Conversations with Ray Shaffer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Shaffer. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Well, probably best to start with when I met Jarrett Holtslag (piano/keys), and Jimmy Redman (former drummer). They were in this cover band I joined in 2014, which went on for about 2 years after that until we decided we wanted to do our own thing. So, in the summer of 2016, we started what would soon become Squatch, but we had no bass player. The other guys were still in high school, so they started asking around in the HS orchestra, where they met Gavin Hallberg, who’s been in the band ever since. For about 2 years, we cut our teeth together and played gigs whenever we could, until Jimmy left for college, which was a big bummer to the rest of us, since we were all really close friends but ultimately, we were happy for him. 

After that, a buddy of ours told us about Larry Watkins II, who then joined the band as our new drummer. Larry really helped us to “blossom” musically in a way. We were beginning to dip our toes more and more into jazzy territories since Jarrett had been playing in the Jazz group “In The Blue” (which is still going strong today), and Larry has a bunch of experience play jazz under his belt, so he definitely made a lot of those jams and ideas we were having work, which I think was really important. After about a year we started putting together our 1st album, which was recorded and mixed in my grandparents’ barn (big shout out to them for putting up with us and letting us be loud, another thing I felt was really important), which we released on Halloween 2019 on all platforms/streaming services. Around that time, Jarrett, Gavin, and I had decided we wanted to relocate to Grand Rapids before 2020 came around, mostly because there was actual music scenes and paying gigs there, compared to what had been going on in the Detroit suburbs at the time. Larry wasn’t really feeling the move, and ended up staying on the eastside to work on the connections he had been building there. 

Couple months after the move is when Covid broke out, and that of course slowed everything down but were still able to move forward. And after yet another drummer, we now have Andrew Witter with us, and we couldn’t be happier with him being a part of the band. 

We are currently recording our 2nd album, and playing when we can around Michigan. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Other than the obvious turmoil of Covid, there has been a couple bumpy spots, but that’s life. Things happen that are out of your control, but you keep moving forward. To note one thing, we haven’t had the best of luck with drummers, but that’s no one’s fault. In the grand scheme of things, our obstacles haven’t been that horrible, thankfully. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I think it’s safe to say that we are all very passionate about music, as well as artistic expression in general. It’s something we take seriously, love deeply, and is a feeling/thought we put into our music. Now, we know that’s not terribly unique nowadays, but it’s still important and a constant theme we incorporate and try to convey. We really do put 100% of ourselves into it, we feel every note, and I think we are all definitely proud of that. The thing I’m personally most proud of is the connections and relationships I’ve made with people through playing music. There really is nothing like it, it’s what drives me. 

As for what sets us apart, I don’t know. We got a couple cool riffs and get funky sometimes. 

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Well, all of are parents get a big shout out for bringing each of us respectively into the world, that’s a big one, as well as for raising us to be who we are today. There’s so many people, our friends for always supporting us, I’m extremely thankful for that, as well as for every person that has ever came to one of our shows or listened to our music, that’s the really big one. 

Contact Info:

• Email: squatchgroup@gmail.com
• Website: https://linktr.ee/Squatchgroup
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/squatchgroup?utm_medium=copy_link
• Facebook: Facebook.com/squatchgroup
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCsaxZQt1NtqcetP-1n9ciiQ
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2RkKFUDdkCYBJx4OalkkTQ?si=JwG6Wpv2Q0qLHjDejPOHtg&utm_source=copy-link

Image Credits:
Jack Coyle