The Olympia-based, Waves Crashing, infuses lush soundscapes into fresh melodic hooks putting a new spin on alternative music from the 80s & 90s. Since forming, the band has released a handful of singles and EP’s, including the Sea of Wires EP, which debuted globally on the shoegaze radio station, DKFM. Waves Crashing have been fortunate to play at the LoveOly Summer Fest in Olympia, as well as being tapped to play at the inaugural South Sound Block Party alongside groups like Bully, The Cave Singers, and The Districts during the summer of ’22.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Hi Waves Crashing. Nice to be able to interview you. How is life in Olympia for you? Would you recommend the city for people from outside the United States?
Hey Kamil, thanks for having us/me (Josh Calisti, vocals/guitar)!
Olympia is a great place to live. It’s about an hour south of Seattle and about 2 hours north of Portland, Oregon; which are two great cities to be sandwiched in between. If you like a more laid back smaller city with an artsy feel surrounded by beautiful woodlands, waterways and mountains, then it’s the place for you. Plus, the Pacific Ocean is only an hour and a half away. The rainy winters are rough. If you can get through it, you will be rewarded by the most glorious summers one may ever experience. Also, this region has a great history of music and has the right vibe to be creative. Something that drew me in.
Are there any musicians who inspire you? What qualities do you admire about them?
Definitely Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins. He is an incredible songwriter and guitarist. His vocal style is often too negatively focused upon, but really the magic is in the songwriting. Those early Pumpkin albums are genius. Adam Franklin of Swervedriver is another big one for me. An incredible songwriter and band that to me doesn’t get enough recognition. Both of them are masters of guitar layering in the studio. Lastly, I’d mention Johnny Marr. His contributions to the Smiths are legendary, but his solo albums are great. The way he creates simple guitar and vocal melodies into having depth and personality is wonderful.
Your latest track is 'Life on Display'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
Bryce (drums) and I started working on this song last September while the band was going through a transition with member changes. Soon Josh (Charette) immediately joined to help us finish a string of upcoming shows. Once he added that catchy bass line with that ear-catching chorus sound, the song really started to come together. So, it’s like the first song for the new era of the band. We recorded it at my home and Josh later did a superb job mixing it.
How can you describe the music you make?
It all derives from a lot of 1980’s & 1990’s alternative genres. Anything from new wave to shoegaze to noise rock. I like to take elements from all these sounds and make it our own. Huge guitar sounds with lots of reverb effects, big drums and catchy melodies. Much like shoegaze, the music is loud but with a lot of dynamics and space. The vocals aren’t necessarily the main focal point. Having all the pieces layered together. I like to call them snappy soundscapes haha.
Do you have common hobbies beyond music?
It’s really all about the music but we all enjoy the PNW surroundings and some sports. Bryce is a big horror film buff. So, if you are looking for film recommendations on bad scary movies, he’s your guy haha. Anyways, we talk about films a bit in between playing tunes.
What got you started in the music industry?
Hah, good question. Not sure. We’ve all been in bands since the beginning. I guess we were just drawn to it. Just feels like something we need to do regardless of what life brings. To be expressive.
What is the biggest decision you’ve had to make?
As any band knows, you go through members. If you are an active band and haven’t, then consider yourself one of the lucky ones haha. One musician can make you better or hold you back. Could be talent or chemistry. Sometimes you have to make a tough call on that and you have no idea what is on the horizon if you do.
What are your achievements at the moment?
Just recently our music was played on Seattle’s KEXP 90.3 FM, which we were thrilled about. It’s an incredible station known across the world and we were honored to be a part of it. Last summer, we played the South Sound Block Party here in Olympia. A new festival. It was so much fun and run by some great folks.
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
Oh, now here is an interesting topic. There are pros and cons, right? I think the internet has done so many great things for music. You can produce, market and distribute your own music yourself. One really cool thing is before Bryce joined the band 3+ years ago, I collaborated with a drummer in Argentina (Julius Solo) for some early Waves Crashing tracks. The fact that I could record my parts here in Washington and then send them to someone in another country to track drums and then send it back via file share to mix, is really mind-blowing technology.
Downside is the market is oversaturated. There is what seems to be an infinite amount of artists out there. Which is cool, but I think because of the internet’s impact and all the content at our fingertips that it’s hard to get someone’s attention and get listeners sometimes. Trying to get past the social media algorithms is a challenge. In the end though it’s all the same principle, right? Everything costs money. Whether it's a self-released, record label, manager, agent, marketing, distribution etc..then or now somebody has to front the bill if you want to be heard. Either way, it takes hard work. It’s not for lazy folks. I think the main difference unfortunately now is artists get paid less for their music because of streaming services. Great in the sense of accessibility but I think before the internet you were paid more for the music you released.
What are your plans for the future?
We have a new EP titled ‘The Viewing’ coming out with a special release show on March 2nd at the Spanish Ballroom in Tacoma, WA that we are very excited about. Plus, a bunch of other shows coming up this spring in Seattle and Portland. I think a small Pacific Northwest tour in the fall may be in order.