Candace Parrott, Staff Writer
Candace: What genre of music do you guys consider yourselves? Who are some the band’s idols? Anyone you hope to reflect and why?
Braden: We are a rock ‘n roll band primarily, but we started as a folk group. Our influences range from Bob Dylan and The Beatles to The Strokes.
Ayethaw: I like to see this band as taking a page from the history of rock and pop music and turning it into something modern and fresh.
Candace: You have an EP coming out Sept. 12, how does it feel to have accomplished this? How long was that process?
Robby: It feels really great, for someone who has recently joined the band to see us finding success in completing the EP is reassuring of our direction. It took two 12-hour sessions to get the basic tracks down at the studio but we returned over the following weeks to put finishing touches on the record. We definitely learned a lot about the recording process.
Candace: Who are you hoping listens to your music?
Ayethaw: I hope everyone would like to listen to our music. I guess people our age would probably like our tunes.
Candace: Have shows been crazy? You recently played at the Bistro in Downtown Bloomington–how was that experience?
Braden: We’ve had everything from sticks and beer cans thrown at us to being electrocuted on stage. In our time as a band we have played at a lot of cool places and The Bistro was definitely up there.
Candace: What inspires each of you, besides other musicians? Do you all have any movies or favorite operas or works that specifically influenced your new EP (or the band as a whole)?
Ayethaw: I think we’re all really inspired by each other and how we all want to be the best at what we do. Outside of music we’re really just inspired by our strong friendship and how playing together brings us closer together.
Ryan: We as a group weren’t influenced by any specific non-music media, although our tastes in those areas tend to overlap at least a little. Although we didn’t express this verbally throughout the recording process, I think we were all inspired for this recording by an uplifting feeling, like tingles from stepping from a snowy outside into a warm, cozy interior.
Robby: Like what Ayethaw was saying, we were all involved with music in school so we all try to make the best quality music we can make.
Candace: You’ve got a show coming up this weekend for the release of your self-tilted EP: can you give me some details about that?
Ayethaw: Our show is going to be a big event, where we’re going to play our whole EP along with other originals, while also selling physical copies of the album. We’re also going to have my great friend and prodigious talent Joseph Bakke open for us, so it’s going to be a great night.
Candace: Do you tour? If so, where have you been? Where would you ideally like to go?
Braden: We have played a lot around central Illinois and in St. Louis. We definitely plan on touring soon.
Candace: What’s the best compliment you’ve received after a performance?
Ayethaw: The best compliment is when people start dancing and getting into it. I love seeing that.
Candace: What are the band’s goals for your post-grad years?
Ayethaw: To keep writing and recording.
Braden: And to tour as soon as possible.
Candace: Eric, you created the album cover art…what inspired you? How did it come together?
Eric: When I was creating the album artwork, I channeled the spirit of artists like Franz Kline and other abstract expressionist painters. Actually, one night when I was sleeping, Franz Kline came to me in a dream. At the time, I was really struggling to come up with a design, and he gave me the design in the dream over a smoky table at a jazz bar. Immediately after I woke up, I painted the entire thing and then presented it to the band. I knew I had accomplished something great and worthy of inclusion on this EP.
Candace: Did everyone meet at Wesleyan then you all mutually agreed on starting a band–how did you all find each other?
Braden: We started in the fall of 2012 with four members: myself, Ayethaw, Jonas Wightman and Alan Russian. We all won that fall’s Undercover Competition, and proceeded to think ‘hey maybe we have something here.’ Over the next two years we’ve added violinist Madz Negro, bassist Ryan Donlin, drummer Robby Kuntz and keyboardist Eric Novak. We’re all just best friends making music.
Candace: What is one thing to NOT tell someone in a band?
Ryan: Give up.
Candace: Do you have a closing statement for our readers regarding your show?
Ayethaw: We’d love to see a lot of friends and family and new faces at the concert! This band has been three years in the making and we’ve come a long way here in this little IWU community of ours. You’d be astounded to know all of the talent in this school. It would be our pleasure to share our joy making music to those in the audience, and hopefully make you get on your feet and dance. It’s going to be a party!