Musician of the Month: Shadow of Whales
Humility, sincerity, positivity, caring and some plain old dorkiness; add those traits together and what do you have? I’ll tell you what, the defining features of five lovely lads from Austin, Texas known collectively as Shadow of Whales.
Shadow of Whales is comprised of five members – Joshua Flores on vocals, Caleb Flores on drums, Chris Fraga on lead guitar, JD Vazquez on keys and Jeremy Boyum on bass guitar. According to an interview with The Other Side Reviews in 2016, it was Josh that brought the entire band together as he was the mutual acquaintance – and how pleased we are that this happened.
The alternative-indie group began their journey of inspiring others through music in 2013 when they performed at the Austin Convention Centre at Dell World to a crowd of 7,000 people. Alright, their musical adventure didn’t begin at that moment exactly, but it was the Dell World performance that prompted growth in their popularity. Soon afterwards, Jeremy, Josh, Caleb, JD and Chris were performing on prime-time television, and their singles were being reviewed in some of the most prestigious music magazines.
In late 2014, SoW released their self-titled debut album presenting all their singles on one disc. Now, fans could enjoy everything without having to stream the tracks from different sources. The success of the album was overwhelming hitting the CMJ’s top 200, being placed in rotation at Starbucks across North America and even being featured in the film The Guards Themselves.
Shadow of Whales released their second album, What We Do, in August 2017 preceding a mid-west US regional tour. Presenting with even more success than their previous release, SoW was (once again) on rotation in Starbucks, Hollister’s, and even Uber offices nationwide. To add to their milestones, What We Do was nominated for Best Rock EP at the Independent Music Awards 2018. SoW also saw their track ‘Animals’ nominated for Best Indie/Alternative Song at the IMAs.
One of the most refreshing aspects of this band is their continuous faith. In a world where many people are turning to cynicism, the gentlemen at Shadow of Whales have a constant faith in love, friendship, hope and Christianity. Of course, this doesn’t mean they’re delusional to the state of the nation; it merely means they are in the optimistic crowd that believe tomorrow is another day that could be much brighter. Why wallow in misery if there are so many people to befriend and share this beautiful day with?
“Knowing we’ve had an impact on people’s lives just motivates us to find more people to encourage and inspire.” – Jeremy Boyum.
To read more about their exploits, inspirations and dorky thoughts, check out our interviews with Shadow of Whales:
A Chat with Jeremy Boyum of Shadow of Whales (09.02.18)
A Chat with Shadow of Whales (29.03.16)
To listen to their music and connect with them, join their Twitter page or official Facebook. Albums can be purchased via Amazon.
Images courtesy of Fox & Florals Media.
