Off the Record

Kevelle Wilson 0:15
Hello everyone, you are listening to WKNC 88.1 Raleigh we are student run organization over here at NC State. I am Kevelle Wilson, and this is off the record.Hello everyone. Today I'm here with Gabe Larson from the indie band Waldemar. I know y'all previously released the visions EP, but this new record huge release ruthless this year is your first full length album. What is that like to finally have a whole album out for y'all? Yeah, well,

Waldemar 0:49
I mean, I guess I've put out some other music before this one. But this was like the first full lengthrecord, which is a much bigger endeavor. Butyeah, theshort version of the story is, took me a little over five years to make this record. It's called ruthless.And it was like a year of writing. And then I thought I was ready to record the record and was going to record it with a buddy of mine is a big heavyweight producer guy, in Eau Claire, where I'm from. And then all of a sudden, he got a job to go out on tour with a really amazing band.And then I was kind of left homeless, studio wise, and me and my brother who plays drums in the band.We got a wild hair. And we're like, what if we built our own recording studio, I have this old horse barn behind my house, in Eau Claire. It had been kind of like a silly pipe dream to like, make that into a studio someday. And we we were just crazy enough to be like, oh, let's, let's do it. And so we started building a studio, and we thought it would take us like three months. And it took us two years to build it.Just how those things go.But yeah, we built the studio for two years. And then and then took about two years of recording and mixing. So five, five years from start to finish working on working on this record. Butyeah, so yeah, I mean, I was I've released other music before this one, but none that was like that insane of a process, you know. So that's the that's the short, short version, I guess. So. Five years covers a lot of time. But yeah, okay. You're definitely the first person I've heard to make their own recording studio for their album. I think that's an enslavement. achievement. So yeah.

Kevelle Wilson 2:58
So what did you learn from making a functional recording studio out of a Barnhouse?

Waldemar 3:04
Yeah. Oh, man.Oh, so many lessons. I mean, the I guess the first thing that comes to mind to me isI feel like a thing that I was really confronting a lot in deciding to just like, do all this in house, if you will, is, I think, a very classic artistic fear. Maybe it's not even artistic. But it shows up in the arts a lot is like just imposter syndrome, stuff of like, like, I, I need other people who are actually professionals, to be able to make something that sounds good. That's like the fear that's going on. And so the entire time of building the studio that was present in like, Oh, are we capable of building a recording studio that is capable of producing quality sounding music? Like Are we able to frame the walls in a way that is going to be good for sound? Are we going to be able tosoundproof the building in a way that's going to be good for making music? Are we going to be able to buy and install gear that is going to be good for making music? It was like that kind of question was hanging around all the time, over those two years of building the studio. And we ended up building a really awesome, super cool place. And I think that was like, really good to over the course of two years to just be like, wrestling with doubt, and fear and impostor syndrome stuff and to kind of like,move through that and to, like, make a place that I felt really proud of and like, oh, like we are capable of making a good place. You know what I mean? And so I learned a lot of those lessons on like, building the studio. And so then when it came time to actually like makeThe music and record everything, then all of a sudden, those same types of fears were present. So you know, like, Oh,am I a good songwriter? You know, am I capable of? Are we capable of recording good songs now? Like, am I capable of mixing these good songs, or mixing songs well, and all that kind of stuff, and it's like, I just finished,like wrestling with those same categories of fears and doubts over the course of building the studio, now making the music. And so to some degree, those those fears and doubts felt familiar, and I kind of had like, a, a little bit of a sense of confidence of like, oh, I,I think I can't I think I actually can, you know, and I mean, I've learned that if I, if I commit to something and in whatever that I can.I'm capable, I think I think I'm actually capable. So say, I think the process of building the studio, I think really challenged a lot of the, the, the BS that we tell ourselves of like, oh, I can't do that. Only professionals do that. Or only people who live in New York or LA can can do that, you know what I mean? Which is just is garbage. That's just like, that's just it's insecurity. You know what I mean? That's, it's all it is, you know what I mean? And so, yeah, I think building the studio, like, put me in the path of like, doing a lot of work on that kind of confronting that kind of BS, self talk.and then I kind of was able to take those lessons a step further with actually making in making the record, you know, making the music so long story long. But yeah.

