Photograph by Scott Beseler
Last year was pretty epic for Cincinnati’s resident rowdy rockers, Foxy Shazam. First, 2025 saw the band release two full-length albums on its EEEOOOAH label, Animality Opera and Box of Magic. Also, frontman Eric Nally was spotted in both the credits and background of the summer blockbuster Superman. August’s season two release of HBO Max’s Peacemaker featured the band’s “Oh Lord” as the theme song, which played weekly before episodes as the cast cavorted around the choreographed lumbering of star John Cena. And the season two finale featured a high-octane Foxy Shazam performance of the song.
The band—Nally, Schuyler “Sky” White (keyboards), Teddy Aitkins (drums), Alex Nauth (horns), Devin Williams (guitar), and Misster Universe (bass)—formed in 2004 after Nally and original guitarist Loren Turner were gobsmacked by White’s showmanship at a Bogart’s Battle of the Bands event.
The band has toured with arena-sized acts (Slash, The Darkness) and put out albums on major labels. Nally featured on a hit Macklemore song, and they’ve all found various successes outside the band, too. (White, for example, owns Wendigo Tea Co.) But this moment, with the viral success of “Oh Lord” and big-budget filmmaker James Gunn calling Foxy “objectively the greatest rock and roll band in the world,” feels special for one of the hardest working bands out there.
So how did we get here? The story starts when Gunn, a Foxy fanboy, put the band’s song “Welcome to the Church of Rock and Roll” in a season one episode of Peacemaker. “I heard about it through the grapevine, because I didn’t know what the show was at the time,” says Nally, explaining that he reached out to Gunn via social media to say thanks. “I didn’t hear back for like a year, then, out of nowhere, he responded and was like, ‘Oh, my God, we didn’t follow each other so I didn’t see your message right away. I’m a huge fan!’ ”
While the creative output from that initial connection has been inspiring for both fans of the band and the filmmaker, Nally personally appreciates the friendship he’s developed with Gunn based on mutual appreciation. “It’s a huge gift,” says Nally. “I’m just really grateful when artists recognize each other, whenever that happens and in any sense. I look to James as a great artist.”
Which isn’t to say Foxy Shazam isn’t having a blast collaborating with Gunn, particularly the process of filming their performance for Peacemaker. “It was really magical. I mean, to be there in person on something like that,” he says. “I try to stay calm, grateful, and humble, but also be there for it and give 100 percent of my passion.”
Asked if fans can expect future Foxy Shazam appearances in DC Universe shows and movies, Nally is considered with his response but also eager to highlight what he sees as the true value of his friendship with Gunn. “My relationship with James is a personal one, and it’s always going to continue,” he says. “I don’t expect anything. But at the same time, these relationships that I have with other artists—we support each other, regardless of whether we’re doing anything together or not. I think that provokes great stuff.”
Nally says to look forward to a lot of touring in 2026 (including a “really special” hometown show) in support of all the band’s new music. He’s also feeling inspired by new fans, so even more Foxy Shazam songs are likely on the horizon. “And, you know… expect the unexpected.”
One thing you shouldn’t expect, though, is for Foxy Shazam to be lured away from Cincinnati by the bright lights of Tinseltown. “Ohio looks like a heart,” he laughs. “I love that. Cincinnati is really awesome, and it doesn’t have to be L.A. or New York. That has inspired me throughout our career.”
Itching to see Foxy on stage? While a Cincinnati tour date is upcoming, take a road trip to Indianapolis’s Turntable on March 7 to get a taste of Foxy’s rock and roll.
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