by Tom Lanham

Brittany Shane splits SF for Austin: It’s a good lesson in life: You can’t take things for granted. Like regular Bay Area concerts from local folk-rock darling Brittany Shane, whom you could always catch somewhere around these parts every other month or so. No longer. She’s split the scene for good. She made a clean break, packed up all her belongings, and headed down to Austin, a town practically fueled by her type of music. “And believe it or not, I’m having a blast,” she reports. “I’ve made tons of new friends and I’m fitting in with the mindset down here quite well.” Now Shane is hard at work on a follow-up to her recent “Have Heart Live Young” album. “And in San Francisco, I never had a booking agent,” she sighs. “But that’s one of the first people who found me in Austin — a booking agent, who’s very aggressive about getting me shows.” She’s also been working with local musicians — another twangy new stylistic influence. “It’s a whole new lease on life, creatively,” she says.