Jonesy and the Whales
The greatest band this side of the Hadeon Nebula
Originating from the megacity Atathana, Jonesy and the Whales is one of the most popular bands not only on Passe-Rath but across the galaxy as well. You can find young people from Silver Keep to Dunston to even the cities of Achloshik listening to the upbeat, pop rock sounds of Jonesy and her band.
The months at the military school were one of the hardest times in Jonesy's life. He was worked to exhaustion every day in the sweltering desert, and had no escape anymore. Additionally, having masculinity forced onto him by his instructors felt wrong, but he had no time to spare to think about that yet. The only solace for him in those months were finding friends in his schoolmates Koko and Vana. They hated the school just as much as he did, and soon enough, they started making plans to escape. However, the closest megacity was Atathana, and it was thousands of miles across an equatorial desert behind a mountain range. It seemed impossible to make it there, but every day that the trio spent at the school, they could feel their will to live diminishing. There was no other option.
In the dead of night one cool winter, Jonesy, Koko, and Vana packed up their belongings, stole as much food and water from the kitchens as they could, comandeered a sand slicer, and set off into the distance.
It took a month to cross the desert, even on a sand slicer, and the group had barely enough food and water to make it to the mountains, which were another problem altogether. The sand slicer couldn't cross the mountain range, so they had to leave it behind and travel on foot. The teens had no map and no survival knowledge, and it's a miracle they made it there at all. But, nonetheless, they made it to the outskirts of Atathana and began life on their own.
Undeterred by the setback, Jonesy released another album half a year later, titled Melt the Chain. Its rough tones and clever lyrics became a hit in the South Atathanan underground scene, and soon the Whales were playing shows in venues across the district. A small record label signed them on, and they produced three more albums in the next two years.
A smart use of advertising and the genuine, unfiltered music struck a chord in the public eye, and soon the trio had more fans than they knew what do do with. They no longer had to wait tables; they could live a comfortable lifestyle on just the money they made with their music.
Eventually, they gained enough fame to do concerts worldwide -- in every megacity except for Corlisk. None of the three wanted to return there, no matter how profitable it might be. Their next album was Laser Hymnal, and it took the band in a new, lighter direction. They had shaken off the angst of their childhoods, expunged by years of writing and playing heavy metal and harsh rock, and now focused on high-energy pop rock with the occasional somber ballad. While some of their original fans complained that they had gone soft and palatable to the masses, the trio felt that this was the right step for them both commercially and personally.
They visited dozens of planets, and spread copies of their music to every one. They also used inspiration from these new planets in the rest of their music as well, making their sound even more vibrant and unique. It was in these years that Passe-Rath made contact with Achloshik, and the cultures started meeting -- so naturally, Jonesy and the Whales traveled there right away. They didn't have much success spreading their music, but for once, this was refreshing to them; and besides, they found something much better anyway.
The Achloshan man Enkkatoa met them as they explored the planet, wanting to hear more of their exotic music. He had ideas of his own, as well, and he was a fast learner -- he picked up the Rathan language quickly, and learned to play guitar even faster than that, despite only having eight fingers. He also possessed an intense wanderlust; almost as soon as his species made contact with humans, he wanted to explore the universe to see what else was beyond Achloshik. So naturally, when Jonesy, Koko, and BH left the planet, he came with them and became the official fourth member of the band.
When the band returned to Passe-Rath with a new band member from a species whose relations with humans were tenuous, there was much backlash, but the original three stood firm in their support of Enkkatoa. There have been at least two documented instances of Jonesy jumping down from the stage and fighting concert audience members who booed loudly and protested when Enkkatoa began a guitar solo. However, some experts have theorized that Enkkatoa's presence in the public eye has actually prevented further malice against Achloshans from getting worse in the past two years since he joined the band.
Jonesy and the Whales' music has even become so sought-after on other planets that some interstellar transportation companies have ships dedicated entirely to shipping copies of their albums around the galaxy. Even some youths on Achloshik secretly listen to MegaBomb Beatdown, inspired by Enkkatoa's rebellion against xenophobic traditions.
