Songwriter, guitarist and singer
Madeira City musician becomes a star by ‘Walking The Moon’
This year has been going so well for Eli Maiman that he says he feels like he’s “walking on the moon.” It’s all because his band Walk the Moon’s single, “Shut Up And Dance,” went No. 1 on the Alternative and Hot Adult Contemporary charts, continues to climb the Pop chart and has gone platinum in a number of countries. But for Maiman, international success has been in the works his whole life, and it all began with public education in his hometown of Madeira in suburban Cincinnati.
“I began playing guitar at 10 years old, and have been performing original music in bands since I was 15,” Maiman said.
He graduated from Madeira City’s Madeira High School in 2004, calling it a “magical time” in his life.
“My favorite memory of high school is marching band,” Maiman said. “Fall mornings out on the field, rehearsing with a hundred other kids working toward a common goal. I loved the camaraderie, and the intense work ethic was something that I’d never experienced before, and something I’ve never forgotten. Then, the joy of doing well at a competition was the payoff of all those months of work.”
Maiman later graduated from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in jazz studies. After that, he taught guitar at Madeira Music School in Cincinnati.
He joined Walk The Moon, a Cincinnati-based band, in 2011. Nicholas Petricca, from Cincinnati, and Kevin Ray and Sean Waugaman, both from Columbus, are the other members of the band, which got its name partially from a song by The Police.
Walk The Moon has put out two major label albums and its latest, “Talking is Hard,” came out in December. The group recently performed the song “Shut Up and Dance” on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” and “The Voice.” You can watch the “Shut Up and Dance” video at Walkthemoonband.com.
Despite the band’s seemingly quick rise to fame and in the midst of a national tour, the group still finds the time to return to what Maiman calls the “vibrant, supportive music scene” of Cincinnati. “The love we receive at hometown shows is truly overwhelming,” he said.
Educational Inspiration
“Madeira City music teachers Lori Adams and Jill Stagg both did a lot to encourage my musical education. They pushed me to try new things, like playing stand-up bass in concert band or piano in jazz band. I began to study music theory in my free time. When I arrived at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music, I was able to … jump straight into more advanced material. I never would have been at that point if it had not been for the incredible teachers I had in my life.”
Giving Back
“In 2003, my band, Bluepoint, won the Bogart’s Battle of the Bands at Jammin’ on Main. We were thrilled to donate some of the prize money to the Madeira Band Program. More recently, Walk the Moon was able to donate $20,000 to United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s Success by 6 Program through collaboration with The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.”
Current as of 4/25/2024 6:57 pm