Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
After a Decade, Wallows Finally Releases Band's First Album
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
March 22, 2019

Share

NEW YORK — In their early days, the Beatles were called Johnny and the Moondogs and Coldplay went by Pectoralz. The rock band Wallows is no different.

Over the years, the trio has had a number of names, from the Feaver to The Narwhals. Now they’re taking a big step to help people remember the band: A full-length album.

Wallows is made up of “13 Reasons Why” star Dylan Minnette, fellow actor Braeden Lemasters (his credits include Amazon’s “The Romanoffs”) and Cole Preston. They’ve released singles independently, toured, and recorded an EP in 2018, but their debut, 11-track studio album, called “Nothing Happens,” is out Friday.

They’re launching a tour through North America and parts of Europe beginning in April at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. It’s been a long time coming for the trio but they agree the timing is right.

“Had we been doing well when we were kids, it would’ve been a completely different thing,” said Preston.

The trio talked to The Associated Press about their intro to music, choosing an album cover and finally releasing their album. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Wallows Members Have Been Together Since They Were Kids

AP: You’ve been together since you were kids. When you think back to those early days, do you feel like you were good from the start?

Minnette: Oh, we’ve definitely gotten better over time but I’d say we were pretty badass when we were 13.

“We’ve always known, we’re going to be an album band. We wanted our records to be cohesive, make a lot of sense and be projects that stand on their own. And I feel like we definitely reveal a lot more than we ever have in our songs.”Dylan Minnette

Preston: We were way more confident then.

AP: What does it feel like to have what you’ve been working toward finally come out?

Minnette: We’ve always known, we’re going to be an album band. We wanted our records to be cohesive, make a lot of sense and be projects that stand on their own. And I feel like we definitely reveal a lot more than we ever have in our songs.

AP: How did you get this knowledge of music as kids to even start a band?

Lemasters: For me, it was my dad. He was in bands when I was growing up and I would go to his gigs. And he showed me the Beatles when I was like 9 and it blew my mind. It just kind of happened. I started playing guitar for eight hours a day in my room at around 10 and then formed (this) band. That was it.

Preston: I remember when “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” were really big and I became obsessed. I decided I wanted to play a real instrument so started playing the drums. But I was like a nerd for “Guitar Hero” and posted my high scores online.

Minnette: You did?

Preston: Scorehero.com. I’m sure they’re still up there. Drumbum1096 was my handle.

Album Covers and Band Names Are the Hardest Thing to Think Of

Minnette: My dad was also a musician so we’d sit at dinner and he’d be like, “Who’s this again, Dylan?” ”Stevie Wonder.” Then I started discovering my own music like Kings of Leon. Also from streaming music. I know a lot of people can say a lot about the digital age of music, but I feel like it’s so easy, in the best way, to discover music now. You can discover incredible artists all day long.

“Album covers and band names are the hardest thing to think of. We reached out to a lot of artists and they sent us really good stuff but it didn’t connect.”Braeden Lemasters

AP: Your album cover looks like a simple piece of fabric. Talk about that.

Lemasters: Album covers and band names are the hardest thing to think of. We reached out to a lot of artists and they sent us really good stuff but it didn’t connect. And our manager was texting us like, “Guys, where’s the album cover? This is two days late. You’re not going to have a vinyl for the release.” And I took out my phone and took a picture of the back of Dylan’s shirt jokingly.

Minnette: I was walking. Minding my own business.

Lemasters: And I looked at it and was like, “That’s actually really cool.”

Minnette: It looks like a cool design with these wavy lines. If you don’t know it’s a shirt it’s kind of a trippy cover. But there’s also something about a striped T-shirt that’s very youthful and the album is also about loss of innocence and leaving it behind.

DON'T MISS

Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Long Respiratory Crisis

DON'T MISS

Musk Gives All Federal Workers 48 Hours to Explain What They Did Last Week

DON'T MISS

Fresno State Suspends 2 Players, Removes Another Amid Gambling Investigation

DON'T MISS

Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners, Citing ‘Degrading’ Hostage Handovers

DON'T MISS

Officer Killed After Gunman Took Hostages at Pennsylvania Hospital

DON'T MISS

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington

DON'T MISS

Fired Employees Fear Beloved Yosemite National Park Will Lose Its Luster

DON'T MISS

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

DON'T MISS

Trump Fires Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Two Other Military Officers

DON'T MISS

Less Is More: 5 Ingredient Dinners Are Easier Than You Think

UP NEXT

Hotels Are So Last Year – Why Everyone’s Sleeping in Castles, Caves and Cranes

UP NEXT

Voletta Wallace, Notorious B.I.G.’s Mother and Keeper of His Legacy, Dies at 78

UP NEXT

Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. Adults Identifies as LGBTQ+, Survey Finds

UP NEXT

A$AP Rocky Returns to a Life of Music, Fashion, Film and Rihanna With His Acquittal

UP NEXT

NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon Talks ‘Days of Thunder’ Sequel With Tom Cruise

UP NEXT

Death of South Korean Actor at 24 Sparks Discussion About Social Media

UP NEXT

Blink-182 Bassist’s $6M Banksy Painting Heads to Auction for Charity

UP NEXT

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

UP NEXT

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

UP NEXT

Sean Combs Sues NBC Over Documentary That He Says Defamed Him

Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners, Citing ‘Degrading’ Hostage Handovers

5 hours ago

Officer Killed After Gunman Took Hostages at Pennsylvania Hospital

5 hours ago

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington

11 hours ago

Fired Employees Fear Beloved Yosemite National Park Will Lose Its Luster

11 hours ago

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

11 hours ago

Trump Fires Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Two Other Military Officers

11 hours ago

Less Is More: 5 Ingredient Dinners Are Easier Than You Think

11 hours ago

Trump-Putin Summit Preparations Are Underway, Russia Says

11 hours ago

Warren Buffett Offers Trump Some Advice While Celebrating Berkshire’s Success

11 hours ago

Hungarians Will Decide Whether Ukraine Can Join the European Union, Orbán Says

11 hours ago

Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Long Respiratory Crisis

ROME — Pope Francis was in critical condition Saturday after he suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis while being treated for pn...

4 hours ago

4 hours ago

Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Long Respiratory Crisis

4 hours ago

Musk Gives All Federal Workers 48 Hours to Explain What They Did Last Week

4 hours ago

Fresno State Suspends 2 Players, Removes Another Amid Gambling Investigation

5 hours ago

Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners, Citing ‘Degrading’ Hostage Handovers

5 hours ago

Officer Killed After Gunman Took Hostages at Pennsylvania Hospital

11 hours ago

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington

11 hours ago

Fired Employees Fear Beloved Yosemite National Park Will Lose Its Luster

11 hours ago

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend