GILPIN/BLACK HAWK -- There’s a special joy that comes when people play music together. Richard Shine, who has primarily performed acoustic solo sets over the last few years, is now experiencing that joy with fellow guitarist Steve Scheidker.
“I met Steve playing pickleball,” Shine recalls. “We had him over one night, and he said he played some guitar and did some singing, so we started fiddling around, and next thing you know, I’ve invited him to a gig of mine.”
Both performing acoustic guitar, with Shine singing lead and Scheidker on harmony, the two recognized their connection and started playing together more frequently. They have since cemented themselves as Beyond Comprehension, performing a mix of classic rock, country, and blues.
“We ended up just merging together and playing breweries and restaurants,” he says. ”We play at some senior homes … whoever wants to have us, we’ll play.”
The duo is Scheidker’s first time as a public performer. The Westminster guitarist, vocalist, harmonica player, and songwriter has very different tastes from his duo partner, bringing heavier rock songs into the setlist to balance Shine’s soft rock tendencies.
“It’s kind of always a push and pull on choosing songs,” Shine says. “There’s a number of songs I do where he’s like, ‘It’s not really my cup of tea,’ and I have to force myself to put songs in that he likes to do, too, that I probably wouldn’t do on my own.”
The former elementary school teacher has also written original material, having performed and recorded albums of children’s music during his 32-year career at St. Vrain Valley Public Schools. While he’s always preferred performing live covers, he’ll occasionally throw some of his own songs into the setlist.
He also prefers to keep his cover arrangements simple. “Some people, they like to hear if somebody has some bass in the background and drums, and it sounds more full,” Shine says. “But if I’m gonna go and hear James Taylor, I’d like to hear James Taylor and his guitar.”
Together, Shine and Scheidker have compiled a potential setlist of around 300 songs, often performing 40 to 45 songs in a single show. For Shine, the most important aspect of each setlist is to pick songs his crowds will enjoy.
“A couple of weeks ago, somebody came up to me and said, ‘I really liked your playlist, that was great,’” he says. “You can usually tell if people are having fun, so our big criteria is people coming out and having a good time.”
Beyond Comprehension will be performing at Very Nice Brewing Company, located at 180 Jankowski Drive in Black Hawk, on Saturday, December 27, 2025, starting at 5 p.m.
