Sioux Falls rock band Shock Value prepares to release its first album

Sioux Falls' new rock band Shock Value will present their first album “When Lightning Strikes” to the public during “Four Winds Music Festival” on July 29. A few of the album singles are already available to the public.

The music the band performs is dedicated to real-life experiences that their audiences can relate to. Shock Value members call their band a superband, as the group blended from artists that had previously been engaged in their own musical avenues.

“Everybody in the group has been in different bands previously for as long as I can remember,” said Shock Value lead singer Nick Bader.

Now one of the few Sioux Falls rock collectives, Shock Value said that due to their previous music experiences they know what type of music is sought after in Sioux Falls and what freshness they can bring to the area.

“I'm the brainchild behind all of it,” said Bader. “But artistically and creatively. It was very much a group effort.”

It started with a dream

Bader said that although a band has always been his dream, he started thinking of having his own collective about two years ago, when he realized he wasn’t in love with the music he was doing anymore.

At that time, he was, and still is, a member of the hip-hop trio Elevated Rebellion. Bader felt burnt out doing the same style of music over and over again, and he thought a change of style might be refreshing — and it was.

“You get to try new things, explore new avenues, and it makes a whole new experience that you can attach yourself to musically,” said Bader.

The band is born

Experimenting with rock music, Bader soon committed to working in that style and found a manager for the future band — Corey Church, founder of Four Winds music festival. Church then recommended other group members although they already knew each other through various music events in the area.

“I take very little responsibility for the band members because he recommended people to me, and I already knew these guys and like these guys prior to that, so it worked out great,” said Bader.

In March, Shock Value performed for the first time at Emo Night Midwest at the Icon Lounge. The test performance, as the band members call it, focused mostly on covers. The second time the band performed was in April for the Church’s company Nice Enough Ent., anniversary.

“It's been a dream come true,” said Bader. “They've only done two shows so far, but they were everything I wanted them to be.”

Bringing piecemeal music experiences together

The group's fresh and authentic music style is determined by its members' piecemeal music experiences. Lead guitar player Nick Roach said he has always performed rock music, and he agreed to join the band after he listened to the examples of Bader’s music.

“Together we can really step it up another notch and create some good stuff,” said Roach.

The band's other guitarist, its rhythm guitar player, is Matt Rice. Roach invited bass player Corey Gross, who has been playing in various bands for more than a decade. Gross liked Bader’s music samples too.

“He just showed me some of the music, and I was like hell yeah, that's good stuff,” said Gross.

The band's drummer, Zach Dresch, has been drumming in Sioux Falls for more than 15 years, most of that time for alternative hard rock band “Disarmed.” Dresch said he became interested in Shock Value because he loved the music style too.

“I've always been a person that listens to every style of music,” said Dresch. “If the song is good, that's all that matters to me.”

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The families of the band members supported their endeavor. Bader said his mother likes his new band a lot more than his rap music. Roach and Gross said that their parents have always been supportive of them.

Roach's dad, for instance, tries to attend his every show, and so far, he has missed just a few of them. Dresch said his family and friends had a blast at a couple of shows, and one of his friends is constantly talking about how they love “Dirtbag” — one of the group's recent singles.

'It worked out'

The group's first album, out in July, is called “When Lightning Strikes.” Two of the album's 10 songs, “Rockstar” and “Dirtbag,” have already been released as singles, and one more single release is pending in July before the album's release.

Shock Value has also already filmed a music video for “Rockstar," which has yet to be released.

The singles are now available on all streaming platforms, such as YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music. Physical copies of the album will be available for purchase at Four Winds, and the album will be digitally available on streaming platforms as well.

Bader said that despite art being subjective, he was still worried about the group dynamic of his piecemeal group, but it worked out perfectly, and the band has not come across any major obstacles so far.

“I was really worried that when I started this that everybody wasn't gonna get along, but it worked out so perfectly,” said Bader. “Everybody fits in like we came together and hit the ground running without any roadblocks or obstacles.”

A previous version of this story misspelled the name of Corey Gross and misidentified which of the bandmate's parent was being referred to.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: New Sioux Falls rock band prepares to release its first album