Unless you have been living under a social media-free bunker for the last few weeks, you have heard of the Seattle-based band, Vespera. Led by music industry veteran, Jonathan Wolfe, Vespera is out with a new video for their single, “Bloom” and are poised to take the scene by storm. We had the chance to talk with Wolfe about his past with other bands, the path to Vespera, and the band’s future in an industry that, he feels, is on the verge of a revolution. We can’t wait to see what is in store for Vespera!
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me. First of all, let’s talk about your band’s name, Vespera. It’s such a beautiful word and means, “evening prayer” in Latin. How did you decide, “This. This is the name.”?
VesperaIn all reality, we had a list of over 500 names. We had the album done, the music video done, all of this shit was done. People were like, “What’s the name of the band?” We were like, “We don’t know!” (laughs) They asked us if we were serious. Literally, it was the last thing on our mind.
We finished the record on November 21, flew in to Seattle, had the band fly in the day after, and we had so many band names, combinations of words and syllables and things. We were just losing our minds. In all reality, the week after – after four months of recording and two weeks of filming – I was sitting at home, and the word “vespera” came up. And it’s a cool word to me. We wanted to make our own thing.
There are so many band names that I feel are just generic band names that people pop out of name generators. I wanted to avoid anything like that. So, we were like, “Let’s kind of make up our own word.” And, we grabbed “vesper” and Jon (Schwartz), our drummer, put an “a” at the end of it. So, we had that and decided we wanted to give it our own meaning. We wanted it to mean, “Be the change you want to see,” because that’s kind of our own mission statement.
We’re trying to do something completely different that hasn’t been done before. Especially with the whole rock music model that has been going on for, what, sixty-plus years? It’s a dinosaur. We’re trying to do things a little differently this time around. That’s how we came up with the name. We had the joke of, we’re all evening people, so maybe it works. (laughs)
That’s cool that you gave it your own definition, even though it does come defined with a Latin root. You guys kind of spun it, and it’s totally your thing, it’s you guys.
That’s true; we want to do our own thing. We’re making our own music, so we can make up our own word. It’s a step in the right direction, I guess, since we’re trying to do something different.
I know Vespera is a relatively new project for you, but you’ve been a touring member of others bands prior to now, including Falling in Reverse. What led you to decide to form this band and sort of break out of the whole “Guy who has been in other bands” role?
I have been in this business for a while. I was signed to my first band at 16, toured and was on the road. I was doing it for a while. And I was always doing collaborative things. I was actually a guitar player for a little while. I got shoved into singing for a bit. And when I moved to California, I ended up starting my own band after the company I was with went under.
However, I started doing it but was unfulfilled. I’m the kind of guy who you can call literally four days before the tour, and I can learn all the music, and that’s how I started with the fill-in thing. I started filling in for different bands. At the end of the day, I didn’t really fit in with what other bands were trying to do. It wasn’t my thing.
So, I moved to Seattle to get my head straight. I then decided I wanted to do my own thing; I didn’t want to ride the coattails of anyone else.
Like I said, I never felt fulfilled; it was just a paycheck or a favor. I loved helping people out. But, at the end of the day, I have always wanted to do my own thing. I am a leader more than a follower. This whole break, I decided to go 110%, ya know? I wanted to do something I was proud of and could support 110%.
The new single, “Bloom” is such a lyrically beautiful song. The video is pretty interesting as well in terms of visual effects. It’s pretty stark, just focusing on people instead of flashy backgrounds or other distractions. Tell me about the concept of that in terms of the narrative of the song.
Sure! So, I ended up writing the treatment to the video as well. I said, “Screw it. I am just going to go full creative on everything.” The whole basis of the song is about having moments in our past we are not proud of; we all have those. Terrible things have happened to all of us. “Bloom” is pretty much a reflection of that.
We all have things that we hold onto that kind of hold us down. We can be ashamed to talk about them; they hold us back and we don’t receive closure on them. And this video is about moving forward together. I was inspired because I had just gone through hell in my life. I had some bad years in a row, and it was a big point of reflection and recovery for me. And, I ended up meeting up Jordan, who is now my girlfriend. And, I am the happiest person on the planet right now.
I’m telling you, girl, I am just so stoked on life. I am as optimistic as they come. There is not one thing that can hold me down. I am happy to be alive and happy to be working. And, she had gotten out of her own thing as well in the modeling industry, as it, like the music industry, can be very cunning and very volatile. It inspired me to say, “Man I want to get rid of her stuff like I got rid of mine.”
I wanted a simple concept and very clear. I wanted it to be clear of the message with the dualities of our past and the mirror as a reflection of that past; breaking the mirror was the door out of the past and moving forward. It’s all very clear.
I love that. I watched the video and was pleased at how little distraction there was. I am glad you showcased the band because I like to watch videos that include the band so I can see who I am listening to. I want to see the band. So, for that, I was stoked. It was a well-done, simply beautiful video that took us from like, “Here is our garbage, and here is our future. Let’s walk through this together and leave that all back there.” And I was really struck by it.
Thank you. Seriously, it means a lot because this was the first time I had done my own creative treatment for a video. I mean, I had put them together before, but not like this. It means a lot to me. I am more stoked on the compliments on the video than I am the song because it means more. It was fun! I am so glad I got it done. And now we know what to expect and what to do and what not to do. It means a lot.
