Changing their tune: With Whalen and the Willows closing a chapter, Manic Culture driving new chapter – Austin Daily Herald

The annual Dusty’s Alley Party will have a slightly different sound this year with some familiar faces.

Where in the past the concert held just before the Austin ArtWorks Festival in the tiny alley behind Dusty’s Bar and Lounge featured the folksy melodies of Whalen and the Willows, this year’s show will take on a bit of an edge with Manic Culture.

“I always wanted to be in a rock band,” said lead guitarist and vocalist Joshua Whalen. “I think it was just kind of time to let go for a while and reconsider the whole thing.”

For just over 10 years, Whalen and the Willows provided folk-country and Americana music for the area, filled with original songs. What started off with roots as Whalen’s solo project, it grew into a trio and eventually a full band.

It was something that Whalen and the members of the band threw themselves into over the decade, but as time went on, views of what came next for the Willows began to shift somewhat.

While largely filled with the familiar, 2022’s “Redemption” album contained tracks that started to push the boundaries that the Willows had established.

“Where people were like, ‘that’s not as folksy or as country as the others’ a lot of our fanbase really enjoyed it, but people were maybe on the fringes or they were like that just doesn’t feel like or seems right,” Whalen said. “It’s hard because you don’t want to go completely bonkers off the wall. We were getting back to some of our roots.”

Whalen himself grew up in the world of rock and in particular submerged himself in the grunge movement throughout the 1990s with bands including Nirvana and Pearl Jam as well as Tool and A Perfect Circle.

“That’s the stuff that inspired me to write music to begin with,” Whalen said. “We were starting to go in that direction. The record I thought was great and fit itself, but there were some tracks on there that didn’t seem to fit what we had been doing previously.”

Not to mention that when it came down to it, Whalen said he didn’t like his name being in the band title. The group effort needed to be recognized.

“When we record and play them live — that’s the members,” he said. “They add their parts. I didn’t want it to be the Whalen show.”

“We became one thing,” he added.

Vowing a hard break from the Willows, Whalen along with violin and vocalist Victoria Smith began turning to a rock and metal vibe, bringing on Willows veterans Trevor Bordelon (bass/vocals) and Craig Rosell (drums).

They’ve also added keyboardist Claire Pepper and guitarist Alex Halikias to round out the line-up.

“We just really want to let go of that so we can go wherever the band needs to go,” Whalen said. “We’re starting to experiment.”

A part of that evolution and experimentation is reaching out in multiple directions, not only creatively, but how the band sounds through different methods including vocals.

“I’m not opposed to passing singing duties,” Whalen said. “Everybody’s voice is so different. It opens new doors to songwriting.”

So far, Manic Culture has recorded and released the song “Obey,” with other songs in the hopper and eyes most likely on recording an EP.

However, right now they are focusing on the upcoming Dusty’s Alley Party at 8 p.m. on Aug. 22. Whalen said the band is going on with a sound engineer hired and a stage being built complete with lighting and smoke effects.

“There’s something about that alley,” Whalen said, adding that Dusty’s owner Mark Nagel suggested the idea. “Let’s do that, but do it big.”

While Whalen and the band are looking forward to the show, he admitted that there is some fear that it might alienate a portion of the band that were diehard Willows fans. Whalen said he hopes that fans will continue to follow what the band is doing, but understands that it may not fit the tastes of some, even though there will continue to be familiar themes within the songwriting itself.

“The subject matter is going to be very much the same, but it’s going to allow us to carry it further,” Whalen said. “You have to be willing to let those people go and with no hurt feelings. People have their preferences.”

Throughout the transition though, Whalen emphasized that the feeling of starting something new is no different than the first time the Willows played a show. It’s just a different face.

“It feels like opening a new door into a vast world that we haven’t even begun to explore,” Whalen said. “It’s tremendously exciting. Inspiration strikes and you run with it. I don’t think I’ve been this excited in a long time.”

Manic Culture

Joshua Whalen – Vocals/Guitar

Victoria Smith – Violin/Vocals

Trevor Bordelon – Bass/Vocals

Craig Rosell – Drums

Claire Pepper – Keys

Alex Halikias – Guitar

Dusty’s Alley Party

Aug. 22 at 8 p.m.

Dusty’s Bar and Lounge