Kevelle Wilson 6:45
So I kind of want to talk more about imposter syndrome. I feel like that's the thing that affects a lot of smaller artists. Oh, for sure. taken off yet. Yeah.And I think it's a big thing that it kind of stops them from taking that first step and making great music.So what are some other ways to fight impostor syndrome?

Waldemar 7:08
Oh, man.One of the first things that comes to mind for me is I've, I have taken a whole lot of joy andsecurity and help from listening to other artists talk about making art and specifically from artists who we categorize in our brain of like, Oh, those are the artists, right? Like, and it's different for everybody on like, who are your music idols or whatever. I'm like, Who are the people out there that have made the records that just feel like totally brilliant, and listening to those people talk about songwriting?I find that they say and thinkthe exact same things that I am saying and thinking and they wrestle with the exact same fears that I'm wrestling with, like, like, for example, like I read, Jeff Tweedy like he's like the lead singer of Wilco.Wilco Yeah. Wilco is awesome. They just put on new single that's really good.Caleb, Caleb on produced and evicted. I think that's the name of it. I listen to them times. Anyway. But yeah, well, Jeff Tweedy, he's like this prolific songwriter. He's put out so many insanely great records. And I read his autobiography actually listened to it on audiobook he narrates it, it's really good.But he describes songwriting and like, feeling insecure about his own songwriting and feeling afraid that he's like, that he doesn't have any more songs in him and stuff. And it's like, oh, like listening to him talk about his process of songwriting and the fears that he's dealing with. I'm like, that sounds exactly like what I'm dealing with. And it's like, man, if Jeff Tweedy is dealing with that, like, then it's okay for me to feel that, like, I'm not feeling that way. Because I'm, like, not an artist or something like that. Like, that's just what it what we deal with as artists, you know what I mean? And, and I think the imposter syndrome thing, what that self talk, what that voice will say to you is, you're feeling insecure and real artists, they don't feel secure, they feel sure of themselves, they feel secure, they feel sure of the art that they're making. They have that like genius kind of thing going on. And you go and listen to them talk about songwriting, and they're like, how did you come up with that song? And they're like, I don't know. I waslike, they don't know. You know what I mean? It's like a mystery on how they came up with their with their stuff. And it's like, oh, okay, so that's just like, what it means to make art. You know what I mean? SoI readBruce Springsteen's autobiography to you. I mean, he talked about a prolific songwriter. And he talked about that, like he went through major seasons of depression of feeling like he'd kind of written his last written his last song and stuff like that. And he was like, just getting started, you know? So.Yeah, so that's, that's, that's been something I'vegone to a lot. I would say in recent years of listening to people that seem like they're not imposters talk about feeling like they're imposters. And that really gives me hope.

Kevelle Wilson 10:36
That's probably good advice. Yeah. So kind of going back to how the album was recorded. Yeah, it seems like a lot of the bandmates kind of recorded their parts separately for the album. How did how did y'all choose to record the, the LP this way?

Waldemar 10:53
Um, well, chooses. Uh, that's a very intentional word. And it was it just it honestly, it just like happened that way. Like, it was kind of, like, I noticed, like halfway through the record that that's like how we were making I think I thought like,like, it was like, December 2019, is when we like, kicked off, recording the record. And like, we got the whole band out to the studio, and we like, we like, cracked open a beer. And we're like, God, cheers. We're doing this, you know what I mean? And but like, we'd like just finished building the studio, literally, like the month prior, we haven't like, hit record really on anything. Like we, we still didn't really know how to use our own studio, really, we just like, have this space. And so like, we did like a day or two together as like a full band in the room, like, recording stuff. But we basically got nothing done, we were basically just like, still just like figuring out how to, like, use our gear. And like, I don't know, like, we basically got nothing done. And that was like the last that was like the last time that all of us were all in the room together, like making this record. And like, by accident, I think I just I don't know, I like, I think I thought that we would all be in the room together, like and have that like kind of band experience of making a record together. And I don't know, for some reason, we just, we just did it. And in it, there was no decision that went into that, like, I just, that's just kind of how it ended up happening. There was there was some point, like maybe halfway through making the record that likeI had been kind of bringing guys individually in to work on their parts and work on the songs and stuff like that in. There's kind of a part about halfway through recording the record where I felt really out of touch with my ownopinions and my owninstincts on the song like, like, like, I'd have like our other guitar player, Josh in the studio, and we'd be working on guitars. And he'd be like, Well, what do you think? And I'd be like, I don't know, he was like, Do you like this? And I was like, I don't know, I might hate it. Or I might love it. I don't know.Like, I was like I felt total nothing that's basically like, I just really had lost track of my own instincts on the songs. And I ended up just like, working on the songs by myself completely for like three or four months or something like that, like nobody heard nobody in the band heard from me, like, and then all of a sudden, everybody got a batch, a fresh batch of demos in their email.And we're like, Whoa, these songs all sound way different than the last time that we heard them what happened like, oh, yeah, I just, I, I had been working on them by myself for like four months. And I think being the only person in the room, like helped me kind of like reconnect with my own instincts on the songs. And I actually I got a ton done that way. Like I everything started to feel just really instinctual and just very kind of flow state.So today, I don't know the making the record was mostly like me bringing guys in one individually mixed with kind of some longer seasons of me just working by myself on it. Butyeah, there was no design ahead of time of like, okay, we're going to this is how we're going to make the record it just kind of kind of just organically happened the way it happened, man. So yeah.

