SHADY ANGELS is an emerging Spokane-based band, electrifying an unfamiliar sound to Washington's music scene and igniting neo-grunge. Showing a new generation a sound of nostalgic 90s grit, distorted riffs, and bewitching lyrics. With their album, Try My Door, they're not only reviving grunge—they're redefining it.
We had the honor to meet with Shady Angels in discussion of their most recent album, Try My Door, and to get to know the surfacing band.
MSM: You are very new to the music scene, so what are the members' names and ages?
BRAYDEN MOORE: Brayden Moore, 19, and I am the lead singer/ gutarist.
CURRAN CHODOOROWSKI: I’m the bassist, Curran Chodoorowski, 18
JAMESON SANBORN: My name’s Jameson Sanborn, 18, Drummer.
OWEN SANTAGG: [lead guitarist, which is unable to join us today]
MSM: Furthering that, when did Shady Angels Form?
BRAYDEN MOORE: We formed in November of 2021 when we were around 15 and 16.
MSM: What does the creative process look like for Shady Angels?
BRAYDEN MOORE: Usually, the way it has been, it would start with me with a guitar coming up with lyrics and presenting a blueprint to the boys. Now we all start from scratch.
JAMESON SANBORN: Brayden writes and everyone else composes. Our most recent song, The Lesser, we wrote it the new way, where we all sit down together, and it came out beautifully.
MSM: What sets your music apart?
CURRAN CHODOORWSKI: It's the rawness we bring to music, all of sitting down and sharing what we all want for the song.
BRAYDEN MOORE: You don't hear distortion on guitar anymore; we took that to the next level with our music. We spend a lot of time and money on our music production. The lyrics that I write stand out to me; they are very heavy and something I don't hear much in music. Musically, it challenges you with an older sound.
MSM: How does your most recent album, Try My Door, differ from your first album, Heirloom?
BRAYDEN MOORE: So I think it helps just growing up a little bit with this album to kind of put my words into more sense and more meaning. And what they mean to me and what maybe others will think it means to them. So it's been; it's been nice. With the help of the boys, they let me be really vulnerable and honest with myself and with them. So, yeah, that's kind of just how that's how I come to lyrics.
I just with open arms, I feel like.
MSM: Your title track, what does "Try My Door" mean to you?
BRAYDEN MOORE: I know what it means to me, but what does it mean to you guys?
CURRAN CHODOOROWSKI: For me, this was kind of our last song and was playing at Boom Jam. I thought that was going to be our last show for a long time since Brayden was going off to college. And so just that whole song, playing that show. It's definitely very open, and you just don't really see it.
BRAYDEN MOORE: Yeah, I totally agree; I love that.
CURRAN CHODOORWSKI: That's really nice, and yeah, you're just the whole lyrical perspective on it, you don't. I mean, it's a deeper song than any of the other songs. It has a very strong tie that ties the whole album together, especially the last song.
BRAYDEN MOORE: I agree with that. I think it comes across to me as if I wrote it after a breakup, but it quickly did not turn into just like a breakup song. It kind of turned into more of just being open to yourself and open to others and hoping that people share the same reciprocity towards that. And yeah, it's heavy. And especially since Karen was saying. It's like we did think that was the last song we were going to write, and so we kind of all put our all into it.
And definitely of those lyrics, I'm, you know, singing home to the boys and kind of maybe just wishing them farewell a little bit. But I'm glad it didn't turn out that way.
MSM: What songs do you recommend to those new to your music?
JAMESON SANBURN: Honestly, which one, The Corvids? That's a really good yeah, yeah.
BRAYDEN MOORE: Actually, thanks a bunch; that was really fun. I still really like Chaser from our first album; I think it's pretty.
If I was going to turn somebody on to try my door, I'd tell them to listen. Yeah, Corvids, and maybe Superman and Sweet Fucker—those are all pretty good ones.
CURRAN CHODOORWSKI: I think if I was going to show anybody our music right away, I'd show them enough to know. I want to think it's a really cohesive sound. I mean, our band, we all bring something to that song.
MSM: What are you trying to accomplish in 2025?
BRAYDEN MOORE: Oh, that's a pretty loaded question. I think. Recently, with things kind of opening up with opportunities, we're kind of scrambling to find where those opportunities are going to fit. But I think for 2025, for me, I think we'd really like to just play a lot of shows, maybe have a little quote-unquote tour over the summer.
I don't know if I'm thinking about another album just yet; maybe, you know, let that bake for some more time. But hit a lot of shows and try to build our audience, is what I would say. I'd say shows, for sure. Play in different cities and get people around that haven't heard us before, you know, and just get our music out there, you know, through social media. And hopefully more throughout the radio and stuff.
CURRAN CHODOOROWSKI: Yeah, like, doing stuff like this is great. Yeah, same page.
Keep doing what we're doing right now, because it's like we hadn't made it out to the West Coast yet, like the West Side yet. But we just put a show in Seattle; we just did one in Bellingham, so just keep that going and reach new audiences, as well as festivals.
JAMESON SANBORN: Festivals are fun. Yeah, we're trying to hop on everything we can. I think, just, yeah, just go for shows, I think, is the right move and try to kind of broaden our space.
MSM: Anything else to mention that I did not during this interview or anything to say to fans?
We would, I would like to say, yeah, just thanks for sticking with us.
Hopefully 30 more.
JAMESON SANBORN: Come see us live if you can. If we're in your city, come see us live. Yeah, if we're anywhere near us, come see us live. I think it generates a lot of fun and buys our records!
BRAYDEN MOORE: Yeah, I mean, come to our shows for sure. That's like one.
CURRAN CHADOORWSKI: Come see us, that's an experience you don't get into. Our music on Spotify and on YouTube and all that stuff—it's awesome to listen to that. But just the environment at our shows—it's very cool.
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