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Photo: Travis Bailey

Not everyone knows Bo Staloch yet, but with a voice that emotes such beautiful purpose and excuses wisdom and understanding with every breath, it won't be long before we all know his name. On his debut EP, The Garden, Staloch spins heartache over a variety of Americana adjacent tempos, from the anthemic prior single and OnesToWatch favorite "Give It a Break" to "Oh God, Were You Ever?," a proper pull up a stool and slap a knee acoustic jam. The whole EP is a standout for its weightiness and ability to sink deep-rotted feelings into every tone and melody, cementing itself as a real journey for such a nascent songwriter. Wanting as always to know more about this garden and Staloch, we reached out to the artist himself.

OnesToWatch: Who is Bo?  

Bo Staloch: Who is Bo… quite the question. I think, honestly, I’m still trying to figure that out. I feel with every song I write I get a little closer to that answer. I find that after finishing a song, I find something about myself that was buried in there somewhere, that kind of came to light subconsciously through the writing. I would say right now, Bo is an anxious and excited guy, ready to have this piece of him out for the world to hear. I’m also a guy from Austin, Texas, with the most incredible family whom I do all of this for. I love sushi. I really don’t like pickles. My favorite movie is About Time and sloths make me cry. I think those are the most important parts about me :)

What does Bo know that we don’t? 

I’m not sure I’m at any liberty to say I know anything. This past year and a half has been the most incredible, scariest, hardest, and most fun time of my life. I will say, something that I have learned is that if something feels good, it is because it’s right. At the same time, if you’re hesitating about something, there’s a reason you are hesitating. This has helped throughout every aspect of this whole music situation, whether that be writing, decision-making, or production, I’ve learned that your gut is a powerful thing, and you should absolutely lean into it and follow it. 

What happens in The Garden?

The Garden is a collection of intertwined, intentional, and cohesively written/produced songs that mean the absolute world to me. I feel like this EP is my first official “stamp” in the music world. The EP takes you through the inevitable feelings of self-doubt, self-blame, fear, and the letting go of it, and it really just takes you through a lot of the things that make you human. The sounds and sonic landscape all have a “handmade” and “natural” aspect to them putting the “human” nature of the music to the forefront. 

What would you say is the overall vibe of the EP? Did you have any writing partners? Who produced the EP? 

I think the overall vibe of the EP is just being human. Feeling, singing, and screaming and being whatever it is you need to be in the moment you are listening. Just being what you are in that small moment in your life when you are listening and absolutely nothing else. That is how we made the EP. Whatever felt right, we did. I had two lovely producers work with me for this project. I felt incredibly lucky to be in the same room with people as talented as them. Andrew Wells produced five of the six songs on the EP, and Josh Block produced “Oh God, Were You Ever?.” They captured exactly what I was feeling and wanted to provoke with such precision it was actually kind of scary. For the song with Josh, “Oh God, Were You Ever?,” I also collaborated with a wonderful writer and musician, Charley Damski. I had come in with only the title for a line in the song, and an hour later we had a full tune. Once again, I just feel like the luckiest person in the world working with such insanely talented people. 

 We love your voice, its range and tone feel so epic. When did you start singing? 

Thank you!!!! I started singing seriously my junior year of high school. I went to St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas which had a rock band program led by Ed Jarusinski. I had never really sung in front of people besides my family until I joined this class, and it was a pretty cool thing to see that people actually liked the way I sounded outside of my family. 

 Your sound bumps into a lot of genres, how would you describe your style? 

Growing up listening to The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, Bob Dylan, and other folk-rooted musicians I think at the foundation of my sound is folk. With other inspirations such as Bon Iver, Gregory Alan Isokov, Current Joys, Kings of Leon, and other indie/alt/rock adjacent artists, I’ve found that all of these different sounds, places, writing, and energies have bled into my own sound, and I think it all cumulates to an indie folk-rock sound.

 Besides this excellent EP, what else should we be on the lookout for? 

I will be joining some amazing artists on tour this spring/summer. Joining Houndmouth and Ashe this year with a few festivals sprinkled throughout, we will be playing in front a lot of different demographics and I can’t wait. We may or may not have some headline tour dates in the works too…

 What’s inspiring you right now outside of music? 

This is kind of a weird answer, but I think about my future children a lot. In fact, one of the songs on the EP, "The Garden” is about them. Growing up with incredible parents, I’ve realized that just about everything they do and have done is all for me and my brother. I think that is an incredibly selfless thing, and I think I just have my future kids in mind with every decision and everything I do so I can hopefully provide them with the best life I can. Other than that, I find a lot of inspiration in people. The stories that flood our world every single day are all around us, sometimes all it takes is sitting outside a coffee shop and watching to see them. 

Best place to sit down and listen to The Garden EP in full? Bonus Q, what am I doing or drinking? 

I am going to have to say window seat of a plane/train. I find you’re able to really focus on the music when you are traveling for whatever reason, and I’ve had the most intense reactions to music when on a plane or a train traveling. Not that I know what this tastes like because I’m still underaged… but I feel like if there is wine at your disposal, this feels like a wine-drinking EP. 

Who are your OnesToWatch? 

I am obsessed with an artist named The Man, The Myth, The Meatslab. I think he is so incredible and everything he does I am enamored by. I also need to say one of my good friends Abby Powledge. Her writing transcends worlds, and you can find yourself in every one of her songs. Lastly, there is a band called Orphy out of Nashville, TN. I had a very intense reaction to their project on the plane (like I was talking about earlier) the first time I heard it (I cried my eyes out). I think they are incredible. 

Bo Staloch – 2025 Tour Dates:

Supporting Mark Ambor

4/6 – Dublin, IRE – 3Olympia Theatre

4/8 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz

4/9 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute

4/11 – London, UK – KOKO

4/13 – London, UK – KOKO

Headline

5/5 – Dublin, Ireland – Bello Bar

5/12 – London, UK – The Waiting Room

Supporting Ashe

5/28 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse – SOLD OUT

5/30 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club – SOLD OUT

5/31 – Boston, MA – Royale – SOLD OUT

6/3 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel

6/5 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall

6/6 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall – SOLD OUT

6/8 – Chicago, IL – Metro – SOLD OUT

6/11 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue

6/13 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre

6/14 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot – SOLD OUT

6/16 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox

6/17 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall

6/19 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre

6/20 – Los Angeles, CA The Bellwether – SOLD OUT