On May 7, Jullian Records will release Fresh Out the debut full-length record from Waker. This album has been a long time for co-founders Chase Bader and Conor Kelly. They initially connected as Colorado fifth graders and performed together in bands through high school, until Chase returned to his native Alabama for his senior year. The pair later attended Belmont University in Nashville and formed a group called Koa which evolved into the current six-piece known as as Waker. Bader and Kelly contribute vocals and guitar alongside Ryan Ladd (bass), Al Mathews (saxophone), Dave Czuba (drums) and Ryan McClanahan (percussion, keys). The band’s animated, jam-infused soul had landed Waker spots on such fests as Bonnaroo, Hangout, Electric Forest and Summer Camp, as well as opening slots on tours with Blues Traveler, Moon Taxi, and JJ Grey & Mofro.

Today, we premiere the official video for “Many Days Ahead” a song that evokes the spirit and feel of early Dave Matthews Band. The tune appears on the forthcoming record, which was produced by former Cage The Elephant guitarist Lincoln Parish and is now available for pre-order.

Waker’s Chase Bader reveals, “’Many Days Ahead’” was written following the end of a long relationship when I was re-learning how to discover myself and what I thought was most important. While we wrote the song a year before the pandemic broke out, we were surprised by how much the theme of the song fit the feelings we were experiencing throughout the year. Right now we are all in a valley, but the great thing about a valley is that there is always a peak that rises above. Since the beginning of the pandemic we’ve been unable to perform live for audiences in the traditional sense, at a venue. That is one of those experiences since our start that has been the cornerstone of what defines our sound. We felt that this video should capture the dynamic and emotional depth that a live show provides. It starts with an empty bar, symbolically representing where we started and where we currently exist due to the circumstances outside of our control. Above all, we have the hope that life does and will get better. You just have to lean into the emotion and the separation, learn from it, be kind to yourself, be kind to others and endure.”