Check Out Ethan Rainwater’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ethan Rainwater.

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?
High Step Society started as a reaction to the sleepy and static state of jazz music in America. Inspired by the genre of electro-swing, we saw a way to update the stylings of swing and bring them into a more palatable form for the youth of today. The band was an instant hit on the West Coast festival scene and has been on the road ever since.

So far, we haven’t met a crowd that didn’t have an absolute blast of a dance party at our show. After releasing 3 albums, several singles and collabs, and doing some heavy touring out West, the band now aspires to bring our unique brand of live-electronic dance music back to the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Despite your best efforts, the road is never smooth in this business. Like basically everyone in the industry, we suffered a major setback with the pandemic. In January 2020, we were selling out shows up and down the West Coast, had a brand new record deal with Gravitas, were newly signed with Madison House for booking, and everyone was ready to quit their jobs and pursue the band full-time. You know the rest of the unfortunate story. Yet the band persisted through it and managed to make some great art, in the form of our Champagne Dreams EP.

We have also suffered from a few lineup changes over the years. Some wonderful players and dear friends left the project for various reasons, which left us in the lurch. However, each time, just the right people appeared and helped us carry the project forward. While the departed members are missed, their music lives on in our shows and recordings. These days, the band is sounding and feeling better than ever, and everyone is committed to going the distance. The mission of this group is too great, and the inclusive dance parties we create feel too good to stop now.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We specialize in and are known for our unique blend of live music with electronic beats. The recipe we created falls more on the live band side of the spectrum (as we don’t use full backing tracks) and I think that the people in the crowd appreciate the live-ness of the show.

We have a full horn section, live drums and upright bass, and great vocalists, and we mesh that seamlessly with our DJ’s digital big bass production. The thing I’m personally most proud of is that, almost without fail, at every show we play, somebody approaches me and thanks me, saying: “I haven’t danced like that in AGES!”

So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is being able to create these safe gathering spaces for communities everywhere. At our shows, everybody feels safe to express themselves – either through dressing their finest and funkiest or through movement on the dance floor. More than anything, it’s a place where groups of new and old friends can come together in celebration.

As the world increasingly slides towards various disastrous scenarios, I think it’s really important that communities are given occasions to come together and express joy. I often think about us like the band on the deck of the Titanic that refused to stop playing as the ship went down. It may seem hedonistic or frivolous on the surface, but truly I think that creating these good times together is important for our mental health as a society.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.highstepsociety.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highstepsociety
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highstepsociety/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/highstepsociety
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Ev7ySArAbxV0LvijV7URg
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/high-step-society 

Image Credits
Graece Gabriel, Jason Charme, Anthony Ponce de Leon, and Doug Safford