A Chat with Jeremy Boyum from Shadow of Whales (10.09.19)
As a music blog, it might be best to say we don’t favour one band over another. If you favour an act there may be a lack of objectivity regarding, well, everything. Now, I’m not saying we have favourite bands, and I’m not saying Shadow of Whales is among the top three. I’m not even saying that Shadow of Whales is on the top of the list, but if you view our Twitter you’d know I’m lying.
After several months of no interaction with the boys, I decided to force an interview. Talking marketing, a new line-up and their experience at the IMAs, here is my chat with Jeremy Boyum.
OSR: Hello gentlemen! It’s been a while since our last interview, and I thought we should catch up. Shall we begin?
JB: Yes plz ^_^
OSR: Firstly, congratulations on winning the Independent Music Awards for Best Indie/Alternative Song and Vox Pop. You also performed at the IMA ceremony. What was this experience like?
JB: THANK YOUUUU!!!!! We are still very excited about it and incredibly grateful to everyone at home and listening around the world. We couldn’t possibly be here without you guys.
As far as the experience, it was ?????. Absolutely amazing!
Funny story, when Martin asked us to play at the IMA’s I made the mistake of asking him how big the stage was. We’ve always felt the need to ask this because, often, when we’re asked to play somewhere we don’t have any way to see the venue beforehand. If I don’t ask and we get there to find out that a couple of us have to stand off of the stage to be able to play; it’s not the end of the world, but people who have seen us live know that we move around and interact with crowds a lot. It’s a big part of our show. So, it’s always a bummer when we can’t do that.
Of course, Martin did not know this, and I felt the need to over-explain why I was asking such a question because I’m awkward. I always feel bad asking in the first place. My exact words were, ‘how big is the stage because we need room to move around and express ourselves’. Yes, that is maybe a really pretentious and conceited way to phrase that question. I don’t quite remember why I phrased it that way. Why do I remember the exact words I used you might ask?
Well, Martin had the joy of introducing each performing act that night and, to poke fun at us, he told the story of how I asked him how big the stage was in front of a crowd of over 500 people. What a way to be introduced right? It was great – ‘Hey guys, come to New York, play a show, possibly win an award and possibly get roasted in front of a bunch of people you don’t know’. *laughs*
Outside of winning the award, it was easily my favourite part of the whole weekend. It was hilarious, and that’s how Martin became one of my favourite people.
In short, fantastic experience. 10/10.
OSR: There was a recent change in SOW’s line-up. Do you feel this has affected your performances and, if so, how?
JB: It definitely affected our performances, but I think for the better. The stage feels a lot more balanced and we vibe really well with the current members.
OSR: Are you writing any material at the moment? If you are, do you think your sound will change at all given the new members?
JB: We’re writing A LOT. Currently, we are working on a three-song acoustic EP and a full-length album. We started out thinking it would be 10-12 songs, now we’re thinking it might be 15 songs. Track numbers aren’t concrete but we’re still writing a lot of new things and working on existing things. I’m not sure yet how it will all shake out, but we hope to have a cohesive full-length done sometime next year. *fingers crossed*
Our sound will change. Again, I think this is for the better. Chris and Caleb were insanely talented as writers, and it was really tough for a long time to imagine a world in which we wouldn’t be writing together with them. However, after working with Emilio and Blake for some time, they’ve already brought a lot to the table.
You can definitely expect some nuances and changes in our sound, but I think they’ll be subtle and, again, for the better. Each single, EP and album has almost been an evolution of sorts from its predecessor, and I think the upcoming album will share that same tradition.
OSR: In a previous interview, you said that marketing is an important part of being in a band. What marketing tips would you give any emerging artists?
JB: That’s true, I did say that. Marketing is probably the wrong word thinking about it though. Really, just business is an important part of being in the band. There’s a lot of sayings and whatnot out there that say it’s 50% music/creative and 50% business. I’ve always held the thought that it was 80% business and 20% music, but that 20% has to be top-notch as well.
