Based out of Athens, Georgia, Wanderwild consists of Matt Martin (Vocals/Guitar), Taylor Cotton (Bass), Wes Gregory (Drums), Alec Stanley (Guitar), and Reagan Byrd (Keys). Being a DIY band has allowed Wanderwild to set themselves apart, showcasing their many talents outside of music. Between unique graphics, quality music videos and clean production, the band constantly proves they are a force to be reckoned with. We sat down with the band to discuss life on tour, the challenges of being a “DIY” band and how social media has affected the growth of the band.
Small Talks: So you guys do a lot of things yourselves, like booking tours and making graphics for the band, what are some of the challenges that come with being more of a “DIY” band and how does it change the work dynamic?
Matt: With the help of Drew Breskin, our tour manager we do a lot of things ourselves.
Reagan: Well, we just made a show poster in the car like 5 minutes ago
Taylor: In an ideal world we would be able to outsource things but currently we’ve been forced to have a more DIY approach about it, that being said we do like having the control over everything. Of course it would be nice to relinquish that when we want to but for now at least we enjoy having the control because we kind of have to.
Matt: It’s primarily served us I think, it’s one of those things that starts out as a necessity and it turns into something you really start to enjoy. I think that’s why, at least for me personally, most of my skill sets come from a desire to be self sufficient. I love that we’re so hands on, it’s just part of who we all are as people, but like Taylor said, at times it can be a bit taxing, at times you can only handle so much. Every now and then instead of giving 100% to one thing we’re giving 60% to five things but, that's just how it goes sometimes. Even as we grow I think we will always be very hands on especially with the visual elements and the videos, photography etc. because it's all part of the package.
Small Talks: Being a touring band, do you see any sort of difference in cities and which songs go harder or do you think it’s pretty consistent?
Taylor: I feel like Birmingham is an all around the room city
Matt: Atlanta too, they love that song. I feel like Tampa is very much a doorway and platinum city. So yeah, there is a little bit of a difference, i’ve actually never thought of that. We obviously always have a good time throughout the whole set, but it’s nice to know what songs went the hardest.
Small Talks: How does playing venues like, Iron City in Birmingham differ from playing venues like, the Blue Note in Tampa?
Taylor: First of all shout out to Anthony at the Blue Note because he crushed it. I think, for me personally, it doesn’t matter how big the venue is, it just feels good to play to a venue that is full, and I think anyone would agree with that.
Reagan: At the end of the day, a rooms a room, ya know?
Taylor: Yeah, all we really care about is having a responsive crowd and a room that feels cozy.
Matt: Inevitably, a bigger venue tends to have more resources, more staff, more personnel, you have a proper greenroom, you have this, you have that. So the experience can be a little more comfortable at some of the bigger venues, but that doesn’t mean that playing a small venue isn’t really fun as well.
Small Talks: So, “Doorway” was featured on the Starbucks playlist
Taylor: And in Target, and Old Navy
Matt: Yeah, it’s been sick, it’s going around the retail shops.
Small Talks: How would you react if you were out and you heard it come on?
Taylor: I would take a video and send it to my mom immediately.
Matt: Doorway was on the pre show playlist last Coin tour, so that was pretty fun. It was really cool to hear that song playing over these massive PA’s.
Small Talks: Do you have a pre show playlist as a band that you play in the car or anything?
Taylor: Driver determines the music, always. It does have to comply with the passengers vibe, as well.
Small Talks: Does it ever get chaotic?
Taylor: When Alec and Wes are driving it gets a little harder to listen to.
Small Talks: Damn, roast them.
Wes: We just like heavier, more experimental music.
Matt: We have a lot of overlap as a band but we also definitely have our own things we like.
Taylor: I like that “Yummy” song.
Matt: Yeah he puts on Justin Bieber a lot, that’s all him. But I will say I’ve caught myself singing it.
Wes: That doesn’t mean it’s good.
Small Talks: Going off of that, how do you want people to perceive you on social media, and how do you think social media has helped the growth of the band?
Matt: We want anyone who likes our music to be a part of our story, and a part of the culture. I think we do pretty well with the visual elements and the production of our music, I find myself every once and a while asking myself “could this be an art installation”. We want to be a very welcoming group of people that is simultaneously pushing ourselves creatively. Social media is definitely really important to us, as our instagram DM’s are the best way to get in touch with us. Right now we are at a scale where we can be a little more personable and respond to people's messages, which is really cool and hopefully we’ll always be able to do that.
Taylor: Social media is kind of a foreign land for us, none of us are super active on social media so I would say we do a medium job at it. We definitely could be better at it but we are learning over time. I have a brother who’s 18 and I’m 24 and he’s like a genius with it which is crazy. You can really control how people see you.
Alec: It makes fans feel like they are in the tour bus with you. You can really see behind the veil, which is awesome. Behind the veil isn’t that crazy, it’s really just, fixing a van in a mcdonald’s parking lot and then walking to a mexican restaurant.
Small Talks: Is there anything you guys want to say? Anything you wish people would ask you?
Matt: Well, one thing that always means a lot to us is getting messages from people saying that our music means a lot to them, it makes an impact, it really does.
Alec: I’m tired of hearing about our music, I listen to it all the time, I wanna hear what you’re making.
Taylor: That's actually a great point, we love when people hit us up and send us their music because we record all of our music so it’s nice to hear from other people who do the same. It’s cool to see how the recording process differs for everyone else.
Wes: I think that’s one thing that’s really cool about this band. We all obviously love playing music with each other but we also have our own passions that we love just as much. It's cool to be able to share those different passions with each other and then come together and play music.
Alec: We are just friends that also happen to play music and I think without that genuine friendship outside of the band things would have ended a long time ago.
Small Talks: Is there anything else you guys would like to add before we wrap up?
Taylor: Should we do the jingle?
Matt: Oh yeah.
Taylor: Ready? 1,2,3....
Matt, Taylor, Wes, Alec, and Reagan (singing): “We’re a rock and roll band, we’re a rock and roll band, we’re a rock and roll band and we’ll rock the house tonight.”
Matt: That’s what we sing before we play.
More Info Web: wanderwildmusic.com Bandcamp: wanderwild.bandcamp.com Facebook: @wanderwildmusic Instagram: @wanderwildmusic Twitter: @wanderwildmusic
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