Hi, I’m Bryant, the lead singer of El West and we’re super excited to be interviewing with Indie Band Guru! We’d love for you to check out our newest single, “Thin Air” from our self-titled EP available on December 15th.
Where did you get the name?
I was inspired by a a small neighborhood in Barcelona called El Born and wanted the new music project to have that name. I quickly realized that there was already a band in Europe with the same name so I decided to mix the “El” with an ode to the region of the US the band originated from.
How did the band form?
Thomas, the lead guitarist, was a regular at my work and we had talked on and off about music. One particular day, I was ready to start El West, and saw Thomas and his sweetheart Theresa, who mentioned that Thomas had been hoping to get back into playing music. We decided meet up and found a lot of common goals and a really interesting sound. Thomas knew Marty, the drummer, from another project and Ricky, the bassist, is my twin brother. It all worked out pretty well.
How would you describe your sound?
It’s a tough question because we feel like it’s unique. It’s a blend of operatic vocals, soaring guitars, “in the pocket” booming bass, and drums that are in controlled chaos. You really just have to hear it.
Who are your influences?
We’re all kind of all over the place. I am influenced by powerful vocalists like Freddie Mercury and Matt Bellamy, Marty loves Radiohead, Frightened Rabbit and Polyenso. Thomas usually can’t seem to make up his mind but previously was more into harder stuff. Ricky’s a new wave guy. We’re all into different things and think that it’s pretty key to our sound.
What is your songwriting process?
The writing process usually starts on Monday mornings when Thomas and I have writing sessions. Thomas has a small studio in his house so it allows us to get some rough tracks down to work on. We have full band practice Monday nights and take the material we worked on that day and expand on it. We all work really well together in the writing process and it just feels very easy and organic. When we’re ready to record, it’s always so much fun going into the studio. Our producer, Cory Spotts, is amazing to work with and is totally in line with our vision for our music. He’s really become family to us.
What’s next?
We’re releasing our self-titled EP on December 15th (out now here), featuring our song Thin Air. We’re also in the process of recording our next EP, which is due to be out next year. We’re also focusing on creating a tour for next year, recording another music video and adding tons of behind the scenes YouTube content. We’ll hoping to try to squeeze in some sleep somewhere.
What advice would you give to other bands on the rise?
Every aspect of the process needs attention and nothing “just happens.” Always think differently. It’s difficult to stand out from the crowd if you’re doing what everyone else is doing. But also don’t forget to enjoy yourself and stay amazingly positive.
Keep up with El West at their links below!
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/elwestmusic
Website: http://www.elwestmusic.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elwestmusic/
