The Lighthouse and the Whaler
Cleveland, Ohio, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
“As if they’re the brainchild of Train, Dave Matthews Band and The Beatles (that concoction sounds all kinds of wrong), The Lighthouse and the Whaler is a monstrosity that is so amazingly good that it almost seems wrong. You get everything with these guys, from crazy quirky sounds to seriously well-thought out lyrics.” - MSN
Top Albums
Of Monsters and Men – My Head is an Animal
Standout Track: Dirty Paws
The Lighthouse and the Whaler – This Is An Adventure
Standout Track: Venice
Jack White – Blunderbuss
Standout Track: Love Interruption - Bonaroo Staff
This segment of World Cafe: Next features two songs from The Lighthouse and the Whaler's album This Is an Adventure: "Little Vessels" and "Chromatic," as well as a free download of "Venice." - NPR
“This Is An Adventure is the follow-up and the band’s first LP, and it’s everything we hoped it would be.” - Stereo Subversion
“This Is An Adventure gives listeners a second look at a band that could have been typecast as “indie-folk;” however, they manage to successfully mix their roots with their ambitions to create a sonically enjoyable, altogether interesting and unpretentious sound.” - Glide Magazine
“The Cleveland band's decidedly Midwestern synth-pop brims with enthusiasm and hooks, devoid of the cynicism and irony that can plague the genre.” - Cleveland Plain Dealer
“An expansive album streaked with orchestral beauty and unbridled passion, the subject matters [of This is an Adventure] stretch from death to lifelong journeys, keeping our attention with spritely chimes and sing-a-long whoa-oh-ohhs.” - Under The Radar Magazine
“With their earnest brand of folk inflected and literary leaning indie-pop, Lighthouse’s critical praise and fan following is only set to rise.” - Paste Magazine
Public radio--friendly folk--pop... [one of CMJ’s] pleasant surprises.” - Brooklyn Vegan
BMI highlighted up-and-coming troupe The Lighthouse and the Whaler at the May installment of its Pick of the Month showcase series. Staged at Pianos, the show introduced the Cleveland-based band to a charmed industry crowd. - BMI
There's a spectacular innocence to the music that these five men make, with it seemingly coming from a place of simple discovery and understanding...effortless folk-pop - Daytrotter
The Lighthouse and The Whaler's song Under Mountain, Under Ground was included in KEXP Seattles influential "Music That Matters" podcast. The podcast can be downloaded via iTunes. - KEXP Seattle
KEXP Seattle features TLATW song Under Mountain, Under Ground as their song of the day on January 20th. The podcast it is featured on is the #13 most downloaded podcast on iTunes. - KEXP Seattle
DJ's from influential Seattle radio station KEXP talk about how The Lighthouse and The Whaler are a band to watch, how big a year this is for them and how impressive their touring schedule is after featuring them on both their Seattle and New York City radio stations. - KEXP Seattle
In Deceember of 2010 MTV named The Lighthouse and The Whaler one of their bands to watch. They were featured on MTV's new show "The Seven" and given a segment encouraging listeners to go see their live show! - MTV
...Songs with soaring violin, pulsing drums, and quiet vocal driven reflections on life... - Annie Clark
We recently interviewed with spinner.com. They talk about our new album and what's next for the band. - Spinner.com
Paste Magazine names The Lighthouse and the Whaler's showcase at SXSW as a show not to miss!
