It’s no secret that the C-U community has a lively, rich music scene, so the results for Best Local Band in C-U were very close. But a winner prevailed, and the community voted The Data Waves as C-U’s best local band.

The Data Waves is a local instrumental funk band that formed at the University in 2016. Over the summer, the band played a show at NOLA’s Rock Bar on June 5 and played a show at The Canopy Club on Sept. 18. With jazz fusion music that’s so similar to C-U’s creative spirit, it’s no surprise why The Data Waves are so beloved in the community. 

The band’s drummer, Shravan Raghuram, said the band’s impact on C-U has evolved over the years. 

“We owe all of our success as a group to the community which has supported us so greatly over all these years,” he said.  

As the house show scene has grown over the years, Raghuram said, the more he’s realized that C-U’s arts community is full of friends who enjoy and support each other, saying anyone is welcome regardless of their background, identity, race, gender, sexuality or financial background. 

“After five years of recording and gigging across and beyond campus and collaborating with other artists on campus, it’s great to know that our music is still a catalyst for bringing together people of different age groups, backgrounds and life experiences to have a blast with us at our shows, ” Raghuram said. 

The band’s latest extended play was released on Oct. 22. The EP, titled “Puesta Del Sol,” is a collaboration among The Data Waves, Miyka’el and yourbeautifulruin. Be sure to check it out!

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