Blvck Hippie is a Black Fronted Sad Boy Indie Rock Band from Memphis, TN tryna show Black kids they can be weird too. The band’s name derives from frontman Josh Shaw’s childhood nickname, coined by his mom. Blvck Hippie's current line up is composed of Lead Guitarist and Vocalist Josh Shaw, with Casey Rittinger on Drums, Mattie Turner on Rhythm Guitar, and Tyler “Chaucer” Marberry on Bass. Shaw’s passion for music began at age 11. Inspired by Peanuts’ piano-playing Schroeder, he taught himself Beethoven. Classically trained in piano, Shaw first picked up a guitar his junior year of college, writing and recording Lofi music from his dorm room. Post college, Shaw worked on solo projects under St. John until 2018. That’s when he met bandmate Casey Rittinger, and the band’s sound took a different direction as the duo penned new music under the name Blvck Hippie. Rittinger started drumming in high school band, then went on to play for various metal bands before joining Blvck Hippie. Marberry joined the band as an emergency bass replacement literally two days before their first tour in Summer 2019. His unequivocal skill with the 5 string earned him his keep. Blvck Hippie’s sound draws inspiration from The Antlers’ Hospice, along with the work of The Strokes and The Voids. Shaw credits Kanye West and Kid Cudi for inspiring him as a Black artist, pushing him to always create something different. Shaw’s overdriven shimmery guitars, Rittinger’s tight, polyrhythmic drums, and Marberry’s booming and melodic bass lines meld together to create an unexpectedly delightful “VHS” inspired rock. Shaw’s dark brooding lyrics traverse escapism, loneliness, and grief; these themes work with the instrumentals to create the Sad Boy Indie Rock songs of your dreams. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.