1. Here at Bionic Buzz, we are all about people’s passions. Where did your passion for music come from that made you want to be in a band?
Hey Bionic Buzz, thanks for chatting with us. My passion for music started at a very early age. I remember being a toddler in the car and critiquing the music playing on the radio, and thinking about how I would do certain things differently. Later I started writing my own music on the piano, and eventually asked other musicians to start jamming with me. Playing music with friends was fun and the thought of performing for others was exhilarating.
Was it a certain album you heard? A live performance you saw? Or was it just natural for you as a kid?
It was very natural for me. My Mom has old tapes of me sitting at the piano when I was 4 just playing compositions I had been writing and sort of looking off into outer space while I was doing it. You could clearly tell I was engulfed in this world of sound, and it was easy for me to sit there for hours and listen/play.
2. I’ve been to Jackson Hole, Wyoming as a kid, it’s so beautiful. I’m curious about the music scene there. Is there a big one and are there venues for bands to perform at it?
The Jackson music scene is growing, and there are some really amazing local musicians out there who try and make a living but it’s tough to do so. Surprisingly though there has been more and more bigger acts coming through town. During the summer there are millions of tourists who visit the national parks there, so it’s bringing more entertainment into the Valley. I don’t think it’ll be too far away till we have some big festival or event there. If you’d like to learn more about the music scene, watch this documentary I made about my teacher who brought jazz to the valley and played on broadway prior: (see below) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avt1st7O_vc
3. Your new song and music video for “Don’t Stop” is amazing (see music video below). It’s your third single for your upcoming album Changes which comes out May 31st. I’m curious if WYO has it own WYO Universe, similar to MarvelCinematic Universe (MCU), in your music video world?
Thank you for the compliment! WYO has it’s own world for sure. When we are in Wyoming we are all hands on deck working hard at creating content for the project. I’ve got a bunch of film friends who live in Jackson and they are always willing to collaborate on new WYO projects. There’s a phrase that’s been going around, and when you are working on something for WYO, you are in WYO’s World. 🙂
4. How was the recording process for Changes? Who produced it? Did you go into the studio with a bunch of songs prepared or was it more ideas that came together there?
The recording process for Changes was a fun process and much faster than recording our freshmen album, Untamed. I went out to Jackson in November, a time when nobody is visiting Wyoming. It’s like no mans land where, if you go to the local bar, there might be one person sitting there that you could share a few words with. But honestly that’s my favorite time to be there because I can really focus on the music.
So I was in Jackson at this dark and gloomy time and wrote and wrote and wrote, knowing that the band was showing up in two weeks to start tracking our 2nd album. I had a couple ideas for songs before I got out there, but they mostly came together in those short weeks. Scott Gibson my co-writing partner, came out about a week before the others, and we charted the music and prepped it all for recording with the band. After spending about 10 days tracking parts with the band, I took “the bones” of the music to Los Angeles and worked with Brad Wood to finalize the album and work on lyrics and melodies with him. That’s it, that’s all!
5. With a new album on the horizon, what is WYO plans the rest of the year?
We are playing as many shows as possible, and also looking to collaborate with other artists and brands we align with to work on projects or events together. Be it shows, sync placements, or partnerships, our goal is to get the music out into the world. We’re also talking with booking agents right now to line up more shows for 2019 and into 2020. Pursuing the dream, that’s what is on the horizon!