Kevelle Wilson 14:26
That's interesting. You kind of found your flow state working by yourself. Because I know you kind of talked about your last band kind of breaking up because you had so many kind of cooks in the kitchen.

Waldemar 14:37
This literally Yeah, yeah, we had like we had five we had like five songwriters in a five piece band, which is just like, it's that's ridiculous. And they're all good songwriters, too, which is even worse. Like if, if you had five songwriters in the room, like at least like three of them could just be like, terrible. You know what I mean? So you could just be like, that's a bad idea. We're not doing that.

But they're all like, really good songwriters.Yeah, no.Yeah, well, I think like outside opinions kind of really help. I think definitely sitting there focusing on your own work, kind of let you hone in and not be so obsessed with what other people think in the moment. Yeah, it's I mean, it's, it's good to have, I think it's good to have both, you know what I mean that like all of us, as people as songwriters, as artists, we all have blind spots, you know what I mean? Like, for example, like I, I tend to, like, the songs for me, when I write a song, out of the gate is like, 20 minutes too long. Basically, it's like I like, I like, get an idea for a song or I get a mood going or a vibe going on it on a new song idea. And I will, I will, like, take it way too far. Because some, oftentimes, that's like my instinct. And so having other people in the roomwho canbe like yo gave this song, this idea that you've got going is good, but you lost me like five minutes ago, like we, we should cut this in half, you know what I mean.But other times, like, you get too many people in the room, you can lose track of your own vision for the song really, really quickly, too. So it's good to have a mix of both I've found but the trick is just knowing when you need other people's perspective, and knowing when you need to trust your own instincts. And I feel like knowing when you need one over the other just kind of comes with time and comes with experience, you know, and I feel like I'm still learning when I need to lean on others and when I need to kind of retreat and just be by myself with a song for a while.But I'm excited, I'm kind of starting to work on the music right now I'm kind of in like the preamble stage, if you will.And I feel a little bit more armed with experience, going into writing new songs right now, to kind of, I feel a little bit more in tune with knowing when I need to call up a bandmate and when I need to just sit with it a little bit longer. And I don't know if I even can really explain that I feel like like I said I think some of that just like just comes with experience and just reps you know.So yeah.

Kevelle Wilson 17:36
Ya know, in a previous interview, you kind of talked about when you kind of come up for lyrics for a song and a hard to kind of chopped up into bits that makeformat. Yeah, totally. It was kind of so have you gotten better at that curation process of like, okay, this while I love this part is like, this is not needed to be in the song.

Waldemar 17:56
Yeah, I have, I think I think a lot of that has also come with experience of I think, as a younger songwriter.Especially as one like myself, who like you just mentioned i i, on almost all my songs. I've written the lyrics first. And then I write the music later, which is, is kind of is backwards from the way that most songwriters write songs. Apparently, I just like found that out not too long ago that most songwriters come up with music first and then write their lyrics later. ButI think as when I was a younger songwriter writing songs that way.I think I did trust, I didn't have enough songs, fully written music and everything, to be able to trust that, like, Oh, if you chop this whole verse of lyrics, you still are going to end up with a good song at the end of this, you know what I mean? And I've written enough songs now where I've like, chopped that line that just felt like this, like, killer line that just like really speaks, but it just wasn't working. And I've gone through it enough times of like, just, I mean, they call it like, Chuck killing your babies, which is like, pretty graphic. I forget who would who coined that phrase, but it's, it's pretty gory, but it kind of feels right, butI've done it enough times and have ended up with a song that feels really good to trust that like, yeah, it's, it's okay to get rid of good stuff, you can still end up with a great song, even with getting rid of good stuff, you know, so, but as an as a young songwriter, that was a lot harder because I I think I was worried that I was cutting out the stuff that would make it a great song, you know what I mean? Butthat's just reps and experience again, being able to trust that you know,

