Whale, Whale, Whale What You Need to Know About Northern Whale

By Madison Duncan, Editor-In-Chief

(Left to Right) Guido, Scott, Jake, Brandon, and Selena.
Photo belongs to Northern Whale

Hailing from Youngstown, Ohio, Northern Whale, hit the music scene just nine years ago at around the age of 13, collectively. The name Northern Whale coming from guitarist Scott, who used to draw a cartoon of a whale from the North Pole.

Members Jake Capezzuto (Vocals/Keyboards), Brandon Fisher (Vocals/Guitar), Scott Davis (Vocals/Guitar), Selena Duponty (Bass), and Guido Vitullo (Drums) knew they wanted to be in a band since a young age. Each member was attracted to the idea of being able to pick up an instrument and play and decided to one day do it together. From this day, Northern Whale was born.

The Ohio Natives favorite part of being in Northern Whale is probably the live shows. “Being able to interact with other people enjoying the songs we’ve made is really special.” Says the band.

One good memory for the band is at their first show where Scott was playing guitar for the first time and when he was supposed to intro for their song “Hoodrat”, he messed up. Instead of trying to fix his mistake, Scott threw up the time out sign for everyone to see. The band assured that it was the funniest moment that they can talk about, due to the rest of their stories being classified.

Jake and Scott, who the band claims to be secret best friends, bicker the most and while it is funny to the other members, they say that it sometimes also gets in the way of the creative process so it is the least favorite part of being in Northern Whale.

Describing themselves as a part of the Alternative/Indie/Pop world, the band’s music has grown up alongside the band members. Taking inspiration from other Alternative bands like: Walk the Moon, The 1975, Twenty One Pilots, Young the Giant, and others, the band released their first self-titled EP in 2011, shortly followed by the release of Reckless in 2013, and then the release of the full length EP: The Flawed Album. The band’s music gives off a chill, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness mixed with an I Want! I Want! Era Walk the Moon vibe.

If given the chance, the band would love to have a large scale collaboration with anyone of the other bands that influence them. On the smaller, local scale, Northern Whale has already collabed with fellow band Spirit of the Bear on a song called “Door Hinge”.

As a band, Northern Whale has worked hard to not only come together as a band but also  release their own music, their advice for high school students who want to be in a band is: to work just as hard if it is something they want to do. They also say to heed what you like to do, “find your niche and audience and let them support you…if it feels like you are at the bottom and there’s no way out, DON’T STOP!”

Another piece of advice the band gave was to make sure that you have a social media presence as it is crucial to get out in the world as a band. While their social media isn’t filled with the usual “OMG OMG NORTHERN WHALE JUST TWEETED ME” messages, the band still loves to interact with the people who follow them and like their music online.

Northern Whale has already finished and recorded new music, but are waiting for the right time to release the songs. For now, the band says to “expect more singles…and maybe something bigger a little ways down the road.”

 

Be sure to check out Northern Whale on Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Itunes, and Spotify!