Talented artist Will Wolfe is making a name for himself out of Oakland, California. Writing, playing, recording and producing everything himself, Will had an incredibly productive 2019. Releasing singles every few weeks throughout the year to gain traction for his LP “Back Seat Drive”, Will Wolfe is as ambitious and independent as they come. A singer/songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and kid at heart, he has swiftly amassed a large fanbase and following.
Fast forward to 2020 and amidst a global pandemic, racial uproar and a changing musical landscape he just dropped his second LP; entitled ‘Something for Everyone’ the album is a kaleidoscope of Odd, crass, light, aromatic feels – the combination in the soup of the Universe, shines like no other in single ‘Find Out For Yourself.
Will on Single ‘Find Out For Yourself’
I was at quite the crossroads in my life and this chorus just came to me. The line “find out for yourself, what it takes to keep you alive” speaks to staying present, and finding out what gets you out of bed in the morning. You could say I wrote this song just to set in stone some good advice for myself. I’m basically saying “go for it!” “Chase your dreams!” And that I can catch up with myself later, but for now I should just stick to doing what I love. Which is this, Music.
Tell Us About your journey into music; was being front and center always the plan?
My journey into music began when I was pretty young. I picked up the guitar when I was only 8 years old and began fooling around with super basic stuff. I would say I was pretty phasey with it for many years, and only started seriously playing when I was 14. From then all I was doing was playing guitar, and as I got better I became more serious about it, putting in hours a day. For so long I was just learning songs I really liked, but that quickly turned into me diving into the arrangements, and learning my own vocabulary and phrases on the guitar. From there I became very into the blues, and began studying guitar players like Steevie Ray Vaughn, and my biggest inspiration, John Mayer. I am really happy I managed to create this blues background for myself, and I see it come out in many of my songs. Eventually, I began writing my own stuff on the guitar, and without anyone else around to sing over it, I spent a lot of time finding my voice, and writing my own lyrics. Personally I don’t think of myself as “front and center”, at least yet. I see myself just merging onto the freeway of my career, as things are just sort of starting to move now. I definitely know where I want to be, and it is mind bending to think about what the journey looks like and how many albums I will make by then and all of that, but I challenge myself to live in the moment and just keep making the music I want to make right now.
Your New LP just dropped; Something for Everyone? Take us through the journey a listener can expect.
Something For Everyone is quite literally something for everyone. Because of how diverse the album is, I think everyone can find something they like. For me, this album feels like my first real project where I have really put myself out there. I have come a very long way as a music producer in the last year, and I think the production value of this album is what I am most proud of considering it came to life in my college dorm room, and bedroom at home. This is another reason why it’s a very important project to me, because it was made over the course of a pretty crazy year for me, and when I listen to certain songs it really takes me back to what I was going through at the time.
How has where you’ve grown up influenced your sound?
Growing up in California definitely has had its influence on my sound. Take a listen to track 2, “California Sun” and you’ll hear what I am talking about.
Who is your musical inspiration and someone’s career you’d like to emulate?
Early on, Mac Demarco’s career was one I was really trying to follow. The fact that he was producing all of his music from his house, and doing everything on his own in that indie genre really inspired me to be able to put music out there. Since then, as my music has matured, I would love to follow in Jacob Colliers footsteps just because of his pure genius in every sense of music. The way he is respected for his raw talent, and insanely deep knowledge of theory, production is something that few musicians have. He can play literally anything at a masterclass ability, and I definitely would like to emulate his ability to be the jack of all trades.
Being involved in all facets of creating music, how important to fellow artists coming up is knowing the tools behind creating, producing and performing music.
Knowing how to produce your own music is vital to me, and I think if new artists are too reliant on producers, they really lose the message they want to send. I think the way you present sounds in a mix is just as important as the lyrics you write, and as an artist you don’t want anyone telling you what to write, so why let other people control your sound as well? To new artists- learn how to make music, by literally learning how to make music. It will save you lots of time and money, and allow you to be creative on your own schedule.
Plans for any virtual tours?
I do not have any plans for a virtual tour, but I am definitely getting some “live” stuff up on the internet.
Where can fans find you across social?
You can find me on IG @willwolfe and on Facebook @ willwolfemusic
Will Wolfe for my Spotify and YouTube as well!
- THE BRAZILIAN COURT - December 10, 2021
- WILL WOLFE – SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE - August 27, 2020
- EVENING COLLECTIVE – Redefining the Bridesmaid Experience - November 25, 2019