Kevelle Wilson 19:46
a quick break for an interview so y'all can take a listen to the title track off of ruthless enjoy, and I'll be right back.

Hope you all enjoyed that back. I am back now with the interview. Enjoy the rest.Yeah.So kind of talking about song making one of my favorite songs from the new album was bliss.It's kind of that title track. I really love that title track. Yeah, yeah.So you kind of talked about how like, this song kind of went through the process of being tweaked and re recorded, and maybe it's not gonna make it on the album, then coming back. Yeah, you know, when like, Take your hands off, like, Okay, I'm done. The song is done and complete. I need to stop messing with it.

Waldemar 26:08
Yeah, yeah, yeah, half half the record, I like fully recorded. And then I hated it. And I deleted it and started over. And I mean, in that song was one of those ones where we I basically fully recorded, I think vocals and everything. Somewhere on the hard drive of our studio computer. There's like an altered version of this whole wreck of half of this record, that we'll never see the light of day. But But yeah, I think that that's on.Yeah, and knowing when it's done. And honestly, because I was the one I recorded it and I mixed it. I knew it was done when Iwould,the way that I mixed the record in a lot of ways I would go on walks with the songs, like I would go on a walk through my neighborhood and just, I would put the put the songs wherever they were, I bounce them and throw them on my phone. And I would go on a walk and just listen on headphones. And just stop and jot down notes all the time whenever something was sticking out to me. And then I also Refinished wood floors, is what I do for work besides working on records. And so I would like listen to my songs while I'm sanding floors and stuff and stop and take notes all the time. And, and then after I'd compiled a bunch of notes, I'd go back to the studio, make adjustments, bounce it, throw it on my phone, go on walks, listen to outstanding flowers, etc. And I knew that I was done with the songs basically when I would throw on the record. And I would notice that that song just finished and I just enjoyed it. You know what I mean? That there was nothing was jumping out at me nothing was making me wince. Nothing was making me cringe. Nothing was like bugging me like that. The song just finished in. I just had a great time. You know what I mean? And I was like, Oh, I think that might mean that I'm done. You know what I mean? Andso that's that that was basically how I did it is just i when when I stopped finding things, change that and I was like, Oh, I can think that means I think the means were done.I think it took me a long time to get there. And I think if somebody else would have been mixing the record they would have not been making like I was like way down the rabbit hole of like, okay, the guitar at 208 needs to come up like point two DB and then come back down at 212 Like, point three dB like, like I was doing little adjustments like that at times, which some might say is ridiculous. And they would probably be right butbut eventually I stopped even wanting to do that. And it was just like yeah, that sounds right. So

Kevelle Wilson 29:07
nice. So when you finally finished the album, it was obviously time to release it then you've released a vinyl and CDs as well which look amazing. Yeah, by the way. Hey, thank you. Yeah.So what does it like to print physical copies as a smaller band?

Waldemar 29:25
It's expensive. It's really expensive it's a I don't know it's it's it's it's cool. I've never I've never made physical copies of music any other way than just doing it in house. So I guess I don't know what it's like to have a label print 1000s of your records and stuff like that or have hire an art director to do everything. My background in college I went to school for visual art basically. Like I basically my my degree was like a minor in likeby different things, it was like, my degree was called Multimedia Production. It was like photography, graphic design, video production, music, and,gosh, there's something else in there too. But none of those things do I want to do for a career at all. So it was a little bit of a waste, but, but I know enough about doing visual design stuff that like being involved in making the artwork and stuff for the record was something that I felt excited about and had just enough skill to be able to get my hands dirty with it. So that was kind of fun.The album artwork I is the the main cover of the album.I took that picturewhen I was on choir tour in college in Portugal. And I had like, there's just this dude walking through this, like flock of pigeons. And I just like had happened to have my camera we'd like just finished singing in this big, massive cathedral. And I like stepped outside and saw the student just started taking some pictures. And then like, saw the picture that I got of this guy and immediately was like, I want to use that as an album cover someday. And so it was pretty fun to like that this felt like the record that that picture needed to be on or whatever. So.But yeah, I mean, it was a lot of work. Putting together all the packaging, put a lot, put a lot of love into it. So like anything doing a DIY, or just being an independent artist, it's just, it's more work. It's a lot of money. But, but it's, but I don't know, it's rewarding to like when I, when we got the records delivered to my house was like just such a fun moment to like, hold this like record. That was like a physical manifestation of like, five years of my life, you know what I mean? Like, was, that was that was amazing, you know, andr he 10 out of 10 would recommend.It's not for the faint of heart for sure. It's, it's work.

