Matthew Burnette, Staff Writer

Shannon Lauren Callihan made her Bonnaroo debut in 2024 playing guitar for Grammy-nominated singer Maggie Rogers.

This year when she steps on to the Who stage Thursday June 12 at noon, she’ll be playing her own music which she says she is “really pumped” for.

“It’s been a while since I’ve played my own music because I’ve been on tour pretty much the last three years playing guitar for Maggie and playing guitar for another artist,” said Callihan. “That’s where I make my money, playing guitar for other people, so it’s nice to get back into playing music again and playing my own stuff.”

“It’s cool to have that as our first gig back after the last three years,” she added.

Callihan won’t be taking the stage alone though, as she’s bringing some of her best friends with her.

“They’re all very talented musicians,” she explained. “I’m just stoked to play these songs again and play with a full band. It’ll be really fun. We’re going to play some new songs. I’m hoping to put out a record later this year. Good vibes, good music. It’s going to be a good time. I’m excited.”

Growing up, Callihan listened to a lot of different types of music but says she was a huge fan of artists like D’Angelo, Anite Baker and Michael Jackson. She describes her music as being a mixture of R&B, soul and pop with a bluesy touch as well.

She also enjoys artists like Death Cab for Cutie and Radiohead but noted soul music as a huge influence for her.

Callihan remembered getting into music in a typical way.

“Like any kid, I started taking piano lessons when I was like four and then joined band and played saxophone and just kind of picked up guitar along the way,” she recalled.

Originally from the small town of Ashland, Kentucky, about an hour east of Lexington, Callihan attended Moorehead State University where she majored in Sports Management as well as Oboe Performance.

After graduating, some friends who attended Belmont University urged her to move to Nashville. She ended up landing a job with the Nashville Predators who she’s worked with for eight years, giving her a reason to make her way down to Music City.

“I’m not really sure how I ended up doing what I am today, but that’s kind of how I started getting into music, and then of course, along that journey I picked up songwriting,” explained Callihan. “Obviously being in Nashville it’s like the perfect place to be for songwriters, so I networked and met with a lot of great people who have helped kind of paved my journey within the music industry.”

Callihan expressed how glad she is that the move worked out because it gave her not only the opportunity to focus on her career within sports but also be in music.

She said her goal was to be successful in both aspects while making music as a hobby, but the roles have been reversed over time.

“I’m doing music full-time and working part-time in sports,” she said. “That’s been an adjustment but a good adjustment for sure.”

Being a touring guitarist wasn’t anything Callihan planned on doing in her life, but it is something she says that she is happy to have happened.

“Honestly I’m really glad that it did because it’s given me the flexibility to play with other people, but also focus on my own music, and this is like the first time that I’m actually getting to tour my own music this year,” she explained. “Aside from Bonnaroo, we’re playing a couple more festivals this summer. I’m really looking forward to that. It’s been a long time coming.”

Callihan says her favorite part about living in Nashville has been the sense of community that she gets from fellow musicians and others.

“I’ve met my best friends after living here for the last ten years,” she said. “Everybody’s very supportive of each other, and we all root for each other and it’s just a good sense of community, good vibes and a great place to be.”

She’s gotten to experience some “amazing” moments while touring with Maggie Rogers: opening for Coldplay in Europe, playing Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado and selling out two shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City to name a few.

With all that, Callihan says her favorite part of her musical journey has been the connections she’s made.

“My favorite part of music is just the people that I’ve met along the way,” she explained. “I’ve met some of my best friends within the Maggie camp. Just the relationships that I’ve been able to build has been really special.”