Beginnings
Born Joseph Jones to a wealthy, upper-class family in Corlisk, Jonesy disagreed with his parents on almost everything growing up. He would frequently sneak out with his friends at night to paint graffiti on the walls of secluded alleys, and blew off his lessons at the all-boys private school his parents made him attend. His parents became increasingly exasperated every year that went by, and by the time he turned 15, his family finally sent him to a military school to "teach him the value of discipline and order." He pleaded and argued with them at every turn, but they were adamant, so he grudgingly obliged. However, when he arrived at the gates of the school and saw the harsh, soul-stifling atmosphere, he knew he couldn't stay there. But, he was out in the desert in the middle of nowhere, and there was no way for him to escape.The months at the military school were one of the hardest times in Jonesy's life. He was worked to exhaustion every day in the sweltering desert, and had no escape anymore. Additionally, having masculinity forced onto him by his instructors felt wrong, but he had no time to spare to think about that yet. The only solace for him in those months were finding friends in his schoolmates Koko and Vana. They hated the school just as much as he did, and soon enough, they started making plans to escape. However, the closest megacity was Atathana, and it was thousands of miles across an equatorial desert behind a mountain range. It seemed impossible to make it there, but every day that the trio spent at the school, they could feel their will to live diminishing. There was no other option.
In the dead of night one cool winter, Jonesy, Koko, and Vana packed up their belongings, stole as much food and water from the kitchens as they could, comandeered a sand slicer, and set off into the distance.
It took a month to cross the desert, even on a sand slicer, and the group had barely enough food and water to make it to the mountains, which were another problem altogether. The sand slicer couldn't cross the mountain range, so they had to leave it behind and travel on foot. The teens had no map and no survival knowledge, and it's a miracle they made it there at all. But, nonetheless, they made it to the outskirts of Atathana and began life on their own.
Taking Off
The inseparable trio worked waiting tables at restaurants for several years before they thought about starting a band. During this time (in between working and adjusting to life in a new megacity), Jonesy finally had a chance to think about the kind of person he wanted to be, including his gender. Spending time in mixed-gender spaces unlike the boys' school he attended years ago made him realize that he felt more like a girl than a boy. She changed her name to Joan (not that it mattered; all her records were back in Corlisk, she had been presumed dead in the desert, and she still went by Jonesy anyway) and spent her extra time training her voice. She only intended to make herself sound more feminine, but she soon discovered that she loved singing with her truer voice -- and she was incredibly good at it. Together with her keyboard skills, Vana's (who now went by the moniker Beetlehammer or BH after an incident in the mountains) love of playing bass, and Koko's aptitude for hitting things really hard to make loud noises, Jonesy had all the ingredients for her own band. At 18, Jonesy and the Whales released their first album, Lovelorn Psyops. It wasn't very successful, but would later become a classic when the band became famous.Undeterred by the setback, Jonesy released another album half a year later, titled Melt the Chain. Its rough tones and clever lyrics became a hit in the South Atathanan underground scene, and soon the Whales were playing shows in venues across the district. A small record label signed them on, and they produced three more albums in the next two years.
A smart use of advertising and the genuine, unfiltered music struck a chord in the public eye, and soon the trio had more fans than they knew what do do with. They no longer had to wait tables; they could live a comfortable lifestyle on just the money they made with their music.
Eventually, they gained enough fame to do concerts worldwide -- in every megacity except for Corlisk. None of the three wanted to return there, no matter how profitable it might be. Their next album was Laser Hymnal, and it took the band in a new, lighter direction. They had shaken off the angst of their childhoods, expunged by years of writing and playing heavy metal and harsh rock, and now focused on high-energy pop rock with the occasional somber ballad. While some of their original fans complained that they had gone soft and palatable to the masses, the trio felt that this was the right step for them both commercially and personally.
