Alternative rock group Ballroom Boxer releases nostalgic, spirited, new single, “Bill Murray.” The track debuted on a live performance on Chicago’s WGN Radio in late June.
Who doesn’t love Bill Murray?! He can go anywhere, everywhere and always seem to fit in. That’s not the case for a lot of people, specifically, minorities, females, etc. We still interact with biases at play, judge with stereotypes, etc. Ultimately, besides Bill (and other white males), most people can’t go anywhere and everywhere and fit into to every situation.
Drawing influence from classic rock groups and new alternative artists, Ballroom Boxer bring a unique blend of sounds to the table. They utilize everything from the Beach Boys’ energetic riffs and background vocals, to Imagine Dragons’ melodic and uplifting hooks.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Ballroom Boxer about their new project, motivations, challenges and more. Founding member Dave Atlier is a MTSU alum and credits Nashville’s rock sound as a significant influence.
Full Q&A along with links and streams below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
We all grew up in Ohio – Dave and Mike in Akron and Jared in Columbus – and met back up in Chicago via some well-times Craigslist posts. We draw from elements of pop to 90s nostalgia and everything in between. The best way to describe our music is what you get when you drop the Great Gatsby, Johnnie Walker & fireworks on the Fourth into a blender.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
All of us just flat out love music, whether it was seeing “Scar Tissue” for the first time on MTV or catching Buckcherry live, it was something we all knew we wanted to do from the get-go. As far as we’re concerned, there isn’t another course we’d rather be on so it’s pretty easy to stick to it.
How is A Little Wild different from Tides & Sundownr? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
We wanted to evolve our sound while still carrying some of the old elements that brought us to where we are. A Little Wild is an imprint of a very specific place and time where everything has some element of validity but no one can share in the moment without taking a side. These songs are super soaked in 90s nostalgia and lathered in pop melodies; a confrontation of present and future America, captured in ‘A Little Wild’s’ chorus “the world won’t change, unless we all will change – we need a little wild.”
Do you face challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? How has technology helped you (assuming it helps)?
Technology has made it easier than ever for us to share our music across the world. We’ve got listeners everywhere from the West Coast, all the way to South Africa thanks to how simple it is to get our music out there. In some ways technology can be a burden from a fan’s perspective; there’s so much music and content to consume these days that it’s easy to get lost in the mix. We try to be genuine and deliver a message that we think is important that will hopefully resonate with anyone who listens to it.
Where can we connect with you online and discover more music?
You can find us just about anywhere: Spotify, Youtube, Facebook, Xanga, iTunes, Pandora, Soundcloud, Bandcamp and pretty much everywhere else music is available.
Anything else before we sign off?
We’re really excited to share this new EP and our new sound with the world so be sure to take a listen on November 16th!
