Cavern Company
Oklahoma City, OK | Established. Jan 01, 2013
Music
Press
Cavern Company couldn't help but ask some big questions.
Around the same time, the Oklahoma City-based band's former frontman exited the group. One member's marriage was on the rocks. Another just lost his mother.
"Where does that leave us?" vocalist Zach Shomaker chants over and over again in "Black Dress." The tune's as confessional as it is rocking. The question grounds the emotional single as the band navigates life's curve balls. Give the song a listen before it lands digitally Friday.
Guitarist Kolby Yarbrough and drummer Joshua Warren round out Cavern Company's lineup, and the trio have spent the better part of two years preparing "Tension." The EP was recorded at Bixby's Closet Studios alongside recording engineer Kendal Osborne.
"Black Dress" has survived a handful of revisions. Shomaker said all three members eventually sat down together and wrote a majority of the recorded track's lyrics in a single evening. At the time, Warren's pursuit of music caused a strain on his marriage.
"We wanted to talk about these things in a real and honest way," Warren told The Oklahoman. "We’re all three Christians, and this was a time in my life where I was very angry at God. I didn’t know if I wanted to be a Christian or even liked God."
That struggle is documented in the track's first verse, and the second verse deals with the passing of Shomaker's mother.
"The chorus is the blanket statement, where does that leave us?" Shomaker asked. "Our former frontman left as well. It was about this time period, where does that leave us as a band? In Joshua's life, where does that leave us? In mine? In retrospect, everything was a sunrise based on the hard work we put into this and being able to see it through."
That sunrise punctuates the song with a sense of optimism.
"We believe the end result, no matter how long it takes to get there, will be a sunrise and will be worth it," Warren said. "That comes from an absolute sense of good and worthwhileness."
Cavern Company will celebrate the release of "Tension" with a July 8 concert in the Plaza District. CONNALLY and Roots of Thought are on opening duties. Show details are here.
Check out The Oklahoman on July 7 for an extended interview with Cavern Company. - The Oklahoman (Nathan Poppe)
Tension tends to break things apart.
Cavern Company felt that strain throughout a tumultuous two-year stretch. Personal losses started piling up alongside their search for a new singer back in 2015.
Seemingly all at once, the Oklahoma City-based band's former frontman exited the group while one member's marriage was on the rocks and another had just lost his mother.
"Where does that leave us?" vocalist Zach Shomaker chants over and over again in their confessional ballad "Black Dress," one of the band's oldest but newly reworked songs. The question grounds the emotional EP "Tension." It's a touching pop and rock infused effort that's had no shortage of trying inspiration.
"It's been very tense through these couple of years," Shomaker told The Oklahoman. "That's where the name comes from. The record was written during some really hard periods of our lives, both personally and with band life. ... We took the first year to see what would happen, and we rewrote a lot of songs. Year two was learning who we were and understanding the type of music we wanted to write."
Guitarist Kolby Yarbrough and drummer Joshua Warren round out Cavern Company's latest lineup, and the trio recorded "Tension" at Bixby's Closet Studios with recording engineer Kendal Osborne. Along the way, members switched instruments, refocused their songwriting process and overcame discouraging creative hurdles.
"We might not have continued with it," Warren said. "We loved music. We loved each other. We had a lot of faith in what we could do. ... We said, 'Let's give it time. Let's let it breathe because we hadn't even tried.' "
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Little by little, Cavern Company won small victories, including a successful Kickstarter campaign. They also reveled in seeing their ideas come to life again. Performing live helped boost their confidence, as well. All of this grew from a highly organized drive, Yarbrough said.
"Our writing process is extremely collaborative," Yarbrough said. "There's nothing about what we do that's whimsically put together. Everything's thought out. It's put through a filter. Honestly, when Cavern Company hit the reset button, we had a blank slate. ... I think what's been most fun for me is to see the hard work and the dedication result in an album in which we are proud of every single song."
Practice makes perfect
The earliest rendition of Cavern Company started through mutual friends at Rogers State University in Claremore. The band practiced in Blanchard before everyone relocated to Oklahoma City.
"For our practice schedule, we wanted to practice together no less than three times a week," Warren said. "To do that we had to be together. ... We want to be a household name in Oklahoma by the end of the year."
After five years, the band wants to be touring nationally. The release of "Tension" on Saturday is Cavern Company's mission statement, one that hopefully connects with an Okie audience and beyond.
"We want to grow with the fan base and grow with Oklahoma," Warren said. "No matter where we go, Cavern Company is from Oklahoma. Oklahoma was good to them. They were good to Oklahoma. It sounds super cheesy, but we've grown to love it here."
