sun Moon and Stars", "Moonlight Shines (In the Midnight Wood)", "Loki" and "Lady of the Moon". They are based out of Clearwater, Florida and have toured at Pagan venues including bookstores, New Age shops, Unitarian Churches and music festivals nationwide. They just completed their second album, Elemental Children Of Earth.

History

In 1989, Lori Newlove had the good fortune of being a member of the chorus during the 2000-person ritual celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Starhawk's iconic book The Spiral Dance. Singing with Starhawk's coven, Reclaiming influnced her greatly and led her to create a musical group within her own coven, Shining Wheel.

Lori Newlove formed Shining Wheel coven in 1994. Lori found many other talented voices within the coven and so they incorporated chants and songs that Lori had learned in California into their rituals. Shining Wheel Coven also started creating their own songs to perform during public and private rituals.

In 2001 Lori sugested that the coven produce a CD of their original chants and songs. Most of the coven loved to sing, so in 2001 Crystal Belden, Lisa Fetter, Chance Gray, Nahani Gorsira, Jillian, Jamie Kiefner, Brian Morse, Amy Otero, Brian Seachrist, Charles Simmons, Susan Simmons, Vicki Scotti, Kathi Wahls, Leah Wall, Scott Wall, Andrew Newlove, and Lori Newlove formed the Shining Wheel Pagan Chorus.

Brian Seachrist, the band's drummer,was doing music production at Panda Studios in Clearwater, Florida so he got them into the studio to start recording. The 17 member band worked very hard recording while still, performing throughout the South

In 2002, Brian Morse the band's guitarist formed a solo project called Treblehawk.

In 2003, Shining Wheel Pagan Chorus released their first album, Chants Of Balance. By the time it was released, the Pagan community was so hungry for the music that they had been listening to live, that this album has sold over 1600 copies, cementing the success of the fledgling band.

Many members of the band put in so much time and effort, forgoing other priorities, that once the album was released they chose to focus on other parts of their life. Within the first year after the release of Chants Of Balance Crystal Belden, Kathi Wahls, Leah Wall, Scott Wall, Susan Simmons, and Chance Gray left the band.

During the same year Brian Morse became the director of the band and they auditioned a number of new members including Balinnor, Maria Brueck, Holli Tempe, Michael Johnson, Connie Beal, Kestrel, LuAnn Morris, Lisa Fetter and Jen Fonslet.

Their continued performances in places like the Memphis Bandshell and the success of Chants of Balance prompted their fans to plead for a second album.

In 2004 Chance and Amy Otero left the band, in 2006 Jillian and Jamie Kiefer as well as Lisa Fetter left the band, in 2007. The band and their fans were very surprised when Andrew Newlove also left in 2007. In 2008 Jen Fonslet left the band and Cody Yunick joined the band after moving here from Colorado.

2008 also marked the return of Shining Wheel Pagan Chorus to the studio to work on their second album titled tenatively Meet the Witches.

In 2009 Vicki Scotti, LuAnn Morris, and Amy Otero started a side project, a sister band called Hecate's Wheel and in in the same year released their first album also entitled Hecate's Wheel. Later that year Eric Bohner was added to the Shining Wheel lineup.

2010 was a busy year. Shining Wheel released "Gaia" the first single from their second album with the working title Naked On The earth. The members of Hecate's Wheel left Shining Wheel to persue their band full time and to work on their second album. They continued to lend their support and voices by recording with us as well.

Kestrel left the band and moved to Colorado.

Maria Brueck and Cody Yunick also left the band to pursue other avenues of music. Maria joined Treblehawk and Brian Morse turned his solo project into a full band, even though he continues to write for and promote Shining Wheel.

In reaction to the unprecedented devastation close to home caused by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Michael Johnson and the rest of Shining Wheel Pagan Chorus wrote a song entitled "The Gulf Song: She Gives Us Life", praising Mother Ocean and mourning the loss of Her innocence. The proceeds from early live performances went to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary (The largest wild bird hospital and bird sanctuary in the United States) to help clean and save the wildlife hurt by the oil spill. The band also had a professional Videographer, Theodore Harris, produce a music video for the song. Shining Wheel also decided to add it as a last minute track on their second album.

Just in time for Samhain, Shining Wheel released the single "Hecate Is Rising"; a haunting look at a powerful Goddess and Her transformative power.

In 2011 "Elemental Children Of Earth" was release as an single and the band decided to rename the upcoming album Elemental Children Of Earth after the final single realeased. They also added two new members, Raine (Christina) Paar and Colby Parrish

In November of 2011 they completed thier second album which was relased to the public in January of 2012.

Shining Wheel is touring in 2012.

Discography

Chants of Balance (2003)
Song list:
1. Silver Rose Quarter Call
2. Moonlight Shines
3. Lady of the Moon
4. Sun Moon and Stars
5. Magic of the Goddess
6. Loki
7. Shakti/Shiva
8. Hang With Us
9. Sekhmet Speaks
10. Bast
11. Inanna
12. The Maenad Song
13. She
14. Roots and Wings
15. Children of the Earth
16. Thank-you Lady

Elemental Children Of Earth (2011)
1. The Circle Song
2. The Importance of Being Brigit
3. Gaia
4. She Gives Us Life (The Gulf Song)
5. NeverAlone
6. Hecate Is Rising
7. Finding The Goddess
8. Bring The Rain
9. Spirit Lets You Fly
10. No More Burning Times
11. Way Home
12. Running Wild
13. Elemental Children of Earth

Singles
Elemental Children Of Earth
Gaia
Gulf Song: She Gives Us Life
Hecate Is Rising

Music Videos

Loki (2010)
Brian Morse created a music video for the popular song from their first album. It is an animation in the style of Terry Gilliam from Monty Python's Flying Circus. The video features the band and the Chaos of Loki!

Gaia (2010)
Eric Bohner created a music video for the first single of their second album. It is a pastoral slide show that celebrates Mother Earth.

Gulf Song - She Gives Us Life (2010)
Theodore Harris, professional videographer, filmed and edited this video It shows Shining Wheel singing in the studio as well as images and facts about the BP Oil Spill.