The Shakes

The reality is: we never stop fighting. Fighting for what we want, fighting for who we are, and fighting for who we want to be. Sean Perry and Syd Tagle of Southern California-bread, Long Beach-based band, THE SHAKES, know this fight well.

Experiencing death and the fragility of life while leaving childhood and entering the throes of adolescence branded the kind heart of Perry from the onset. “I think that taught me to appreciate life a lot more,” he shared, reflecting on that point in his life. “People always ask me ‘Why do you write about death so much, Sean?’ and it’s because when I first started writing music, 15 to 18 years old, that’s what brought it out at the time — [And I learned] to be more appreciative of where we live and how we live.” The extended period of time that had seen endless heartbreak and the loss of loved one, after loved one, during those young years for Perry had shifted his world tremendously, yet kept his family looking for better days on the horizon. “My family has always been so optimistic,” Perry adds. “My dad is one of the most optimistic people I’ve ever met and he always tried to look on the bright side of things. Even to this day, we still talk about life lessons that my grandma and grandpa and both my aunts had given me.”

Tagle experienced a different kind of loss. “I used to be a worship leader when I was in high school and when I came out, they asked me to stop serving,” she paused. “That broke my heart. I loved serving and helping other people and when they told me I wasn’t able to do that anymore I was really torn apart. I didn’t know what to do with myself. But that kind of showed me that you can’t let that stop you from pushing on from making music or doing what you want to do. I can’t imagine where I’d be today if I had stayed, hiding who I really was, just to remain a worship leader. I thought I was going to be welcomed with open arms and I was terrified. I remember I was coming out at summer camp and I had the worst stomach pain — the doctors didn’t know what was wrong with me, I had to be sent to the ER because I blacked out. It was probably the most painful thing I’ve gone through.”

Despite the losses and the heartbreak, Perry and Tagle, alongside members Tanner Henderson, Levi Matulis, and Cameron Pearson, have been able to find the light of hope and home through music and the little moments shared with those that matter most. The friendships and relationships they hold close — the strong bond Perry keeps with his niece Avalon — inspire every part of their world. Through their deeply rooted lyrics and dreamy ambient sound, each Shakes song envelops you in an atmosphere of self-awareness, reflection, and reassurance that, yes, it’s okay to feel something. Their 2018 With Every Moment EP carries the weight of longing and grounded emotions, while remaining light by the way of a hopelessly optimistic sound. Most recent releases, “Heaven (Doesn’t Seem Too Far Away)” and “Underneath a Blood Orange Sky,” gently guide you into a space more private — more intimate. These two songs mark the beginnings of their “From The Bedroom” series, an intimate playlist-meets-b-sides compilation of relationships, family, and friends. Each song lives in its own dimension, recognizing the changes and transitions of life, aiming to connect to the listener through the stories that unfold from the lyrics.

Pages and pages of inner thought pour out of Perry and Tagle, constructing these delicate and tender moments. “I’ll bring the skin and bones to a song to [Tagle] or she’ll bring it to me, we’ll flush it out from there, then we’ll bring it to the guys and see if they have any input,” Perry shared. Each member of The Shakes, lives interwoven and connected, leave their own personal, unique mark on Shakes work. Perry and Tagle divulged that Matulis is one of the best beat makers in Southern California — and he can sing. “He can, but he won’t do it!” Perry exclaimed. “[He] brings a lot to the live show; he’s in charge of tracks and makes sure everything runs smoothly.” (Apparently, Pearson doesn’t get a mic at all and Henderson tells good jokes.)

No matter the scenario, with a mic or without, The Shakes have found solace in being on stage with each other. “I feel it at any point we’re playing music or making music — whenever [Perry] and I sit down to play a song that he came up with on the guitar and I’ll sit down at the piano and we’ll just start jamming,” Tagle recalled. “Or we’re on stage, look down and see our friends out in the crowd.” Perry remembered selling out a hometown show and the crowd singing along: “I could step away from the mic and people were singing lyrics that I wrote, you know, a year and a half ago in my bedroom. People showing support like that really means the world and I don’t think I’ve ever felt more comfortable on stage than I did that night.”

Simply put: The Shakes are working on creating a more authentic world. “It’s like, okay, how do we make something that sounds different than what everyone else is doing right now?” Perry questioned. “Vulnerability is an asset to being a musician. If you have no vulnerability in your music, then what makes it personal? What makes it authentic?” he added. The authenticity and personality each Shakes track holds is a multi-layered reality, reflecting the trials and tribulations of the lives of each member and offering the opportunity for anyone listening to let go, remove their inhibitions, and remember how to feel (and that it’s okay to feel).

“I want to be able to not only inspire myself with my lyrics, but if I can also inspire other people to do the same, then that is my world. That is the reason why we’re here,” Perry states. “If I can speak for people with my lyrics — if I can save a life — that’s enough for me. That’s my truth.”

This truth knows no limits, whether it’s in service of self-expression or trying to break down misconceptions of others. “Being a woman in a highly populated male industry is really tough and they think you can’t do anything and they think they’re better than you. And it’s frustrating,” Tagle shared of her experiences. “And I just say like, just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I can’t do what you do. Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I can’t do what you do. Don’t judge a book by its cover. I hate to be a cliche, but you know, give people a shot.”

This is the life we are given. Not everything we do will be in our control or go according to plan. What we can do is take a note from The Shakes and learn how to take our miscommunications and losses and transform them into something beautiful, that others can connect to. We can learn to embrace the knots in our stomachs, accept ourselves, and find the strength to share our stories. “No matter who you are, no matter what you are, you are yourself, and there’s nothing you can do to change that,” Perry stated. “So make the best of it and stick with anybody that says you’re special, because everybody is special in their own way.”

WRITTEN BY GEORDON WOLLNER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY LILLY DURAN