Hitting it Big
Jonesy and the Whales was now one of the most popular bands on Passe-Rath, but after another year of touring the world, doing interviews, and avoiding former family members, they felt that things had gotten stale. So, they did what any true rock star would do: bought a spaceship, packed their instruments, and and left Passe-Rath to both find and spread music among the stars. It turned out that this only made their fans more obsessed with them -- now that they were far away and harder to reach, people wanted their music even more.They visited dozens of planets, and spread copies of their music to every one. They also used inspiration from these new planets in the rest of their music as well, making their sound even more vibrant and unique. It was in these years that Passe-Rath made contact with Achloshik, and the cultures started meeting -- so naturally, Jonesy and the Whales traveled there right away. They didn't have much success spreading their music, but for once, this was refreshing to them; and besides, they found something much better anyway.
The Achloshan man Enkkatoa met them as they explored the planet, wanting to hear more of their exotic music. He had ideas of his own, as well, and he was a fast learner -- he picked up the Rathan language quickly, and learned to play guitar even faster than that, despite only having eight fingers. He also possessed an intense wanderlust; almost as soon as his species made contact with humans, he wanted to explore the universe to see what else was beyond Achloshik. So naturally, when Jonesy, Koko, and BH left the planet, he came with them and became the official fourth member of the band.
When the band returned to Passe-Rath with a new band member from a species whose relations with humans were tenuous, there was much backlash, but the original three stood firm in their support of Enkkatoa. There have been at least two documented instances of Jonesy jumping down from the stage and fighting concert audience members who booed loudly and protested when Enkkatoa began a guitar solo. However, some experts have theorized that Enkkatoa's presence in the public eye has actually prevented further malice against Achloshans from getting worse in the past two years since he joined the band.
Present Day
The first album released with Enkkatoa on guitar, and the most recent album, is titled MegaBomb Beatdown and has become the Whales' most popular album yet. It features 15 tracks and has been topping the charts consistently since it was released.
Type
Entertainment, Music band
Jonesy
she/herJonesy is the leader of the band, and she plays the keyboard and sings. She has a fiery, rebellious personality and doesn't take disrespect from anyone. Many people who meet her are intimidated at first by her confident, muscular stature, bright red hair, and piercing eyes, but those who know her know that she is unflinchingly loyal to her friends and enjoys looking at the stars before going to sleep every night.
Enkkatoa
he/himEnkkatoa is a tall, hale Achloshan who found his way into Jonesy's band when he left his home planet to explore the galaxy. On stage, he's cool and stony-faced (except when soloing on guitar), but to his friends he's laid back, funny, and friendly. He has faced discrimination and hate for being an Achloshan, but his bandmates have made it crystal clear to their fans that they are not afraid to fight anyone who dares throw slurs at him during a concert or anywhere else. He is a prodigious guitar player, an accomplishment made even more impressive by the fact that he only has four fingers on each hand.
Koko Rey
she/herKoko is a small, mousy young woman who plays drums in Jonesy's band. Her trademark orange beanie has become somewhat of a fashion statement among fans, who admire her energetic stage presence and vibrant aura. In her free time, she loves reading romance and mystery novels, as well as solving puzzles and brain games.
Beetlehammer
they/themBeetlehammer, also known as BH or Vana, is an androgynous, dark-haired bassist with an eternally enigmatic expression and a penchant for taking on many other odd jobs when they're not rehearsing with their band. They've been found across Sytalion running games of chance in casinos, volunteering at animal shelters, bartending at rowdy clubs, hunting wild beasts, taking audio samples for new drum sounds, and many other varied activities. They have a small but devoted following among fans and are admired for their mysterious life and unflappable stage presence.
All Releases
Lovelorn Psyops - 30 ADL
Melt the Chain - 32 ADL
Leverage - 33 ADL
Parties - 34 ADL
The Whales Take It Back - 34 ADL
Laser Hymnal - 35 ADL
Starsongs - 38 ADL
*This album has made history as the first Top 40 album to have been entirely recorded in space
MegaBomb Beatdown - 41 ADL
Lovelorn Psyops - 30 ADL
Melt the Chain - 32 ADL
Leverage - 33 ADL
Parties - 34 ADL
The Whales Take It Back - 34 ADL
Laser Hymnal - 35 ADL
Starsongs - 38 ADL
*This album has made history as the first Top 40 album to have been entirely recorded in space
MegaBomb Beatdown - 41 ADL
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