People in the Daytime at Grog Shop

Mud Whale are a highly dynamic alt-rock band formed in 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. Shortly after arriving in his new home, vocalist and guitarist Michael Morris went searching for like-minded musicians and found a tight-knit group with drummer Shawn King and bassist Joe Hanson. With each of the members hailing from different parts of the U.S., the band’s existence is a “beautiful, random coincidence” that finds them united by a shared vision of making music that’s as tenderly melancholic as it is urgently chaotic. Mud Whale have burst forth with a powerful sound that’s easily accessible yet wholly their own, propelled by an intent focus on strong songwriting and razor-sharp musicianship. It’s immediately evident throughout Mud Whale’s debut album Everything in Moderation, released in the summer of 2021. “It’s that feeling you get when you’re playing music, that connection you form in that moment: syncing up with the groove, harmonizing frequencies vibrating through you,” says Morris. “It’s spiritual, like plugging into the universe. It’s the one time I can let go and feel like it’s where I’m supposed to be.” - By Adam Feibel