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Who the hell is Sean Shiff? Seriously! He doesn't have a band, doesn't perform, and doesn't sing on his recordings. But, as a writer and producer, Sean hires local artists around the Twin Cities to create a uniquely blended sound to pair with his lyrics that combine humor, empathy, and urgency. They are crafted in a way to be direct yet still open to interpretation, leaving much to be filled in by your own imagination without having to spell everything out. Now, in response to recent events, Sean's songs have veered into politics, one might say, a few too many times in his new EP. Others might say five songs is not enough, and still others hear what they want based solely on the binary choice of left and right.

That's where No (Country for Old) Kings' angle lies. It is geared to appeal not only to the tried and true "liberal" (technically "literate"), as you would expect but also those you might not expect, like the once deeply committed who slowly (and finally!) are coming around to a conclusion that, to the rest of us, is too obvious to require elaboration. (P.H.).

A Minneapolis lawyer by day, songwriter by night, Sean plans to donate all proceeds raised from this EP through 2026 to the American Civil Liberties Union. As an aside, Sean once represented the MN-CLU pro bono on an amicus brief asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to strike down a law on First Amendment grounds (which it did).

No (Country for Old) Kings was recorded in stages with various artists, including Doyle Turner on vocals in "The Brakes," Nikki Lemire's emotional plea in "For a Friend," and Nate Dungan's gritty vocals supporting the country rap "Dear Republican Leaders." Rounding out vocals are Blucollr on "I'm Surprised You Haven't Yet" and an anonymous vocalist justifiably concerned about retribution on "That's Just Fine." Other contributions are from Patrik Tanner, who played multiple instruments on For a Friend and That's Just Fine; Noah Levy and Peter Anderson who each played drums on two songs; Ken Wilson on steel pedal; Kevin Bowe on guitar and bass; and Sean on harmonica (That's Just Fine).