Shamayim Larrivee was born in summer of 1995 in Vancouver, BC.  Her birth was a labor of love, combining a wide, flat mahogany fingerboard with a Florentine cutaway, all sewn together with a classical body of Rosewood and Spruce.  Her mother-of-pearl inlay was simple and elegant.  Her case was sturdy, and provided her a safe respite between playing times.

She arrived with some fanfare to Lee Valley Ranch in South Dakota.  Her partner in music, Gretchen, was overjoyed with her strength and clean tone, and her ability to tune perfectly and present a steel-string shimmer that rivaled any Martin.  Her unique shape and glossy finish were the envy of all the other guitars and their partners.  After some trial gigs and coffee shop appearances, Shammie was ready for the races.

Her childhood and adolescence came quickly with a year of hard work touring on the road. Her first ding was given to her courtesy of Henry and her own buckled case.  Shammie and Gretchen played every day.  They played in South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and more.  They played their hearts out.

After that year of craziness, Gretchen didn’t know what to do with herself musically, and so Shammie was left in her case for the better part of a year.  It was a sad time.  Eventually, Gretchen was asked to play, and so she dusted off the case, changed Shammie’s strings, and they remembered who they were. They would ride the train to the suburbs every Sunday and play for the church and the children who would sing with them.  They started playing music in Chicago at Border’s, and people listened to them.

When Gretchen decided to go back to school, Shammie was her companion and comfort, and also her way into the world of the Lutheran Rockstars.  They played for National Youth Gathering workshops, and for Youth Encounter events.  They recorded a demo in Minneapolis, and Shammie had a brief affair with Kernsey.  Gretchen didn’t mind though — they worked so well together.  They played gigs together all over the country, and had photo shoots.  They played in Florida, Philadelphia, New York, Washington DC, Ohio, Georgia, California, and St. Louis.  They joined the organization ‘Churchnoise’ and loved the camaraderie they found with other pairs of musicians.

The demo that they recorded together in Minneapolis and released in St. Louis managed to grease the wheels for them to get a call to serve together in Madison, Wisconsin at Bethel Lutheran Church.  In Madison, Shammie had her golden age of creativity and recording.  She and Gretchen worked with the band “The Pull” and recorded two records together, with more love and soul than anything they had done before.  Shammie inspired Gretchen to write and write and write, and the songs were good.  People sang with them, and they won awards.  Eventually, Shammie needed a re-fret, and the weeks that they were apart were very hard.  But they were reunited and the chemistry of creation continued.  Shammie’s case started coming apart at the seams from all the travel and abuse, but with the help of some carpet tape, it stayed together and remained her sanctuary of blue velvet and peace.  In the summer of 2004, they traveled to Europe, and they played in Berlin, Cracow, Prague, Vienna, and throughout the eastern countryside.

One day, Gretchen found another pair to play with, Ryan and his bass, and Shammie loved them.  Together, the four of them moved to Seattle to find even more music and love.  St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church took to the foursome right away, and asked them to stay and play as much as they were able.  They worked together, and played in a bunch of different bands.  Most recently, Shammie helped Gretchen and Krysta to record an album called Christmas Vibe.

On February 18, 2010, Shammie went missing.  Gretchen feels as if she’s lost a best friend and companion.  How do sum up the loss of a musical partner?  “She was my first real guitar, and we were together for fifteen years.  We weathered many states, romances, recordings, and performances.  She was reliable, sturdy, and had great intonation.  I don’t really know how I’m going to begin to replace her.  I don’t think I can think of it that way.  It’s really the end of a relationship, and I’m going to have to discover a new relationship with a new instrument.  I hope that whoever has her knows what they’ve got, and treats her with care and respect.”

If you find any information about this guitar, or see it somewhere, please email pastorgretchensguitars@gmail.com.