our story

Are you a shape? Somebody who has a solid design. A fixed structure. Abides by the laws and rules. Circling around what they’re accustomed to. Living in a square, that they pay for with their government regulated rectangles. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, because shapes can also be three-dimensional. Full of color, full of light, and they can even turn into different shapes if they are moved just right.

A snake on the other hand is tricky. They slither through life, around the rules. They strangle their food and swallow it whole. To them this is normal, because life as a snake is all they’ve ever known. They can even take on the form of many shapes and betray those that care for them the most. But even when a snake sheds its’ skin, it is still a snake.

This is a world of expectations and pre-determined lines. Pressure and self harming crimes. We are calculated to succeed, but some of us make mistakes. In between the madness and sorrow, we are all just shapes and snakes.

What do you get when you put an American in a room with three Germans? A band. Bonded by similar tastes in Opera music, Benedikt Wolz and Simon Kellermann decided to create a future-core Pavarotti techno duo. Due to poor reception from critics and people just not being woke, the project was dismantled. Or so that’s what they thought.

In 2018, Rick Fewmore stumbled across some old demos of the duo, hidden inside a compartment of an antique desk that he purchased at a pawn shop. Surprised at what he heard, and even more surprised that the facebook URL was written on the cassette, Rick reached out to the lads. He explained that even though he wasn’t a big fan of Pavarotticore, they’re instrumental chemistry was undoubtedly mindblowing, and he wanted to have a piece of the pie and start a rock project with them. So, feeling bad for Rick, Bene and Simon invited him to join them at a rehearsal room with a drummer they knew. It all clicked. The earth shook. The lights flickered. Smog discipated. Rock n’ Roll was in the air.

However, shortly after forming, due to creative differences, the drummer left the rehearsal room.

This would begin a nearly one year search for a new skin beater. In this time, the three dudes started to write original material.

In early 2019, Snapes and Rakes finally found the missing puzzle piece. Moritz Klueh joined the band. With his law degree, he made some valuable suggestions. To avoid getting sued by JK Rowling, the band changed their name to Shapes and Snakes.

With a wide variety of influences, the band creates a diverse and unique sound ranging from jazz and funk to rock and psychedelia.

The band has released two singles thus far and are currently working on their debut EP.