Rock Eupora
Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF
Music
Press
Since Pokémon Go debuted in July, there's a pretty good chance you've been combing the city with trusty smartphone in hand, hot on the trail of that elusive Tauros to lure into your digital menagerie. (Don't worry, you're secret is safe with us!) Perhaps you need a little power-up to light that Charizard's fire?
If so, transplanted quartet Rock Eupora has your back. (And no, we didn't misspell "Europa," it's the name of their hometown in Mississippi.) We're pleased to premiere their cover of the theme song from the Pokémon animated TV series. It's pretty spot-on to the original version as sung by one Jason Paige, if ever-so-slightly laid back.
(If you were curious, yes, someone has covered the song on the bagpipes.)
Check it out below, and watch out for traffic while your'e trying to catch 'em all. - Nashville Scene
Get ready to fill your Friday with Mississippi music. Clayton Waller, the man behind Rock Eupora, has a new single ready for your ears and he’s bringing it to idobi.com first.
“What I mean by “Love Won’t Last Forever” is that love is more than just the bubbly feelings during the honeymoon phase. To me, true love is a commitment to being there for somebody regardless of the circumstances. It’s an equally beautiful and terrifying thing. It’s part of why I’m resistant to long-term commitments, dating, marriage, etc. But also, I think unconditional love is something everyone desires to some degree.”
From the age of five, Walker has been tuned into music making. His adulthood has brought us his solo project Rock Eupora and the breakout album Blanks, along with his second release Soon The Sun Will Come. His latest single, “Love Won’t Last Forever”, comes from his upcoming second collection, and can be heard below! - Idobi Radio
Jackson native Clayton Waller grew up inspired by the bright and idyllic painting by Mississippi artist Theora Hamblett hanging in his grandparents' home.
As Waller began work on his second LP with his project, Rock Eupora, he found that many of themes addressed on the album, new beginnings, nostalgia and love, were epitomized in Hamblett’s piece that now hangs in his parents’ Jackson home after the passing of his grandparents.
Because his grandparents owned the painting, he was able to use it for the cover art on “Soon The Sun Will Come,” which was released online Friday.
“It’s a coming-of-age album," Waller said. "During the time I was writing and recording, I had just moved to Nashville and going through a lot of transitions. The painting represents transition, change and growing up, and I thought it was a perfect fit.”
The scene depicted on the album, children playing under colorful trees, is indicative of the work of Hamblett. Born in Paris, Mississippi, in 1895, she did not begin to take art classes until her mid-50s, but her oil paintings quickly made their way to New York, where she has a permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and in the collection of Nelson Rockefeller.
“She’s one of my favorite artists, not just because she’s from Mississippi, but of all time. The trees in the painting are in bloom and represent a season of change. The children show a progression of time. ”
Recorded in a converted basement at his apartment in Nashville, Waller shows a natural progression of artistic growth on “Soon The Sun Will Come” from Rock Eupora’s debut album “Blanks,” which was recorded in a matter of days in 2013 while Waller was a student at Mississippi State.
Waller deliberately released three singles in the months leading up to the album to showcase three distinct elements of Rock Eupora’s poppy brand of garage rock. Waller plays all of the instruments on the album.
“Love Won’t Last Forever” is a radio-ready melodic ear worm, while “I Don’t Want to Grow Old” incorporates elements of reverb and shoegaze. “I Wanna Be Alone,” is Waller’s homage to grungy '90s hard rock.
Since graduating from Belmont University's MBA program last summer, Waller has put what he’s learned in school into his music. Living in a town surrounded by monolithic record labels and studios, he’s survived remaining independent.
“Record labels came into existence because artists couldn't afford to go into the studio, but now I can record at home,” Waller said. “Labels as we know them now are used for marketing and distribution.”
The life of an independent artist means making money from playing live shows and at the merchandise table, the latter of which Waller said is his biggest draw. It’s why he decided to get “Soon The Sun Will Come” printed on vinyl and get T-shirts printed.
“The way artists are paid now is different; it’s over a long period of time. It used to be that when a record came out, it would boom and then fall flat,” Waller said. “Spotify is the gift that keeps on giving; you get something for every listen. Over a lifetime, it’s arguably more than it used to be.”
Waller and Rock Eupora will return to Jackson on Saturday at Duling Hall with local band Dream Cult and Nashville’s The Gills. Rock Eupora will also play Starkville Feb. 27 at Rick’s Café and in Oxford March 4 at Proud Larry’s. - The Clarion-Ledger
Hailing from Mississippi, Rock Eupora has steadily become a force to be reckoned with deep down south. As the project of singer/songwriter Clayton Waller, Rock Eupora has a straight forward indie rock sound that shows that less is more. It's easy to hear why there's high hopes for Waller, especially when you jam on the song we're premiering today. "I Don't Want to Grow Old" is the driving anthem that contemplates exactly what the title of the song implies. Rock Eupora's self-proclaimed fuzz pop is on full display here, showcasing a songwriter with a bright future.
"This song is nostalgic at the core," Waller explains. "I wanted to capture the magic of being young and innocent – the simple time in life when you have no worries, nothing to lose, and everything ahead of you. I think it's important for people to hold onto this magic throughout their whole life. At the same time, the song captures my fear of death. I think these two themes merge at the bridge when the sun goes down.
"When I realize that death can happen at any moment, it puts everything in perspective. Life becomes more precious and I am able to soak up the little things. It's very freeing for me to admit that I don't have control over everything. Once I let go of worrying, I am able to face the future with excitement, similar to the way I looked forward to cool summer nights as a kid growing up." - PureVolume
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
A Mississippi native, Clayton Waller grew up in Jackson where he first encountered his love for music. He took piano lessons starting at the age of 5. He composed music from an early age and cranked out infamous (and unknown) hits such as "Indian Dance" and "Jazzy". He got in trouble for playing them in music class because it got too intense.
In middle and high school, he played music in many strange scenarios like show choir, youth group worship band, and a cover band called Sloth Attack, known for playing Kelly Clarkson songs and composing rap renditions of songs.
While in college at Mississippi State University, Waller formed a rock-n-roll power trio called Wolf Cove, through which Clayton rediscovered his love for songwriting and performing. The band began to dissolve as graduation approached, and Waller began to write songs for a solo endeavor. These songs eventually became Rock Eupora and took form as the debut album, Blanks.
The album was written, performed, and recorded in December 2014 by Waller in just a few weeks.
Just down the road from where Waller's house was the small town of Eupora. Waller decided to name the music project after this tiny Mississippi town, as he felt it somehow embodied the tunes and reflected how his music was perceived by many around him.
Through energetic riffs, dynamic composition, and rich production, Rock Eupora addresses themes of doubt, faith, hope, and love from the honest perspective of a 90s born and raised Mississippian. Rock Eupora's unique combination of gritty rock and shimmering pop has been described as Fuzz Pop, and the sound can be compared to The Shins, Weezer, and the Beach Boys.
Rock Eupora currently operates out of Nashville, TN and performs regularly throughout the southeast as a full band.
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