Today we’d like to introduce you to Soul Way
Hi Soul way, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We started in high school as a byproduct of having a good sized group of friends, most of whom pursued music at varying levels. Aj Lara (bass), Diego Flores (guitar), and Alec Ludwig (drums) started the band in 2014. We practiced and hung out along side our friends in a band called “Find Balance” (who were the ones that suggested we form a band in the first place). We later met Trent Fulk through a mutual friend and we felt like he fit in well. We started writing songs with Trent, then started playing shows in Houston around 2017. We eventually, through mutual friends, got in contact with Pablo Viveros, (drummer of chelsea grin at the time). We flew out to Utah in 2018 to meet Pablo and recorded our first EP entitled “spoken into existence”
After a few months the band released a single titled “Vishnu” but later went on a hiatus for a while. Eventually Diego, Aj, and Alec would decide to continue and acquired a professional studio room with “Band Barracks” in Houston. Richard Moffett was a great guitarist, a long time friend of the band and a part of the original high school group of friends from years ago, and having shared the studio with the band for a previous podcast known as “A Dab of that podcast” he eventually joined the band as a guitar player. We spent a couple of solid years grinding out an evolved cohesive sound while maintaining the original energy that our music always carried. Over that time we wrote a lot of new music with Richard and in 2023 started playing shows again. After about a year, Alec decided to move on to do other things with life. Having been a part of the Band Barracks community for some years now the band had made lots a of friends in the rooms around us. A drummer named Rocky Conant eventually joined, taking on the mantle of learning all current music for live shows within a months time, and pulled it off flawlessly. We were contacted by Victor Brewer of “Media tech Institute” of Houston to provide a live band for an engineering class assignment around 2023 right before Alec left. There we met an engineer named “Aiden Wogh”. Later on after Rocky had been in the band for a while we worked with Aiden to record live drums for the new EP’s coming. We just released a new song titled “Lazarus” and have an upcoming show at the house of blues, bronze peacock room on February 21st 2025. The coming EP title is not announced yet but we will be releasing music throughout the year.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We do our best to work through everything as a unit. There are always problems (mostly technical) but persistence and drive are a huge help as well as learning to depend on others while also taking on a roll of a driving force
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We are an instrumental metal band that diggs into hardcore, djent, progressive, and ambient qualities. Our shows are often high energy and we try to be as relaxed and genuine as possible on stage. Mostly self advertisement and cracking jokes in the place of a singer. We are very proud of the new music we have coming and of the quality we implement into our live sets.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up in the country, in the dirty south, getting bucked off of horses and fixin fences. One day at high school whilst jammin some Born of Osiris I met these young fellas, and knew. Right then and there I knew we were destined to rock. Now, for years I had been known to rock, but these boys were bussin down on them 8 strings, so I knew I had to get me some of that!
-Richard
I grew up in that same little town south of Houston, a desolate land of cows and train tracks. Back in the day mom had a young OG bumpin a whole lot of rap and rock, but for some reason a little mixed kid from the county blowin out his eardrums was strange to the kids with cowboy boots and cargo shorts. So a young OG went through life obtaining one or two friends that I actually liked here and there. Eventually we were all like “bro instead of listening to metal, let’s make metal”. I didn’t exactly have the confidence due to being years behind all the boys in terms of playing experience, but they encouraged me endlessly, so I couldn’t tell the homies no. And the rest is history. Here we are ten years later, the same people but with a much more profound understanding and passion than our younger selves.
-AJ
I grew up in south Texas lived there till about 8 years old and moved out to the south Houston side and met my band mates in high school. Always loved music since I was little remember just listening to anything that was on and vibing to it. I picked up the guitar on my 13th birthday and been playing since. Started producing and mixing at 18 and never looked back. Remember chilling with an old band mate and when something just really clicked for me and realized I could really just play anything I heard in my head. Music has always been in me since I was young just took some digging to really let the magic flow.
-Diego AKA Bulamayne
Growing up in inner city Houston and being exposed to r&b and hip hop I feel it was a stroke of luck that I developed a passion for music so early in my life. A big catalyst for that was definitely Nick Canon’s Drumline (2002)which inspired me to join my schools drum section. My first introduction to metal and heavy music in general were the 1995 Mortal Kombat and WWE as a whole and just the energy and aggression of that music captivated me and had me hooked ever since. I kept practicing on pads and eventually got my first kit and here I am now and more to do in the future.
-Rocky
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulwayofficial?igsh=amtoN2g4YmY4ZWEz&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15V3tP8H4v/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Twitter: https://x.com/soulwayoff713?s=21&t=IavB-0UxguNZP2Ae7ahcpQ
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCLWzAksyWaUzmMsLD1v8I5g?si=zXc_DGPeL85TXUQR
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5W0xqIsQl5XCOXhF1grJiB?si=0yQ789ESTHCMr0Y8cGXOqg
Image Credits
Stage photos are at white oak music hall and are taken by Madison Rojas (wilogallery) on instagram
Group photo by Thad Sisneros (x.thad.x) on instagram
