BIO

Pulled straight from the sonic viscera of New Jersey, Waking Lights is a powerful quintet that can easily serve as the defining sound of New York City indie folk rock, a necessary counterpart to bands like Okkervil River and Mumford & Sons (swapping the banjo for the violin).

Formed in 2005, the brothers Matthew and Tommy Maroulakos, Dana LaMarca, Kyle McCammon, and Nicole Scorsone are more a family than a band, endlessly digging into the depth of their unique musicality to ultimately create an organic aural experience, driven equally by strong instrumentation and Matt's intelligent, poetic lyrics.

After independently releasing their debut EP, The Rabbit Hole, on vinyl in 2009, Waking Lights have pushed themselves to a more fantastical wonderland for their second release, paying homage to the heavy rock and roll of Springsteen while maintaining a contemporary tone, resonating the harmonic zeitgeist of today's counterculture.

VIDEO

CONTACT

Management: casey@wakinglights.com
Other: info@wakinglights.com

QUOTES

"With his understated, tremulous vocals — part Conor Oberst, part young Bob Dylan, with unexpected forays into a soulful, Prince-like falsetto — Maroulakos exudes a quiet, burning intensity. One imagines Bruce Springsteen probably impressed people the same way when he was in his mid-20s."
- Jim Testa for The Star Ledger
"Waking Lights’ music immediately jumps out at you: it’s catchy, stomping, energetic and head bobbing inducing. Their songs contain both rock and folk elements, sometimes alternating between the two while still retaining their unforgettable feel."
- Leah Tribbett for the Deli Magazine
"It's hard to argue exactly what 'authentic' is and I don't feel the urge to use the word often, but when a band can layer seven different instruments during a live performance as well as Waking Lights can, you find the word hard to avoid... I must also admit I'm selfishly happy for whatever relationship trouble their singer Matt has recently had, for his lyrics have clearly reaped the rewards."
- Matt Lucich for TheNJUnderground.com
"This band is hard to pin down in terms of genre; they go from hard rock, orchestral-tinged blues rock and even manage to throw a cool jazz vibe in some songs. In a word, these guys are eclectic."
- Dejon Turner for The Aquarian Weekly