We’d love to hear about how Shady Oaks got its start! How did all of you come together and decide to form a band?
1: Shady Oaks was formed around the Covid era. I had been taking songwriting and audio engineering more seriously in hopes to dip my foot in the industry. I had made a good friend at work, Nestor Renteria, who was doing the same and really pushed me to get my music out there. I worked with him on my first solo project, Ty Himself, which was a folky indie The XX kinda vibe. I enjoyed the music but wanted it to be bigger. So I started forming a band thinking it was going to be the next iteration of my solo project. Once I met with the OG Shady guys, Matt, Jake and Jonah Samp (drummer), we knew we wanted to pivot to a new project. It was just too different from the solo stuff and was getting heavier, even in the early days. Thus Shady Oaks was born. We have changed through members over the years we found the dream team. Isaac Vance on 2nd Lead Guitar, Hunter Bates on bass, Sarah Hubbard on Violin, and sometimes Ian Arras on keys. Obviously Jonah on drums.
Where did the name “Shady Oaks” come from? Is there a special story behind it?
Jonah thought of the name. I believe it was a street from his college town? Shady Oaks drive? I always forget, it is kind of a bit to say something different every time we are asked. Liquor store, RV park, retirement home, street, etc.
How would you describe the music you create? Who are the artists or bands that have influenced your sound?
I say this a lot but I started the band being influenced heavily by Jack White and The Black Keys. I loved the messiness from Jack, and the buttery blues riffs from The Keys. We are all over the place. Right now our motto is to write a banger in any genre we feel like. Hence the huge gaps of genre from our tracks like Alone and Better Days vs Hate Me and Mad. Let’s just stick with Garage Goth Folk.
What’s been the biggest challenge for Shady Oaks along the way?
I wish we started the band when we were 21. I am sure every band has the same struggles but our calendar is the biggest hurdle. We all live healthy social lives, which is good. Also, we all live in the most expensive state of all time so needing to stay a float with jobs is a must.
How do you approach the songwriting process as a group?
Songwriting has always been interesting. We always dream of jamming and writing something on the fly, but it just never really works out. I am great at improvising stuff on the fly and we have some incredible songwriters and musicians in the band, but I can never grab the emotion I need to write a Shady song on the fly. So I end up writing the majority of our tracks in my basement and then we make the demo into a usable song when we get together.
How do you think your music has changed or grown since you first started?
We have more or less been doing the same thing or at least the same song formula for our song structures. We are still working through a massive catalog I have put together over the years. It takes a while to get the song from demo to something we want to record and invest in. I let so many influences into my songwriting so that is why you have our country EP “Best Thing” followed by tracks like Down and Hate Me. I would say the biggest evolution has been the added musicianship along with actually learning how to sing. I feel more confident in my voice which adds a ton to the track. Also, leaning on Isaac and Sarah to add more musical depth to the tracks via them being musical wizards. We are just recording way better songs as of late.
How do you handle creative differences within the band?
I would say we do not usually run into a ton of musical differences. I like to give everyone creative freedom with their instrument. Most of the time I am just conducting and giving them structure. But they get to put their individual influences into their instrument so I like to believe that is what bridges the gap between playing something they may not vibe with but still having a great time doing it?
What inspired you to write your latest singles, “Down” and “Hate Me”?
HA… ummm.. This story is getting old since our album MAD was about a failing relationship and I wrote a ton of press about those tracks beating the dead horse of my ex. Best Thing was more or less a resolution to that. Hate Me is about the process of divorce and losing an old life. Down is hilarious. Can’t give too many details on specifics but if you listen to the story I am sure you can figure it out… True story. I guess you can Down is about the inevitability of getting caught with a new secret relationship.. Hate Me would be the aftermath of getting caught and losing friends but also saying fuck you to that life.
Can you take us behind the scenes of recording “Down” and “Hate Me”? What was that experience like?
These were our first releases working with a different studio. We did all of our old stuff with our ex bandmate, Loren Dorland, at Mighty Fine Productions. She was an incredible engineer but wanted to try something fresh. So we went to this guy, Taylor Hahn, to track in his basement (where I feel most comfortable). I let go of a lot of traditional ideas I had about recording. We didn’t track in a live setting. I would say we did everything more modernly. Record a scratch track of guitar. Then get the drum takes, record bass, quantize, then guitars and other instruments, and vocals last. Usually we record everything live and overdub mistakes or doubles, but it was fun to try something different. Biggest thing I learned is that everything is way easier to control “in the box”. Usually we mic amps and do everything very traditionally, but we used amp simulators (which I am normally against) and I was shown the light! I love these recordings so much and it really was just what I do in my own writing sessions but just way better. I felt comfortable, confident, and able to produce these songs so well while making a new friend. Now I golf with Taylor once a week or so and get to talk about audio nerd stuff on the course.
What has the reaction from your fans been like for “Down” and “Hate Me”?
I would say we did not do a ton of press for Down, but people seem to really dig the clarity of my vocals on that track. Hate Me has a ton of love. One guy I was talking to at Jonah’s bachelor party in NashVegas said “I feel like Hate Me is the peak of the Shady sound.” I would agree. We finally were able to capture our stage energy in a track.
What’s the best part about being a member of Shady Oaks?
I just love playing shows with this band. I get burn out trying to navigate this fucked up industry on the daily. But the second we take the stage, that crowd is about to be taken on a jarring and emotional journey for 45 minutes. We play so well together on stage and every conflict immediately dissipates and we just connect and bring it every time. We love that middle opening slot. I always feel bad for the headliner having to follow our set.
How do you keep your music fresh and continue to innovate?
Just throwing spaghetti and the wall and hoping it sticks. Trying different genres constantly, and innovating in the studio. If we were doing a poorly executed field sobriety test on the side of the road, the straight line would be the Shady formula… But the meandering around the straight line is where we thrive and keep it fresh.
Where do you see Shady Oaks going in the next few years? What are your future goals for the band?
Just need to get on the road. That is our biggest hurdle and I think we are just waiting for the right person to see us. We all want this to be the future. We have all of the tools and we just need to execute and make it happen.
