You may know The Shadowboxers from their tours with Justin Timberlake or The Indigo Girls, their discography of thoughtful, beautiful music, or their viral covers of pop songs. But before they were touring the world, they were interpreting classic albums with us at ATL Collective. The Shadowboxers got their start at Emory University playing house shows and frat parties, but they had a hard time breaking out of their college bubble.
“It’s a serious challenge to get connected as a musician in Atlanta,” says Matt Lipkins, the band’s keyboardist and vocalist. “Everyone is doing everything on their own. It’s empowering, but also terrifying”.
The Shadowboxers first connected with ATL Collective when they were asked to play at the Pet Sounds show, a record perfectly suited to their strong harmonies and soaring voices. “Having someone from the actual artist community of the city reach out to interpret this album was a transformational moment for us,” says Lipkins.
“There was this strong community of like-minded, talented people that didn’t feel like a cocktail party put on by a management company. It was exactly what we needed to get connected at the time.”
Community connection changed the way the band grew. Matt eventually became the creative director for ATL Collective, symbiotically helping shape and grow our organization while our community helped Matt and the Shadowboxers grow; the Collective worked as it was created to work.
Now based in LA, The Shadowboxers enjoy much success on the west coast but still maintain deep connections to Atlanta, hiring local musicians to tour with them and maintaining a healthy live show schedule in the south. “The frustrating and beautiful thing about Atlanta is the talent is totally on par with LA or Nashville, there’s just a lack of infrastructure for musicians.
Everyone needs a team and when you don’t have one it puts a lot of pressure on musicians. The Collective is that team. In a city where it can be hard to branch out, ATL Collective gets you there.”