Think about being in a band like being in a start-up business. Most if not all businesses need to have a product first, that’s the 20% that needs to be top-notch. After a product or concept is developed, the next most important things you need are a sales team and a marketing team. You can’t have a product without sales and marketing and expect it to go anywhere. So, if you’re expecting to have a song written and throw it up on Spotify for $5 or whatever, then expect it to just blow up. It’s a 99% chance you’re going to be really disappointed and really discouraged. It’s a good way to kill your ego and motivation really quick.
I don’t know that I have marketing tips as much as I would stress the need for education of sales/marketing. Luckily, today there are a lot of online music business coaches out there. Unfortunately, not all of them are good. Though a good majority of them are at least affordable. I’ve learned from a ton of them at my own pace. My favourite music business coaches have been Indepreneur, Rick Barker, Angela Mastrogiacomo, Michael Brandvold and his Music Biz Weekly Podcast, and Ariel Hyatt. Their knowledge and perspectives of the industry are invaluable and you can get a ton of info from them on becoming a successful and professional musician for affordable costs to FREE.
My best recommendation to anyone wanting to make it in the music business is to sign up for Indepreneur’s Indie Pro subscription for $37 and take their Buddy System course IMMEDIATELY. It does a fantastic job of breaking down the walls of the scary music business world and what it means to acquire a fan. After you take that course, your mind will literally be blown to pieces. Then you can write out all of your ideas on how you’re going to succeed because you’ll have a lot.
Even if not, then just take as many of their courses as possible. Look up all the coaches I mentioned, subscribe to their podcasts on whatever Android or iOS device you have, subscribe to their blogs, subscribe to their Youtube channels, find out what city they live in, ‘accidentally’ run into them at a Starbucks, become best friends with them, then… wait.
In all seriousness, the information is out there and available. It’s just a matter of taking the classes, learning how to do it, then practice makes perfect. Just like writing music takes time to learn how to play, learn how to song write and takes a ton of practice.
I could literally talk about this forever, so I’m gonna stop there.
OSR: If you could live in any country other than the USA, where would you go and why that place?
JB: EZ. Japan. I’ve been learning Japanese for about a year now so that would be awesome. London has always been a big one for me too.
OSR: What would be your last meal?
JB: Probably Chickfila…or Chilantro.
OSR: What is in your fridge at the moment?
JB: I don’t know, I’m at a Starbucks. *laughs*
Probably a lot of mason jars, almond milk, half ‘n’ half, some veggies and stuff. I don’t know. *laughs*
OSR: Describe each band member using a single word.
JB: Singer. Drummer. Guitar-er. Bass-er. Keys-ist.
OSR: Are there any plans for the rest of 2019? Do you have any new material or upcoming tours?
JB: As previously mentioned, we are working on an acoustic EP and a full-length album. We’re playing in Oklahoma and Denton later this month and we hope to be in Austin again in October. We’ll see, it’s not set yet.
As for the rest of the year, it’s time for us to bear down on these two records and start planning for 2020.
OSR: Do you have any favourite SoW songs? If yes, which are they and why are they a favourite?
JB: I think ‘Roots’ has always been a favourite of mine. It’s kind of punk-rock-ish and those are my roots.
In a live sense, ‘Runaway’, ‘Dream’ and ‘Animals’ are top contenders. I just love how those songs land on people and how they react to them. We all love inspiring others, and when we play those songs live we can literally see it happening in real-time on people’s faces. It’s a hard experience to beat.
OSR: Shadow of Whales has gained a lot of popularity over the past year (or so). As a “seasoned” band, what do you know now that you didn’t when you began SoW?
JB: I think what continues to get me is being really unsatisfied with myself and my own performance. I frequently get down on myself for not achieving ambitious goals the way I intend to achieve them. I forget really quickly how far we’ve come.
To answer the question, I don’t think I realised the importance of keeping your achievements and where you came from at the front of your mind until earlier this year. I’ve gone through probably the biggest bouts of self-doubt, seasonal depression and self-deprecation this year. It’s crazy to say out loud knowing some of the public accomplishments we’ve made this year, and that’s kind of my point.
OSR: Thanks for speaking with me, I know you all have more important things to do! Good luck with the rest of your musical journey, and I have made it a plan to interview again in the future – it’s already on the schedule.
JB: LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!
Thank you so much to Jeremy Boyum of Shadow of Whales for the interview. To engage with the band, check out their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and official website.
