Formula Indie Sessions – Interview with Evan Wecksell
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Seeing the beach boys live at jones beach on Long Island
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I was already covering songs on guitar. I was already writing standup. The ability to merge comedy and music was captivating. And realizing I could paint anything I wanted on that canvas was thrilling. And probably my early taboo songs challenged me to one-up myself in the realm of weird.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
I developed this knack for engaging with spammers over text. Just like writing music I could use these annoyances as an opportunity to work on my comedy improv and develop a story arc. The conversations became acting scenes and I released books full of them. The Spam Whisperer.
Now with the advent of AI music and my love of emo I took some of my most compelling or outrageous chats and converted them into emo songs. Each song offers a different avenue these chats can go and the tracks are extremely catchy. Spam Whispering
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
I take my songwriting approach from Jon Bon Jovi. Get a title or a catchy line/joke to build out from. Know where how you want the storyline to progress. If they can hear Bon Jovi influence, I wouldn’t complain. I have also gotten everything from Adam Sandler to Bob Dylan to Wheatus.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
If the material is personal to you and the song idea is irresistible to you then it will resonate with others.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Really just me and my guitar. For Spam Whispering I did use ChatGPT to optimize the prompt for my spam chat so when I entered it into Suno it popped right away.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Two young bands I recently discovered:
People R Ugly – love “Sad, Sad Song” and “Better” – very carefree writing style
Lawn – very unique midwestern emo sound and getting started out in LA. LASO is their only released song. Look forward to more.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
The more personal the better. Even if the song has a shelf life because it’s topical. My greatest song to me is a song about my dad’s unique political views: “radical left republican dad.”
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
Relief. The appreciation of my just saying the lyric and the wit and originality that make it into the final version.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Don’t worry about songs sounding the same. Message is what stands out.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Would love to have an acoustic set at a Chris Jericho cruise or Emo’s Not Dead Cruise.
Honorable mention: Netflix is a Joke Festival
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Jon Bon Jovi – He’s a hall of famer but I would dig the chance to write a COMEDY song with him.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music?(Website,Spotify, IG, links)
FunnyEvan.com
@evanwecksell
https://linktr.ee/evanwecksell
Funnyforevertees.com
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
Release all the material that’s primed to be public and keep pumping out material.
I have 8 songs, 5 books and two albums that need to be out there. They range from title only to fully written and ready to record.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
That I’m a five tool player and can adapt to any audience.
