Australian Indie-Pop Band Sheppard to Kick Off Tour in Denver

In the fall of 2023, the Australian indie-pop band Sheppard took a leap of faith and moved across the world, relocating to Nashville from its lifelong home in Brisbane. That positive adventurous spirit aligns perfectly with the philosophy behind the band’s biggest hit, “Geronimo,” which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Following the move and release of Sheppard's fourth studio album, Zora, the Aussie sibling trio is hitting the road for the West Coast run of its “Say Geronimo Tour,” kicking off in the Moon Room at Summit on Tuesday, August 20.

The band completed an East Coast run in the spring, and “seeing the fans come back out after we didn’t tour our last album was really gratifying," says bassist Emma Sheppard. "This is one of the most important and special tours we’ve done.”

The trio put together the tour as a true DIY project. “Now that we’re in America, it’s just the band and our partners,” Emma says. Like the act itself, “the tour is a real family affair," she adds. "There's no crew, we’re driving ourselves, selling the merch, carrying the gear. Plus, we’re getting to see a lot of the States, which we haven’t done before.”

“America really surprises us, and we appreciate such a diverse musical country,” Emma continues. That's why she and her siblings, vocalists George and Amy Sheppard, moved to Nashville. No longer just a mecca for country music, Music City is drawing artists from around the country and abroad.
The band is “building our community" in the city, George says. "There’s a bunch of Aussies in east Nashville, and it’s so exciting being in a city with so many musicians and a songwriting community.” The band plans to be there for at least three years, getting settled and re-established in its largest market. “We’re hoping to reconnect with our fans,” he explains, to give Zora a chance to reach a wider American audience. The tour is really “a way of reintroducing ourselves to America."

Even though Sheppard’s sound is pure pop, Amy asserts that the band would be a fit for traditional Nashville, as well. “We could have been a great country band, honestly,” she laughs, “and I actually have a country solo project.”

That makes sense, as the country tradition is quite strong in Australia, and the band has even opened for Australian-born country star Keith Urban. “When you strip back a Sheppard song,” Amy adds, “it has a great melody, and emphasizes strong lyrics and storytelling,” all hallmarks of the country genre. The storytelling continues on the new album, and the tale behind the title is heartwarming.

“The overarching theme of the album is coming out of the darkness,” Amy explains. Following the pandemic, the band experienced hard times, like the whole industry. Sheppard released a song a month throughout 2020, but in terms of touring, the world was shut down and the group felt trapped. “We found ourselves writing music about the sadness,” Amy continues “But then together, we encouraged each other to put a positive spin on it.”

Talking to the bandmembers, you can’t help but feel their infectious positivity; family is key to their strength.

“In naming the album, we wanted something like 'New Dawn,'” Amy says, “and we ended up naming it after our grandmother. She experienced such a hard life, immigrating to Australia to escape war in Yugoslavia. We wanted to pay homage to her, and when we looked up what dawn is in Croatian, lo and behold, it was her name, Zora.”

To add to the magic, the outro of the album is “Sumrak,” which means "dusk" in Croatian, and the song ends with a voicemail from Zora herself, wishing a happy birthday to George. “It’s a beautiful way to show who she is as a person,” Emma says. “You can really feel the love and positivity emanating out of her.”

Incredibly, Australian fans can experience that firsthand, because Baba, as they call her, still attends their shows at the age of 88.

On the tenth anniversary of “Geronimo,” the band is looking back on the song that became a phenomenon. Streamed more than two billion times, it became an international sensation in 2014, going viral long before apps such as TikTok made that commonplace. In trying to explain the tune's enduring power, Amy laughingly admits, “I wish we knew. Basically, it’s a positive message about taking a leap of faith, it’s clearly a unique word, it’s sing-able and catchy, and its appeal crosses generations.”

George adds that as Australians, they didn't know Geronimo was a historical figure. “We...just knew it as a phrase for a courageous act," he says. "After we recorded it, we educated ourselves, and it was a cool history lesson for us. It’s about fortification of nerves, steeling yourself for a challenge, and the phrase is now sort of universal. People can attach their own meaning.”

Bandmembers relate stories of little kids who must hear it before they go to sleep and grandparents who wanted it played at their funerals. It’s such a special honor “that families can all enjoy our music,” says Amy.

The band is excited to return to the Mile High City and to feature local singer-songwriter Seth Beamer as an opening act. “We did a show in Denver a few years ago,” George says, "and it was such a fun crowd. It’s such a beautiful area. It was a no-brainer to have Denver on the list.”

Like many national touring acts, Sheppard likes to partner with local musicians, and, Emma explains, “We loved Seth’s vibe and can’t wait to play with him. It’s always great to give local artists a chance to get in front of a new audience.”

Without revealing too much, the show promises an entertaining, memorable evening. New songs such as “Daylight” and “Got to Be Love” are positive, upbeat and danceable, and the band is looking forward to a positive atmosphere where fans can “Dance on the Sun” and “Play on the Moon.” In fact, George jokes that Sheppard "will be the first band to play on the moon.”

But for this tour, he concludes, “We’d just love for people to see how much we’ve grown as a band. We’ve got a great show, and we’re just so excited to share it. Denver was one of our favorite places, with its vibe and high energy, and we can’t wait to kick off the tour there.”

Sheppard, 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 20, Summit, 1902 Blake Street. Tickets are $27.50.