Kevelle Wilson 32:05
So, you, you talk about mental health a lot, and the music you write, which you've mentioned before.I've always wondered what it's like to perform songs like these that are so personal to you, like over and over again. Is it kind of like therapeutic in a way?

Waldemar 32:22
Yeah, it is. And it's surprising how your songs, your own songs that you wrote that you know exactly what you were talking about when you wrote them how the meaningwill evolve for you and speak to the that your own songs will will blossom to yourself in new and fresh ways as you get older.Trying to think of a good example liketwo examples that come to mind. The song summer rain, on my record really is talking a lot aboutpaint and our relationship to pain. And the the specific types of pain that I was thinking about when I wrote that song, I still remember and still feel present to me, but like now, when I sing those songs, I've encountered different pains. Since I wrote that song, and stuff, you'll figure we keep, we keep getting hurt as we get older, butBut so then those different pains are present to me as I'm singing that song. Now.And, and with those experiences in mind, the rest of the lyricsfeel different in different contexts. Or, or song, another song of the record a union is a song about my marriage to my wife. And it's a song about like, the hardship of love of when, like we have a billion and counting songs about love as a feeling. You know what I mean? Like you, you meet that new special person and like, you just have that immediate, like overflowing just like natural feeling of attraction and love, which is a real thing. And it's so beautiful, whatever, but a another form ofYeah, exactly. And that's a beautiful thing. There's nothing to poopoo about it or anything like that. But we don't have many songs about love as a choice. You know, that when love gets hard and like commitment, like we don't have like nearly as many songs about the beauty of commitment. And that that song is about that. And I wrote that song. Gosh, I wrote the lyrics for that song five, six years ago, and the hardships that my wife and I were going through five, six years ago, we're going through way different hardships now you know what I mean? But so when I say in Union now i'm thinking about the stuff My wife and I are wrestling through in arguing about right now, you know what I mean? And choosing to love each other nowmakes that song, feel feel different. There's different mental images that come to mind when I'm singing that song now than when I originally wrote it, which is kind of fun to like, have your own song, speak back to you. As you as you get older, you know, is that it's been it's been like, it's the songs have kept themselves fresh in that way. They felt like living living things, you know? Sodefinitely very therapeutic for sure.So I feel like it's become a whole lot more commonplace to kind of talk about mental health within me. Yeah, over the past decade or two, for sure. Why do you think it's so important to focus on mental health withinyour music?That's a good question.Yeah.That's a good question.I feel likethe kind of explosion, if you will, of like, songs, and people like talking about mental health, I think the more space that has been made, or those kinds of conversations, I think people have felt more safe to kind of plumb the depths of those, you know, to like,like, Oh, we've got songs about depression, you know, but culturally, we're becoming a lot more comfortable. Talking about mental health in general, like talking about depression, talking about anxiety. And so maybe a song that you would have written about depression or anxiety 20 years ago, might have stayed a little bit more on the surface, a little bit, becausemaybe as songwriters, we were a little bit more afraid to go there, you know, that in our current context, that we've gotten a little bit more cozy with feeling like people are going to be okay with us, like, really telling it like it is, you know,so, I don't know, but I think there can be kind of a shadow side to that sometimes. Like, the that sometimes.I don't know, like that.There's been so much focus on mental health. Sometimes I sometimes I wonder if we're doing like a little bit too much navel gazing a little bit that like that. If we're, like, I don't know that. Like, sometimes I feel like we're kind of all encouraged to do so much self examination that sometimes I wonder if we like, find things that weren't actually there. Maybe like maybe if I'm like, like, like, Oh, I wonder if I'm anxious. And I'm feeling anxious that I am not finding anxiety in myself when I think and there's gotta be I don't know. Like, I'm not making any sense, but I don't know sometimes.I do you know what I mean? Like sometimes I wonder if if likeif you're told that we're all depressed and anxious that maybe you're not actually depressed and anxious but now you feel sad and anxious because if you feel like you're supposed to or something like that, I don't think that that's like a really huge problem or anything like that. I think it's overall it's a really good thing that that culturally in artists and songwriters are are really plumbing the depths of mental health I think overall, that's a good thing. But like everything there's shadow sides to to any good thing for sure. Butyeah, I don't know if I answered your question but I gave you some waxing and musings about that's off me that's what you wanted. So

