Whalers

Let's step away from the fringed edges of indie music and bear a little closer to center - Surely you've heard Whalers?

There they are. Left-right, we've got Dan Martin on guitar, Amir Mozafari on bass, Gus Smalley behind the microphone, Milos Bertram behind the drum kit, and that's Kyle Rother on lead guitar.

We say "surely" because Mingus calls 'em "explosive", Wild Magazine starts the week with their music, and Rollo & Grady, that must-read music blog in LA, put Whalers on their watch list this year.

As should you - Their latest, "Paddle Easy" (embedded below) is drawing the attention heat; and not just from us Austinites either: The good folks at Indie Rock Cafe are calling it a best new release, and labeling Whalers "Austin’s under-rated indie band".

Simple enough reason - Classic-sounding, radio-friendly, guitar-reverberated, crystal-clear productions that get stuck in your brain, seaweed-like, after a brief dive into their repetoire.

See how many influences you can find in this one, the instant-classic, opening track on their latest, "Paddle Easy":

Did you pick up The Animals, Rolling Stones, The Who? How about that classic guitar solo about 1 minute in, and those Turtle-ish bridges?

Slow it down a bit, and watch how Smalley's vox, some clever lyrics (written and produced BEFORE this year's heat wave, BTW), and even more clever guitar licks show off their soulful depth:

And for a taste of something less formalized, here's one that blends some very classic song structure with very unclassic staccato picking, with surprisingly addictive success:

These guys have jammed all over town, doing a residency at Lamberts in July, and reportedly working 12 sets during last year's SXSW; sharing the stage with The Black & White Years, Ponderosa, Sunset, TV Torso, and Daniel Hart (The Polyphonic Spree) along the way. And they even managed to work in a Daytrotter session back in October.

Here, take a minute, see why everyone likes the brilliant "Paddle Easy":

---

Find out more about Whalers on Facebook, Bandcamp, and Home Base.

---