'Dress' up
If anything resonates with listeners, I'd bet on album highlight "Black Dress."
Shomaker said after the track survived multiple revisions, and all three members eventually sat down together to write a majority of the recorded track's lyrics in a single evening.
"The chorus is the blanket statement, where does that leave us?" Shomaker asked. "Our former frontman left, as well. It was about this time period, where does that leave us as a band? In Joshua's life, where does that leave us? In mine? In retrospect, everything was a sunrise based on the hard work we put into this and being able to see it through."
At the time, Warren's pursuit of music caused a strain on his marriage.
"We wanted to talk about these things in a real and honest way," Warren said. "We're all three Christians, and this was a time in my life where I was very angry at God. I didn't know if I wanted to be a Christian or even liked God."
That struggle is documented in the track's first verse, and the second verse deals with the passing of Shomaker's mother. A sunrise punctuates the song with a sense of optimism.
"We believe the end result, no matter how long it takes to get there, will be a sunrise and will be worth it," Warren said. "That comes from an absolute sense of good and worthwhileness." - The Oklahoman (Nathan Poppe)
PODCAST: Hunter Desjarlais shares her experience with the Tower Songwriter Series while Cavern Company performs live and gives Grounded Sounds an exclusive on their upcoming album! - Cellar Door Music Group: Grounded Sounds Podcast
Discography
2017- Tension (EP)
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2016- Dancing in the Dark (SINGLE)
Spotify
Itunes
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Photos
Bio
Band Bio:
Entering
the scene at a vivifying point in the music industry Cavern Company
brings a combination of sophisticated rock and roll coupled with a
foundation of rhythmic groove and invigorating pop guitar to create a
timeless but accessible sound that brings fresh musicality &
entertainment to the indie alternative genre. The trio, currently
rooted in Oklahoma was formed in
2015
when front man Zach Shomaker joined forces with friends Joshua Warren
(drums/bass) and Kole Mclaren (lead guitar) whom had already been
writing, recording
&
performing as Cavern Company a
year prior.
Following
college graduation, the twenty-somethings found an aligned passion
for the importance of music and the role it plays in the human
experience. After choosing to pursue music as more than just a
pastime, a sound was quickly fostered that is not only heard but
felt, this being the mission of the band.
Iconic
in its origins, Cavern Company's sound is derived from classics such
as Chic, while still maintaining the modern accessibility of artists
such as Phoenix, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Killers. The band views
the lyrical content to be equally as essential as the instrumentation
for all of their music. Writing songs with lyrics that are filled
with as much hope as there is candor is a chief desire for Cavern
Company. Vocalist Zach Shomaker said, "I have had multiple
instances in my life where a song has had profound significance
during some of my roughest moments because an artist chose to be
honest. And in the same way, we want to write that song for someone
else."
While
the young artists have spent an extensive amount of time out of the
limelight in their beginnings to write and record, they always come
alive in front of an audience. They view crafting and performing a
highly personal and energetic live show to be a vital piece of their
musicality, artistry and interaction with their fans. The band has
played various local Oklahoma venues as well as festivals and is
consistently working to grow their fan base. After having finished
the construction of their recording studio the Summer of 2015, they
recorded and produced their first single, Dancing in the Dark which
was independently released in March 2016. The remainder of 2016 was
spent crafting their first EP with
songs they had been writing since the bands infancy. The EP, Tension,
was released July 8, 2017.
Tension
was recorded in Bixby, Oklahoma with recording engineer Kendal
Osborne at The Closet Studio. While the process of writing the EP
took almost two years, Cavern Company settled on a name for the album
in a single night. For the band, any other name seemed almost
irresponsible. Tension encompasses both the creative milieu in which
the members wrote and the scaffold by which the themes, both
musically and ideally, take shape. From stories of new immigrants and
battered marriages, to odd time signatures and the seemingly odd
musical pairings of jazz, hip-hop and rock, this album was created to
uphold the ideals of hope in the face of tragedy and innovation in
the face of complacency. "It's a touching pop and rock infused
effort that's had no shortage of trying inspiration" said Nathan
Poppe, writer for The Oklahoman & LOOKatOKC. After funding and
releasing the record to a sold out crowd at The Venue in Oklahoma
City, Cavern Company now has big plans for 2018. While booking dates
to fill the calendar year, the guys will also be writing and demoing
songs in their spare time to begin sculpting the next record which
will undoubtedly please current and future fans as the band continues
pushing and growing the musical foundation that they have laid with
Tension.
Band Members
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