Kevelle Wilson 39:10
you do it I do kind of relate to what you were saying about at the end about not for me I just kind of to get over thefocusing on my feelings and just like just chill out just live in the moment for a second just enjoy that and don't have to worry about the labels

Waldemar 39:24
Yeah, yeah, it's it's given take its balance. It's like anything in that like, there's there's a time and a season for everything. There's, there's a time to like, do do inner work and to confront things that you haven't confronted andand then there's also a time to move past that to just be like, yeah, like, I struggle with these things. But you know what, I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to choose to not wallow in that and so not exactly yeah, and and there's there'snot a rule for that, you know? And I mean, there's like, because sometimes, like me, I tend to be an avoider. You know what I mean that like, Oh, I'm feeling some sort of negativity or I'm starting to feel some sadness creeping in. And I kind of run from that is my is generally by is usually my my instinct.And so sometimes it's really good to sit with a hard feeling for a while. But sometimes, though, if you've been sitting with it too long, and it's time to move on, you need to choose to choose to feel a different thing, which I don't know how.How capable we are at that or not. Butyeah, it's like everything. There's a season for everything.Yeah, exactly.So focusing on something a little bit more fun. Yeah, yes. Yeah.

Kevelle Wilson 40:54
Yes, Saturday morning. Yeah, that whole experience from being invited all the way to performing there on stage. Yeah,

Waldemar 41:03
it was totally wild. I mean, gosh, the, it, the amount of the amount of bands that, like, wants to play on that show, and should be on that show, or should be on any of those national TV slots. Like, it felt like I've told so many people, it felt silly that we were there, you know what I mean? Like, there's just, there's so many insane, like, great bands out there right now with killer records. Like, it felt kind of strange, being plucked out of the, like, ocean of incredible artists and asked to the get to play on that kind of stage. You know, was it was just, it was weird.But such an honor to is like, like, so. So cool.But yeah, I mean, it was it was a whirlwind. We like got word that. Like, I think, I think it was like the day before a record came out on on May fifth.I think it was like the day before, I think it was on May 4, that we found out that we were we gotten an offer to come and play on CBS. And which was like such a fun like day before record release thing to find out but but it was insane. Because it was like we had all of our, our, our record release tour dates for most of the month of May.Book. And we were promoting and stuff and excited to do that. And they wanted us to come out in May. And we have this like short little window of time in our tour calendar where we were planning to be home. And that was like exactly when they wanted us to come out. So like the timing of it just worked out perfectly. But so we had like, we, the day before our record came out all of a sudden, we were like, trying to like, figure out logistics on like getting the band out to New York and getting all of our gear out there. And like, are we going to fly? Are we going to rent backline? Are we going to where are we going to stay? Like all this logistical stuff that in the midst of like, releasing this record, and then going and playing all the shows that we already had booked? But so it was it was kind of a lot like honestly, we got to the end of May. And I was like exhausted, butb ut it was great. Yeah. I mean, we drove out there and and the crew was so sweet. And they were all super into the record and super performance and stuff. Andshe's just a lot of fun. It was. But yeah, the whole time being at the studio, it felt like it like felt like somebody was gonna come up to us and be like, Wait, who are you guys? Like, there's been a big there's been a big mistake like we like, like, we I'm really sorry. Like, the real band is actually showing up in an hour. The intern they got it all wrong. You know what I mean? Like, we're really sorry. Like, it like felt like that was gonna happen. But no, it was we they wanted us to do that. So yeah, it was great. We felt really great about our performance, too. So it was it was awesome.Butyeah, such a, it was a whirlwind of an experience. Got to after our show, because they, they like they feel that Time Square, whatever. And we got to go hang on Brooklyn for the rest of the day and catch a really good show at babies. All right, which is a really sweet venue in Brooklyn. So there's just like the best like, like, kept to the record cycle of just putting in so much work on the record and getting ready to release it and then like getting to go play on national TV was just like such a treat. That felt like a really fun reward for a lot of hard work and stuff. Soyeah,Crazy experience.