"7:30 p.m. – The Lighthouse and the Whaler (The Tap Room at Six) – Ohio trio The Lighthouse and the Whaler caught our ear with their pop-influenced folk harmonies and Midwestern charm. The band has shared the stage with the likes of Sufjan Stevens and A.A. Bondy before releasing its self-titled debut earlier this year." - Paste Magazine
The Lighthouse and the Whaler blanketed the room with orchestral folk sounds...in a sweeping and dramatic mode, building tension with lush orchestration. - Citizendick.org
Ask the guys of The Lighthouse and The Whaler how they formed, and they still seem a little surprised by the story themselves. Last year, the three of them (Michael LoPresti, Evan Story, and Aaron Smith) met in a park to play music together. Fifteen minutes later, they had their first song and as they played, they started to draw a crowd. They figured they were on to something, and decided to officially become a band. We asked them to drop by the studio to play. After they played their new song “Windows,” we knew they were still on to something. — Kevin Keller - Paste Magazine
Paste Magazine asks The Lighthouse and the Whaler to be featured on its March compilation CD. - Paste Magazine
"Colorful and eccentric, fascinatingly triumphant" - Undergroundcolumbus.com
We have been selected to be on Under The Radars 29th issue compilation CD. - Under The Radar Magazine
Filter Magazine has selected The Lighthouse and the Whaler as their undiscovered band of the month for the month of July. - Filter Magazine
Limewire music highlights The Lighthouse and The Whaler as one of it's artist's to watch in Cleveland and it was chosen as one of two artists from the compilation to be covered nationally by press and blogs. - Limewire Music
TLATW is given an absolutely glowing review of their new album, specifically about the song Of The Heavens And The Earth. In the review TLATW debut album is called "one of the greatest debut albums of 2009" The song the most viewed song on the site. - One-track-mind.com
Read an interview with admirers from the Seattlest.com. - Seatllest.com
Discography
A Whisper, A Clamour - EP (December 2008)
"Windows" - Single (July 2009)
The Lighthouse and the Whaler - LP (November 2009)
Pioneers - EP (March 2012)
This is An Adventure (September 2012)
Photos
Bio
The Lighthouse and the Whaler is a band from Cleveland, Ohio, though its name alludes to the waters off the coast of Massachusetts. Inspired by a theme from Moby Dick, the band's name alone is enough to make underpaid Literature teachers beam with pride.
Here is what most band bios wont tell you:
Michael LoPresti studied literature and theology in college but rushed home after graduation to become a musician. Michael is the voice of the band and his head is filled with wayward melodies one could chase for days. He wears boat shoes, jean cut-offs and flannel shirts all year round. Michael is a web designer and has approximately two dance moves. Put a chick flick on mute and he will make up hilarious new dialogue to go along with the picture.
Matthew LoPresti was on his way to becoming a professional soccer player but left the pitch to join The Lighthouse and the Whaler. Matthew is a percussionist and puts the passion and heart into the songs. He has a nice smile and often requires extra space on stage to accommodate his raw emotion. Matthew tells loud jokes because it makes everyone laugh more. He thinks LeBron James is a traitor and is dogmatic on the subject.
Mark Poro was a solo artist who wanted some company. He plays mandolin, violin, guitar, piano and glockenspiel, but has yet to master the triangle. Mark is a lover of the poignant and sincere, and fills each song with his pure spirit. He secretly likes to be silly, especially in serious situations. Mark is perpetually training for a marathon and has blue eyes that would remind a sailor of a calm day at sea. Mark Poro is not his real name.
The Lighthouse and the Whaler recently released its new album, "This is an Adventure, produced by Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Ra Ra Riot), which NPR Music liked so much it named the band the "next artist on the rise. The album debuted at #92 on iTunes alternative music charts in it's first week. The album gained momentum on radio too reaching #104 on the CMJ music charts.
The band has performed at SXSW, CMJ, Pop Montreal, Midpoint Music Festival, NoisePop and venues across North America, though its favorite show to date took place in the attic of an old bookstore. The band has shared stages with the likes of The Temper Trap, Cults and GIVERS, and just finished touring with Ra Ra Riot in the spring.
John Richards of KEXP called The Lighthouse and the Whaler his new favorite band. He may be the smartest man on the planet.
Management:
Caren Kelleher
caren@sistermgmt.com
Press Inquiries:
Steven Tractenbroit
Big Hassle
Steven@BigHassle.com
Booking:
Justin Bridgewater,
The Agency Group
justinbridgewater@theagencygroup.com
Legal:
J. Reid Hunter
Serling Rooks Ferrara McKoy & Worob
reid@srfllp.com
Licensing:
Zync Music
Madison
madison@zyncmusic.com
Links
