The SoulShake

Northern Californian band The SoulShake brings a laid back, danceable sound to the rock/reggae genre. With a mix of lyrics inspirited by heartfelt songwriters like Jason Mraz and the instrumental musical stylings of Sublime, their music reflects a connection to good times and the adventure of life on the Northern California coast. The trio considers themselves more than a band, they are best friends connecting with audiences through their outdoor surfer lifestyle, wacky humor, and songs that speak to love, life and creating a better world.

The project began in a small backyard on the east side of Petaluma, California. Guitar player Domenic Bianco and bass player Charlie Sisemore skipped school and met at a mutual friend’s house who, fortunately, supported Highschool truancy. They struck up conversation over metal themed t-shirts then spent the rest of the day playing guitar and bonding over their love for heavy metal music. Their friendship wasn’t always a wholesome affair, but following a few years of significant marijuana consumption, a misguided attempt steal a gumball machine while pretending to be a quarter machine repairman, house arrest for an undisclosed misdemeanor, daily gym workouts, and several more missed school days, they coasted out of their rebellious teenage years as best friends.

By 2016 they started their first serious music project, The SoulShake. The personal growth and life lessons they learned led them to be advocates of positivity through music, valuing the humor, love, and community they found while discovering themselves throughout their tumultuous formative years. Those values inspired their songwriting and production on their first album “A Little Peace in the Puzzle” in 2018.

Faced with sensible career choices, members from the original lineup came and went during production of that first album. The drummer from the producer’s band came in to finish recording their single “Hungover” and a craigslist ad went out to replace the lost band members. In response to the ad, a grey Prius with a sparkling black drumset in the back pulled up to their house on Wilson St. and a tall, well dressed, real estate agent with a banana in his hand stepped out.

John Hendrick’s killer drum skills and great vibe immediately blew the duo away. Charlie felt it was too good to be true, “he’s probably got kids in his basement,” but they came to find that John’s excellent musicianship, positive attitude, and business like charm balanced out their fun loving antics with a focus that would ultimately guide them to take their first tour in 2019. Most importantly John has become a close friend, a “brother,” and a missing piece in the SoulShake puzzle.

Their latest album Vibes was released December 4th 2020 following a very successful live stream series on Facebook. This seven song EP can be found on all the major streaming platforms and on CD right here at wilsonstreetrecords.com. The band is currently recording their third album “In This Moment” to be released late 2022.