Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Shepherd.
Aaron, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Aaron Shepherd, I play and write for the indie rock band Bad Island Easter. We are actively writing and recording indie rock music in Nashville, Tennessee. I also recently got my first poem published in Mid Cult* Magazine out of LA. I started playing music and writing in High School. My parents encouraged the creativity of myself and my siblings by letting us have band practice and host musical shows in their basement in Franklin, Tennessee. That is where I first started collaborating with Sebastian Mogan. In college I played in bands and formed Bad Island Easter with Sebastian in 2007. During this time I also hosted poetry readings in Spring Hill, Tennessee at a local coffee shop called Utopia Coffee. In the early 2000s there were not a lot of indie rock bands in Nashville and we formed our own music scene playing at small venues like the Muse, French Quarter Cafe and house parties. My band Bad Island Easter recorded our-self titled EP in Franklin, Tennessee at Cedar Creek Studio. Once we finished recording the band promptly broke up. Sebastian and I decided to reform the band in 2024 and do a digital release of the Bad Island Easter EP. Matt Lowell, who was a part of our homemade music scene in the mid 00s, joined the band as a writer and guitar player. Also my younger brother Jack joined the band. Since reforming, Bad Island Easter has gotten songs played on local and European radio. We have released a brand new EP called “Tomorrow Will Be Like Yesterday” that is available to stream everywhere.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In the early days of playing with Bad Island Easter the small audiences we played for in Nashville did not fully understand what we were trying to do and maybe why we were playing rock music. For example, the first time we played our original song “Size of New York” at the Muse for strangers no one clapped. In that moment we all looked at each other and decided to play out the rest of the set as loud as possible. We had an absolute blast playing that set. The crowd remained completely silent till we finished but the owner of the Muse, Logan, loved us and the songs. His attention gave us the momentum we needed to start future bands. Things were not much better down in Franklin because at the time playing in a “secular” band was considered exotic in the extreme. Now that I think about it, playing indie rock in Nashville in the early 00s must have also been considered exotic outside of our friend circles.
Since reforming in 2024 new technology and hard work have allowed us to write and record our own music. Sebastian, one of our founding members, now writes and produces our music. And because of new online services we are able to distribute the music on our own. This gives us an enormous amount of creative control and allows us to pay local artists and professionals for artwork and mixing.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have been performing original and cover songs since high school. And I like to believe that the songs I have written speak for themselves, that they exist without me. Whether I am playing with the band or reading my poetry out loud at open mics I try and put on the best performance possible. Our live shows are lively and unique for the area. I have learned to channel the energy from our live shows and put them into our studio recording sessions. In Nashville there are hundreds of bands and the shear concentrated talent in the area is staggering. That being said, what sets Bad Island Easter apart is our live show. We take more risks than most bands our size and we keep the audience engaged through the music and how we perform the songs. I personally treat every live performance as an artistic expression itself like a play or an art installation except I am the cast or the artifact on display. If you live out of town you can see videos from our live show on YouTube.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
In addition to writing for Bad Island Easter I am also working on a side project with the band where I put my poetry to ambient music. I recently got my first poem published in Mid Cult* Magazine out or LA and have another piece that will appear in their printed magazine next. The guys in the band are onboard with composing original songs to accompany written pieces. I do have a vision of collaborating remotely with other artists on this project and have already begun collaborating with Sebastian Mogan on these pieces. If you are reading this and want to collaborate by providing instrumental tracks or you would like to see a live version of this project performed at your venue drop me an email at badislandeaster@gmail.com.
Bad Island Easter is planning our first album and we have a t-shirt for sale on Shopify. You can buy our current EP Tomorrow Will Be Like Yesterday on Bandcamp. All proceeds from those sales will go directly to that project as we are a very small independent band. We pay local artists for album art and to have our tracks mixed. Another way readers can support us is to listen to our music on YouTube and other streaming sites. Streaming does not pay much but it does help keep our momentum up as we work on new songs. Follow us on Spotify and Instagram (@badislandeaster) to get updates on our next show.
Pricing:
- Tomorrow Will Be Like Yesterday EP $9 on Bandcamp
Contact Info:
- Website: https://badislandeaster.bandcamp.com/album/tomorrow-will-be-like-yesterday-ep
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badislandeaster/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Bad-Island-Easter/61578464732583/#
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BadIslandEaster
- Other: https://shop.spotify.com/en/artist/6NxoV5ro7NlqLNTHV7jcKz/product/unisex-classic-tee
Image Credits
Pictures by Rachel K. Shepherd (Instagram @bygollycraft) and Bekah Shepherd. Album art by Drew Philen.