Kevelle Wilson 45:03
So talking about performances perform many places, from bars to festivals, obviously, Saturday morning, which you just talked about, what has it been your favorite performance experience so far?

Waldemar 45:19
I mean, I probably could say ces Saturday morning was I was that was pretty fun butfavorite.My,probably my favorite isthere's a really legendary music venue in Minneapolis, which is like I mean, we're we live in Eau Claire and bass Devo Claire, Eau Claire is our hometown. But Minneapolis feels kind of like this, like Sister City, just it's just like an hour and a half down the road. There's a music venue there called First Avenue and it's this like, super legendary rock club.Like the home of Prince. But uh, that venue holds this like insanely special place in my heart I like I feel like I kind of grew up there a little bit musically like seeing so many of my favorite bands come through and play there. And they've got the they've got first Ave main room, and then their smaller venue that's directly connected to a called Seventh Street entry. And I've seen so many of my favorite bands, and both of those both of those venues.And we've gotten to play Seventh Street entry several times over the last few years. And man every I feel like every time we play, there is like my favorite show because it's like, it feels like a hometown show to us. You know, it's always pretty packed with with, with peeps, and you just kind of feel the, the history of that space, you know, I'm just so many bands that have played there and being like, having had that experience of being the person in the crowd and then getting to like actually be on that stage. You know, it's really special, where it's like, when we go and play in other cities in like Chicago, or, or Milwaukee or something like that, like I didn't grew up going to shows in any of those cities, you know, so like, my first time playing at being in whatever venue is, like is from me playing there not from like, being a person out in the crowd, you know, where it's like playing Seventh Street entry. It's like, I've been out in that crowd a billion times. You know what I mean? So they just feel this like different level of excitement of being on the stage sharing the music and stuff. So, so yeah, we played our like record release show at the entry in Minneapolis. It was like, insane for so fun. So yeah.Cool.

Kevelle Wilson 47:42
I kind of want to get into some more personal questions before we wrap this up. Yeah, go for it, man.

So in 2017 on your Instagram, you kind of talked about eight albums that were important to you that year. You mentioned records like damn by Kendrick Lamar. Yeah, I got my other Fleet Foxes and sleep well, bees by the National and some others.

Can you think of some albums that have impacted you this year?

Waldemar 48:08
Oh, man.Well behind me.I've got my I've got like a little shelf with with records my like rack up and like my guitar sitting in my living room right now.I am a huge Willie Nelson fan. He's like my favorite artist of all time. And I feel like I'm always listening to Willie. just he's my favorite. But I feel like this year especially like I've been listening to Willie voraciously for a long time now. But like this year, maybe more than ever, for some reason. Like I'm just like, I've like felt embarrassed by like how much really I've been listening to it's like, at times it's felt like I get like get to the end of the month. And I'm like, did I onlyleave this month like, it might have been like, honestly, like, I've been like going really deep on Willie's live records. He's got one that came out in the late 70s which was his career is just like taking off like crazy. Just called William wheeling off in the family life andyou man, I've just been like, going so deep on that record. It's like two hours long and I just got he just releasedanother one called another live record just this past year live from Boudicca, and it's a performance that he did in Tokyo in like 1984 andhe released that one is like a record store day exclusive record I just picked that one up from my record storeand been listening to that one like crazy but some not Willie, I could talk about somebody Willie records that I've been getting into but non non Willie this year that I've beenlistening to a lot.I don't actually know. I can't remember if it came out this year if it came out last year, but it's sitting up on the shelf right now.So it's it's kind of top of mind but record called the weather alive by Beth Orton. We check that have you do you hit that one?It's insane. It's like it's it's pretty.I read some writer writing about it and I think she she described it that like every song sounds like a weather forecast a different weather forecast. And I was like, for some reason that really stuck with me and it'sit's it's a pretty dreamy record. I felt like that was a really good description of it, honestly. But yeah, weather live by Beth Orton is one that comes to mind.Think of other records that have been meaningful to me this year?Yeah, Willie.Always really not a bad choice. Yeah, I got to see him live for the first time in May. And oh, no, it was it was just insane. iHe took the stage and I just like didn't stop smiling for like two hours. Basically. He's, like, such a force, likeSo I've never been to boo or Claire. I pronounced that right. Oh, Claire, like, Oh, okay. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's like French. Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Kevelle Wilson 51:26
So I've never been to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and I'm assuming a lot of our listeners haven't as well. Yeah. Because how are the visit? Where are some places? I just stopped by? Oh, man.

