Attorney by Day, Band Member by Night

By Shelly Orio

Some people in this life dance to the beat of a different drum. And then there are those people who set aside the dancing and just drum. Stacey N. Sheston is one of those people.

A shareholder with Sacramento-based McDonough Holland & Allen PC, Sheston focuses her law practice on public law, employment law, eminent domain and public agency law. And in her free time, she focuses her music practice on the drums.

A Musical Upbringing

Sheston has been immersed in the world of music, in one form or another, all her life. While she was drawn to drums very early on, her musicteacher mother was adamant that her daughter learn a "real instrument" first. At the age of four, Stacey took up piano, and along the way picked up several other instruments including the trumpet, the French horn and the guitar. She even sang in her school's chorus. Clearly, she was gifted in music, but it was her ongoing curiosity and practice that made it an integral part of her life, throughout her adolescence and even into college.

Following graduation in 1990 (cum laude) from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Sheston moved to California and followed her mother's footsteps into teaching. For three years, she taught history, economics, and political science to junior high and high school students in Los Angeles and loved it. As her third year came to a close, and knowing she wanted an advanced degree in whatever field she pursued, Sheston had to make the important decision between teaching and her other keen interest: law. The latter won out, and lured by friends and family based in Northern California, she moved to the Sacramento area and enrolled in law school at University of California, Davis School of Law. It was while studying law that Sheston reconnected with her musical roots.

"Some friends were starting a band called The Ultraviolets, and they needed a bass player, so I signed on and taught myself how to play that instrument," said Sheston. "It was great fun and something completely different from studying the perfect creative outlet."

She's with the Band

It was The Ultraviolets that led her to her next-and current-musical endeavor. Today, in addition to her full-time job as an attorney, Sheston plays drums and sings for the four-person cover band, The Essentials. The group performs at clubs, weddings and special events throughout the greater Sacramento area. During what she calls the "busy season" (usually the summer), the band may be booked for two to three gigs each month.

"We decided early on that all of the music we perform will be fun and danceable," continued Sheston. "With that as our base criteria, we have a broad range of genres from which to choose. We play everything from old Motown hits to Shakira, Steppenwolf to Nelly, the B52s to Madonna to the Dixie Chicks. The people that attend our performances likely have specific tastes, and the variety of songs we play ensures that we have a little something for everyone."

The Ultraviolets have even been honored with several Sammie awards local recognition from the Sacramento News & Review.

Music Therapy

More than anything else, Sheston finds her time spent as a musician remarkably therapeutic. She's observed that engaging her right brain with such a creative pursuit has a positive effect on her day-to-day, left-brain activity at the law firm.

"I absolutely love what I do for a living, but it's important to maintain a balance in life," added Sheston. "We all need something an activity, an interest, a pastime of some kind that charges our batteries. Music does that for me, and I'm lucky enough to have found a way to incorporate it into my life."

The author, Shelly Orio, is the marketing specialist for McDonough Holland & Allen PC. She can be reached at (916) 444.3900 or via email at sorio@mhalaw.com.

March / April 2005