NEW GROUND
Up-and-coming band Colly on first Western tour
Jake Hollen just hit Day 30 of a 45-day tour.
It’s a trek that’s chock-full of a lot of firsts.
“This is our first tour on the West Coast,” he says in a recent phone interview. “This is the first time we’ve been west of Milwaukee. Being in this part of the country is special.”
Hollen is the vocalist of Ohio-based rock band Colly.
The band was formed nearly two years ago, and its profile is rising thanks in part to appearing on Alternative Press’ “AP Discover” Spotify playlist.
The band recently released the single “Shelter Me.”
“‘Shelter Me’ is about anxiety,” Hollen says. “Feeling so insecure outside yourself that you’re forced into solitude but learning to become OK with it. That process can affect relationships with other people, so it talks about finding confidence within yourself before you can find comfort in someone else.”
Hollen says the band has wrapped up work on its album, which will be released in early 2019.
“We’re writing constantly,” he says. “That’s my favorite part of doing things. The writing process is great. We’re going to release another single or two before the album is released.”
Hollen is joined in the band by drummer Andrew Hopkins, guitarist Colin Langdon, guitarist Anthony Morick and bassist and backing vocalist Chris McGrath.
The members have all been friends since high school.
“We get along really well, and we all wanted to pursue this,” he says. “The dynamic of the group continues to grow.”
Hollen says the biggest obstacle in creating the album has been consistency.
“We all listen to different kinds of music, and there are a lot of influences there,” he says. “We’ll write a song, and sometimes it doesn’t fit the style of the band. Then we have conversations about what we’re going to do. As a songwriter, you like everything, but you can’t always use the songs. It’s a very collaborative effort.”