Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with WHY
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
My Mother is a music lover. She always played music in the house. I heard a multi genre music emersion. The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, Carol King…
How did your passion for creating music begin?
…eventually she introduced me to U2 when she bought a VHS tape at a thrift store of “U2 Live At Red Rocks”. It blew my mind and I saw that I could be a singer and a performer.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
We just recorded a new single “Tell The Truth Shame The Devil”. A song about rejecting the lies of hate, greed and manipulation. And a call for honesty. The title is taken from a rare old saying I’ve heard many times. We have a live album coming out too. The live album was a surprise. At a show at SIDESTAGE in Winnipeg we played to a full house and what a great crowd. After the show the sound tech emailed us and said he had recorded the show testing out some gear he was using for a music documentary and asked if we wanted to recording. We listened to it and thanking him for his work. He offered it for free. But we sent him money because he did a great job. The sound tech is Kristopher Chorneychuk and the recording he did captured our performance. If we had known he was recording us we may have been self conscious. But he caught us in a moment with the audience connecting over music.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
We create music that is emotional, sonic, bigger than us. I hate comparison but understand people need references when it comes to describing music. Some have said we sound like a mix between Radiohead, Muse, U2, The Killers and Jeff Buckley. So basically…everything.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
That music doesn’t need to be perfect. Early on I was obsessed to make songs close to perfect because it “will be out in the world forever”. But I learned that imperfection is human. And now with AI being used to make music the imperfection is an indication of humanity. The breaking vocal part is emotional. The brokenness and the vulnerability is the very purpose of art. That is a very freeing mindset.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Our producer Steve Green at GREENEGG STUDIO here in Winnipeg is one essential factor for recording our music. He is a genius. When I comes to writing, we rely on our rehearsal space. We often create in that setting. The power of improvisation and the safety of writing with people you trust and can fall on your face and mess up while creating. Bad notes and mistakes lead to great songs.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
I love a local alternative post punk band called FOLD PAPER and their single “Medical Jargon”
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Pain and failure are fertile ground for writing. I have tried to write joyful songs and I’m still trying.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
Our hope is to bring Hope, and lift people up especially when they feel knocked down.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
That falling is not failing. Failure is not getting back up again.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
GLASTONBURY (UK) and BURT BLOCK PARTY (in Winnipeg Canada) .
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Wow, that’s tough as I’m influenced by so many. Thom Yorke, Jeff Buckley, Bono, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, David Bowie…
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Thank you.
Our website: WHYtheband.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dSK0xgQj44dhTSmZX8Ch7?si=JL4xdtv5SUyPQFlDl_Q4wQ
Instagram: instagram.com/WHY_music
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@why_music
toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
To continue to write and record music that connects with people. And to tour around the world bringing our live shows to as many people as possible.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
That we write and perform from a place of honesty. We hope to be useful. That hope is just as contagious as despair. We want to be super spreaders of hope.
