Formed nearly two years ago by Nico Villalobos, Daniel Davis, and Eduardo Alonzo, Faded Shawties emerged from a previous musical endeavor. The trio's journey began in the halls of Hug High, where they first crossed paths as members of the school's jazz band. Despite occasional reprimands for not paying attention in class, their shared love for music forged a lasting bond.
Initially, Daniel and Nico embarked on their musical journey when they formed their band, Post War Era. However, after the band disbanded, Eddie and Daniel regrouped, inviting Nico to join them once more. Thus, Faded Shawties was born, a name that would eventually become known in the Reno music scene.
Balancing school commitments with their musical aspirations was not easy, especially for Daniel, who was still a high school senior when the band took shape. Their shared passion kept them motivated, and the trio persevered, supported by the guidance of a familiar face – their former jazz band teacher who attended one of their recent shows.
Faded Shawties has built up an impressive fan base within the last couple years by performing a dozen times at a variety of local venues. “It was crazy cause we were not really supposed to get a show in the first place, but it kinda just happened,” says Eddie the guitarist of the group.
Apparently when they initially brainstormed band names, Eddie had pitched the idea Homies Inc to which Daniel responded, “EWWW WHAT?” Daniel explained that it didn’t sound like their name or music would be serious, so he pitched the comical name Faded Shawties, which Eddie surprisingly liked. “When Eddie told me about the band, my first reaction was, EWWW cause that was the nastiest, most vile name I’d ever heard” says bassist Nico.
In the beginning, they didn’t think that their band would turn into anything serious. They jammed and experimented with different sounds but didn’t intend on performing anywhere. However, as time went on, they realized that they did want to pursue a local venue gig. When they reached out to venues, they were met with no response or disinterest. It seemed no one really liked the name Faded Shawties. Despite this, the band's name, initially met with raised eyebrows and skepticism, became a defining aspect of their identity.
In the face of ridicule and skepticism, Faded Shawties remained undeterred, viewing their name as a conversation starter rather than a hindrance. Their band name has been the subject of ridicule at times. Venues, music lovers, and even other bands have declined to take them seriously. They’re too hung up on the fun name to give their music a listen or even converse with the members. This doesn't discourage Faded Shawties though. “It’s…its own marketing thing, you know? One of the first things we thought about with the name existing was that, people are going to hear it and be like, oh. What the hell do you guys even sound like?” says Eddie.
They call their genre of music “swagcore” or as Daniel says, alt rock with a little bit of rap influence. They currently have three songs on their EP, “Daniel’s Mixtape", which was produced by BenderWorld’s drummer, Jack Barrington also known as MatreeBeats. They also have a song called “GTFO” which can be found with the rest of their music on SoundCloud and YouTube. However they’re hoping to move it to Spotify in the future. “You know when they pass that law, to get a cent per each play, we can get gumballs and everything” Daniel says through a laugh.
You can hear their music at local venues, West Street Market, Fort Ralston, and The Bluebird. Their favorite gig to date, Silly Fest, stands out as a highlight—a packed out event featuring local acts Evangeline, BenderWorld, and Meat Blanket. Inspired by its success, Faded Shawties aims to host more free shows in the future, fostering a sense of community within Reno's music scene.
Every Faded Shawties show is different. From the silly outfits the members decide to wear, to the new lyrics Eddie freestyles quite frequently, and guest appearances from Willow, their shows are a must see.
Central to their band brand is collaboration and inclusivity, exemplified by their partnership with Willow on their song, "Sunset Divide.” Willow wrote the lyrics for the fan favorite and often comes on stage to sing it at live performances. They met her through Instagram and local jam sessions which eventually led to more serious songwriting. Willow has since formed her own band called Votary.
Besides Willow (pictured below at West Street Market) singing “Sunset Divide”, Eddie usually sings or raps on the rest of their songs. Each member brings their unique perspective to the creative process, resulting in a dynamic fusion of styles and sounds.
For example Nico wrote the baseline in their song “Showoff”, Eddie came up with the song “Swag”, and Daniel used daw software for the first time to add drums and bass to his guitar in “Sunset Divide.”
While there is some community in the Reno scene, with local artists collaborating and supporting one another, there is also a lot of toxicity within it. For Daniel, Eddie, and Nico, the toxicity within the band scene is a persistent issue. Drawing from their collective experiences, they shed light on the underlying tensions and challenges that plague the community. Whether it's baseless animosity or disputes fueled by money and hearsay, the trio recognizes the urgent need for change.
“I feel…the scene can be very welcoming at times. But there's also this dark side of the scene with people who are just in this weird clique. You can sort of see that with the straight edge scene a little bit” Daniel says.
Some bands contribute to the damage in the scene by destroying local venues in an attempt to elevate their stage presence. “I think it’s insanely ridiculous and disrespectful to vandalize a local venue. Like that’s lame. That’s just straight up, that’s lame” says Daniel. While some venues, like Fort Ralston, embrace bands by allowing them to leave their mark, others fall victim to vandalism, damaging both their equipment and reputation in the process.
Amidst all the recent toxicity within the band scene, Faded Shawties says that they started their band with two main goals. One of those being to foster a more inclusive and welcoming environment within the scene. Eddie and Daniel, in particular, were driven by a desire to dismantle the exclusive cliques and unfounded rumors that often hinder collaboration and stifle creativity.
“That’s one goal we had mainly, when me and Daniel were Faded Shawaties, was to have the scene become more welcoming. To anybody. Because going to a show by yourself is scary already. If you don't know what you're doing, or if you don't know anybody” says Eddie.
Eddie said that their other goal is, “to get all the people that live in our area to go to stuff.” They’ve noticed that the majority of venues or band shows are in nicer parts of Reno. They want to expand that and open it up more so everyone can have an opportunity to play and get their music out there. “There needs to be more community in Reno,” Daniel says.
If you’ve been nervous about entering the band scene, consider going to a Faded Shawties show. Their music provides the perfect atmosphere for a fun night of inclusion, community, and creativity.
It’s rare to find a truly welcoming band in Reno but Faded Shawties is one of them. The community comes together to aid them in their pursuits. Their merch is even hand drawn and made by Dakota or _.str4wb3ri._ on Instagram. They hope to give back and make a change to the ever expanding Reno scene.