Waldemar 51:38
Well,Eau Claire is, it's more of a big town than a small than a small city.And so we like don't have a lot, but and that's part of what I think is great about it to some degree.Some would say that that's the thing that sucks about Auclair is that we don't have a lot. But I kind of think it's a thing that that keeps us a little bit more community focused. We don't have too many attractions, I would say, butit's a beautiful area, I would say like naturally like, like, something that I love about Eau Claire is wherever you are in Eau Claire. If you drive 20 minutes in any direction, you're in farmland, which is cool, but it's still like a city of like 70, some 1000 people and some of the smaller towns that are directly adjacent to Eau Claire, like the whole healthy Eau Claire metro area is probably like 100,000 people or something like that. So it's not like tea tea or anything like that. But, but it's pretty cool. Like, you drive 20 minutes in any direction, wherever you are in Eau Claire, and you're just like, out in really beautiful, rolling, rolling hills.So yeah, if you came to Auclair we'd probably go outside of Eau Claire. Just going to drive would be pretty fun. But the there's a really, my favorite record store that I've ever been to out anywhere, is in Eau Claire. It's called revival records. And I go there probably, probably not every week, but close every week and the shop owner there Billy is the best, and you can talk with him about records. All day. It's like one of those classic record store experiences which are becoming rare as record stores just are just like a little bit more rare is rare to some degree, butreally radbike shop coffee shop that I go to all the time called shift shout out.Butyeah, that one of the best bars of all time is called the joy. It's on Water Street in Eau Claire. That's a pretty there's a lotof people who've never been to Auclair. You've heard of the joint that's kind of a kind of an iconic place to get to know the joy. So my favorite watering hole is there's there's a place like five blocks from my house in the studio called the Amarin. That is the oldest bar in Eau Claire was made in eat team.The four I believe is when it was made and super, super old.And you kind of feel that when you go in there. It's pretty cool. Soyou should come to a clinic. It's a cool place.Cool.

Kevelle Wilson 54:23
So is there anything else you want to talk about? That did not ask?

Waldemar 54:31
I mean, I don't think so. I talked I talked a lot, so you probably got plenty.You've probably got more than you bargained for. Sowe're, what if we came in like North Carolina? I'd like have spent basically zero time in North Carolina.Where should we come play? Where's where's Where's the place to play North Carolina? Oh man, there's so many great music video music venues.Yeah, in the triangle area, what's your favorite?

Kevelle Wilson 55:04
My this cat's cradle, which is in cat's cradle. I've heard of cat's cradle. Okay, sweet. That's great. That's awesome. Is there also so many other options? Yeah. Okay, Kelly.

So do you mind letting the listeners know where they can find out more about Baltimore? Like social media stuff like that?

Waldemar 55:24
100% Yeah, I'm most active on Instagram, although I kind of take hiatuses from being on on social media semi often just, it's just good for my brain, good for my soul to not be on there all the time. But I'm on Instagram, at Where's Wildomar.AndI would love for people to connect via email. I heard what I just said about I try to not be on social media too much. I'm trying to really cultivate like a good space off of social media that we can like stay in touch via email newsletter. So trying to have a thriving community there. But website Wildomar music.com.Has got everything. It's got all the videos. It's got the podcast episodes. It's got the bio, it's got the pictures, it's got all the all the all the other goodies.

Kevelle Wilson 56:22
That at the end of the interview. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to come interview with us. 100% Well, it's really good chatting, man. Thank you all for tuning into this interview. You can check out at our interviews at wknc.org/podcast You can click on off the recordon WKNC 88.1 fm one rally. Thank you for listening and take care

Transcribed by https://otter.ai