2008 Woodie Awards
Local band to make second appearance in area this year
By Katie Kurylo
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 4/13/07 Section: Focus
The other members of Waking Matthew are Geoff Zalice, Rich Condon and Jason Levis.
The band's Myspace cites such bands as Radiohead, Coldplay and Snow Patrol as influences that have shaped who they are today musically, but the band members' individual music tastes vary, Levis said.
"I thought Tom Petty was God when I was younger," Levis said jokingly. "But some other artists that I listened to growing up were The Police, The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins."
Levis also listed U2 and Eric Clapton as musical influences.
On the other hand, Shafer said rap and grunge artists were some of the ones he's enjoyed as he's paved his own musical career.
"I went through phases as a kid," Shafer said. "I had my Beastie Boy phase and then my Nirvana phase. Then I moved on to stuff like Weezer and Oasis."
But where did the band get its unique moniker?
The band was originally named Matthew after the group's first drummer, Levis said.
"We always had to wake Matthew up for practice," Levis said. "So when we needed to change the name of the band because of a copyright problem, we figured 'why not?' Nobody names their band after the drummer. We decided to be different."
Shafer, one of the original members of the band, confirmed the story.
"If you find a band name, you've won half the battle," Shafer said. "Pleasing our drummer was certainly a battle."
Even though members have come and gone, the music is the driving force behind Waking Matthew's indie rock sound.
"I grew up in a musical household," said Levis. "I picked up a guitar, and it all kind of went from there. I just never stopped."
The band's Myspace cites such bands as Radiohead, Coldplay and Snow Patrol as influences that have shaped who they are today musically, but the band members' individual music tastes vary, Levis said.
"I thought Tom Petty was God when I was younger," Levis said jokingly. "But some other artists that I listened to growing up were The Police, The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins."
Levis also listed U2 and Eric Clapton as musical influences.
On the other hand, Shafer said rap and grunge artists were some of the ones he's enjoyed as he's paved his own musical career.
"I went through phases as a kid," Shafer said. "I had my Beastie Boy phase and then my Nirvana phase. Then I moved on to stuff like Weezer and Oasis."
But where did the band get its unique moniker?
The band was originally named Matthew after the group's first drummer, Levis said.
"We always had to wake Matthew up for practice," Levis said. "So when we needed to change the name of the band because of a copyright problem, we figured 'why not?' Nobody names their band after the drummer. We decided to be different."
Shafer, one of the original members of the band, confirmed the story.
"If you find a band name, you've won half the battle," Shafer said. "Pleasing our drummer was certainly a battle."
Even though members have come and gone, the music is the driving force behind Waking Matthew's indie rock sound.
"I grew up in a musical household," said Levis. "I picked up a guitar, and it all kind of went from there. I just never stopped."
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