The Shadowboxers

Emory’s Beloved Boy Band Steps It Up with Their Debut Album

By Alexi NewIt wasn’t really so long ago that Matt Lipkins, Scott Schwartz, and Adam Hoffman were sweetly crooning over a fairly compact audience and a whole lot of green space on Emory’s McDonough Field.Fast forward to January 2013 and there were markedly more bodies swaying to the easy beats of these three handsome Emory alumni as they celebrated the release of Red Room, their first album, at Terminal West, a newly-renovated concert venue that previously served as an iron and steel foundry in historic west Atlanta.The Shadowboxers, an eclectic alternative rock group of singer-songwriters established in 2008, has successfully revolutionized its image in just a few years. No longer just some Emory College cuties indulging in a casual dorm room jam session, these three have signed with Vanguard records and are — literally — on the road to stardom, now on their first album tour, spanning the East Coast and Canada.The Shadowboxers’ laidback album release party provided a perfect forum to celebrate the group’s musical evolution. Larkin Poe, a folksy rock group fronted by sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell, and the memorably nutty Adron opened for the guys and helped break the ice as Emory alumni, Atlanta locals, and a few of the frontmen’s adorable parental units slowly filtered into the venue.To further amplify the fun, the Shadowboxers' four horn players donned matching black tracksuits on stage, one of the most simultaneously hilarious and disturbing fashion trends I’ve witnessed. When the boys finally made their grand entrance, the Emory crowd was quickly reminded of why we loved the Shadowboxers so much back when they were just “that college boy band.” When Scott Schwartz stepped onto center stage, the hashtag #MarryMeScott started trending on Twitter like nobody’s business. I mean, I’ll be the first to say it – these guys are freaking hot (throw your Emory goggles in the trash – whoopee)!But sensory pleasure expanded beyond the visual as the boys began their set with their debut album’s silky smooth first hit, “You Are All I Need” (Seriously Scott, you are all I need...). The boys tantalized the crowd, performing their entire album from start to finish, a perfect synthesis of mood music that showcased the guys’ ability to pump your nerves full of dopamine at one moment and have you tearing up the next.Up-tempo jams like Matt Lipkin’s stunning charmer “When Can I Be” punctuated heart-wrenching ballads “Like All the Rest” and “Lovers in Rome.” Yet, of the 14 album tracks, my favorite had to be “Ride Home,” if only for Matt’s commentary: “We write a lot of songs about love and we write a lot of songs about relationships, but this song ... this song is about one night stands.” It looks like these boys are getting lucky in several departments these days.Of course, the show would not have been complete without some epic cover songs to round out the set and the Shadowboxers absolutely delivered. The guys jammed out to Simon & Garfunkel’s “You Can Call Me Al,” much to the delight of the older crowd members. But the true winner of the evening was the ultimate take on Beyonce and Jay Z’s “Crazy In Love,” featuring some surprisingly fresh rap skills from Matt Lipkins. By the end of the night, every person in the crowd was crazy in love with the Shadowboxers.I look forward to watching these Emory Eagles soar to the top of the Billboard charts down the line.