# The Whiles

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**The Whiles** is an American [indie rock](/source/Indie_rock) band, formed in [Columbus, Ohio](/source/Columbus,_Ohio).

## History

The founding members are Joe Peppercorn, Matt Peppercorn, Chris Bolognese, Paul Headley, Jake Remley and Zack Prout. Prout left the band after the release of its 2004 debut album, *Colors of the Year*.[1]

*[Columbus Alive](/source/Columbus_Alive)* has referred to The Whiles as a "mainstay band in Columbus"[2] [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic) gave *Colors of the Year* four out of five stars, comparing The Whiles to [Nick Drake](/source/Nick_Drake) and [Gram Parsons](/source/Gram_Parsons).[3] *[Blogcritics](/source/Blogcritics)* also observed that the album was "Delicately honest, these songs could break in half if not handled with care. The album is filled with lush orchestrations and whispered lyrics, making it feel very personal to the listener."[4]

*Columbus Alive* described the band's second album, *Sleepers Wake* (2007), saying "Melancholy grace was in its marrow. This was delicate but substantial music, the kind that makes you feel like your [Honda Civic](/source/Honda_Civic) might float off into the atmosphere along with the song."[1] *[Sentimentalist Magazine](/source/Sentimentalist_Magazine)* observed, "There are occasional quirky harmony and instrumental touches, but 'Sleepers Wake' emits politeness, dismisses cynics and is ultimately rather unique."[2][5]

[Insound](/source/Insound), referring to the band's third album, *Somber Honey* (2012), noted, "The album recalls hints of [Colin Blunstone](/source/Colin_Blunstone)'s finest work, [Eric Matthews](/source/Eric_Matthews_(music_personality)) and the pop sensibilities of [Tommy Keene](/source/Tommy_Keene), early [Cat Stevens](/source/Cat_Stevens) and [The Byrds](/source/The_Byrds)."[6]

The band has released three full-length LPs on the [Anyway Records](/source/Anyway_Records) label. Prout left after the release of the debut album, *Colors of the Year* (2004). After the release of *Sleepers Wake* (2007), family responsibilities put the band on hold until 2012, when The Whiles released the album, *Somber Honey*. The Whiles are working on a new album.

The band has opened for national acts, including [Andrew Bird](/source/Andrew_Bird), [My Morning Jacket](/source/My_Morning_Jacket) and [The National](/source/The_National_(band)).[1]

The song "Song for Jerry" (from *Colors of the Year*) is featured on the soundtrack for the documentary film *[Murderball](/source/Murderball_(film))*.[7]

Peppercorn served as the open-mic host of [The Tree Bar](/source/The_Tree_Bar), a music venue in Columbus, from 2008 to 2010. He is a member of the band [Watershed](/source/Watershed_(American_band)) and is also known locally for performing the entire [Beatles](/source/Beatles) catalog in a single session.[8]

## Discography

### LPs

- *Colors of the Year* (2004)
- *Sleepers Wake* (2007)
- *Somber Honey* (2012)
- *Mercury Ghost* (2022)
- *Hummingbird* (2026)

## See also

- [List of indie rock bands](/source/List_of_indie_rock_bands)

## References

1. DeVille, Chris (February 28, 2013). ["Sensory Overload: The Whiles"](http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/02/28/sensory-overload-the-whiles.html). *[Columbus Alive](/source/Columbus_Alive)*. Retrieved September 6, 2013.

1. Ralston, Meghan (June 27, 2013). ["Alive's Handpicked Sunday ComFest Schedule"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130906155349/http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/27/alives-handpicked-sunday-comfest-schedule.html). *[Columbus Alive](/source/Columbus_Alive)*. Archived from [the original](http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/27/alives-handpicked-sunday-comfest-schedule.html) on September 6, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.

1. Mason, Stewart. ["Colors of the Year"](http://www.allmusic.com/album/colors-of-the-year-mw0000330868). [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic). Retrieved September 6, 2013.

1. Duffy, Robert (June 1, 2004). ["The Whiles – 'Colors of the Year'"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131220061216/http://blogcritics.org/the-whiles-colors-of-the-year/). *[Blogcritics](/source/Blogcritics)*. Archived from [the original](http://blogcritics.org/the-whiles-colors-of-the-year/) on December 20, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.

1. Tasies, Hernan (October 2, 2007). ["The Whiles – 'Sleepers Wake'"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150924100408/http://www.sentimentalistmag.com/2007/10/02/the-whiles-sleepers-wake-sentimentalist-magazine-review/). *[Sentimentalist Magazine](/source/Sentimentalist_Magazine)*. Archived from [the original](http://www.sentimentalistmag.com/2007/10/02/the-whiles-sleepers-wake-sentimentalist-magazine-review/) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2013.

1. ["Somber Honey"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131220225752/http://www.insound.com/Somber-Honey-Vinyl-LP-The-Whiles/P/INS117628/). [Insound](/source/Insound). Archived from [the original](http://www.insound.com/Somber-Honey-Vinyl-LP-The-Whiles/P/INS117628/) on December 20, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.

1. ["Murderball Soundtracks"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436613/soundtrack). [Internet Movie Database](/source/Internet_Movie_Database). Retrieved September 6, 2013.

1. [dead link] Hoewischer, Travis (December 1, 2011). ["A (Really) Hard Day's Night"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131220060534/http://614columbus.com/article/a-really-hard-days-night-3899/). 614 Columbus. Archived from [the original](http://614columbus.com/article/a-really-hard-days-night-3899/) on December 20, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2013.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Whiles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Whiles) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Whiles?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.