The Shadowboxers’ musical journey began at Emory University where Scott Schwartz (from Nashville, Tennessee), Adam Hoffman (from Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Matt Lipkins (from Larchmont, New York) met during their freshmen year in 2008.[2] After a year of working together, the unnamed trio entered the first annual Emory Arts Competition in 2008, a performance competition between ten finalists chosen from hundreds of student applicants. Their song, “Not Again,” was not originally chosen as one of the top ten finalists, but the competition’s committee accidentally sent them an email, explaining the details of the finals. Hoffman, Lipkins and Schwartz showed up at the competition and because the error was on the part of the committee, the three were allowed to perform. Ultimately, they won the grand prize of $3,000 and local collegiate success.
The Shadowboxers’ musical approach comes out of a shared reverence for the sacred texts of rock and soul, from the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel to Stevie Wonder and D’Angelo. “We pride ourselves on having a current and relevant sound, but there’s also a noticeable classic-roots groove element,” says Schwartz. In terms of contemporary music, the band members share an appreciation for Coldplay, John Mayer and early Maroon 5, cutting through the critical white noise and choosing to focus on these artists’ musicality, songcraft and ability to connect with a wide spectrum of listeners. At the other extreme, they admire their indie-rock peers Dawes, who, like them, “have spent so much time playing together and really pride themselves on being a band—not just a collection of songs and players,” as Hoffman puts it.
Follow Us