Well, if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t tell you that I did. That’s for sure. I don’t know how to be fake with people, not even on the phone. Speaking of narrative, I know you have a background in poetry writing. As a writer myself, I know how sometimes one idea from one piece can leak into another in terms of tone and meaning; how does your poetry writing play into the songs that you create? Is there a crossing over sometimes, or do they both play on their own sides of the sandbox, as it were?
So, I started getting back into writing like poetry and literature. I read a ton of things across the board, from Gabriel Garcia Marquez to Kafka. But, the WolfeSpeak thing I put together was really therapeutic for me because I was going through so much shit and didn’t have any creative outlet. I wasn’t sure what to do.
It helped me shake off the writer’s block I had for three years. I had no way to shake it off. I was blocked for three years. The poetry helped me shake it off. I realized I was writing some really heartfelt shit, so I should just put it to music. And I did an honest, heartfelt thing. People will say, “Oh this song sound really personal.” And I am like, “EVERY song is really personal.” (laughs) It’s art and comes from the heart.
Yeah, I like that. As a writer, I know sometimes I will sit down and write something, and I will be like, “Oh this is total shit.” And then I’ll put it away for four days. I get it back out and look at it and go, “Oh, maybe it wasn’t totally shit…” Ya know? I am sure you do the same.
(laughs) Oh yeah. I’ll write something and go, “Uh, can I just come back to this?” Months later, I wonder why I hated it so much because it was actually decent. It just means we are really critical of our work and are always aiming to be the best. And when I stopped concerning myself with what was “good” versus what was “bad,” I realized it was all relative. I mean, yeah, if your grammar is fucked up, that’s one thing. But I see all these poets getting huge on Instagram as a platform.
And, English isn’t my first language, but I try my best. I learned in school, but I know there are things I missed out on. At the end of the day, I was like, “Forget if it is good or bad. If it is honest, then you have done your job.” And that truth is what shook me out of my own garbage. I aim to be as honest as possible. That’s what made writing for this band and for my poetry a lot easier.
On the topic of writing, what is your process like? Do you write as a collaborative group with the band, or are the duties mainly yours to maintain?
For this record, I put it all together myself. I have been a songwriter for a long time, so it was something I had done for a while. I wrote this record. My drummer was involved early on. But it’s so easy to second-guess yourself day in and day out, so he held me accountable. For the second record, I want to have it as collaboration. I want to write in a room together and get it done that way. I want to combine influences and start on it; we are working on it already. I kind of have gone crazy in all this.
The new album, The Thoughts that Plague You, is going to be pretty high on my personal must-have list for this fall when it releases. What do you hope to achieve with this album? What’s the message you hope listeners come away with?
Jonathan WolfeI want everyone to understand that it is okay to feel what you feel and that you are not alone in this. The record is titled the way it is because that is literally what this record is about. I get very personal with things that I know people don’t want to talk about. I am going to release things that are more taboo; I am about to dive in deep.
I think music can be very sterile right now, and I don’t like where we are at with music. I feel we are at an interesting point where we are about to have a revolution with it. Mind you, I do find some amazing artists every day. The artists who receive all of this admiration and praise are honestly not that interesting to me, so it throws me off. At the end of the day, we want the record to feel different.
We want it to be dynamic and aggressive. And, I think we fell short, so I am working on that harder on the second album. It was a point of self-discovery. At the end of the day, I want people to know that they’re okay in how they feel. That said, it is okay to be stressed out about things, but you shouldn’t be ashamed about it.
That makes me excited because I am usually the girl who says the shit out loud that others do not want to. It sounds like this album will be the melody behind my internal dialog, maybe.
Yep, maybe. I want to reach out to people in a way that they haven’t been reached out to before or in a while. I wanted to be honest, and whatever happens, happens. I was actually going to college to be a therapist, and then right at the end before I dropped out, I realized I still wanted a job where I could help others heal. I had been through shit and had made it through, so I wanted to do the same for others.
So, I have always wanted to work in the medium of healing. I have found that creating music has been a healing tool for me and know it can help others heal as well. The whole thing is an album that people can listen to when they are bummed out and can feel better afterwards. Particularly, it’s an album that will touch those who are having a bad day and need someone to talk to about it.
I love that because music has saved my life on many occasions, so to hear that it is your intention and goal is pretty honest. So many artists are like, “Oh, if it happens that’s great, but we didn’t intend for it to be that way.” And you’re like, “No. Fucking no. That’s what I want.”
Yep! Some people don’t want to accept the responsibility of being a role model. And I am like, know what? Fuck it. In all honesty, if that’s where I am headed, so be it. I have looked up to musicians and listened to their songs when I am having a moment. And it’s made all the difference.
So, speaking of that, who are your influences when it comes to music?
Oh, that’s a small list. All of my heroes are dead! I look at people like Prince and David Bowie because they revolutionized music. I am a big Sinatra fan, though you may never know from the music I write. My influences aren’t on the music side so much as the social and psychological side. I am talking Prince, Michael Jackson, Bowie, Sinatra… the things that they have done for society are just wonderful.
Even Kurt Cobain! If it wasn’t for Nirvana, I don’t think that the scene would be as big as it is now. I think they helped out the scene that turned into Warped Tour and AP. And all of these things came together. By the same token, I hope that I can have a positive impact in the industry like they did.
You say, “And all of my heroes are dead,” and you listed them. And my first thought was, “And none of them should be” because they all passed way too early.
Yeah, Sinatra had a full life. However, the rest of them died too early and it sucked. Those are the people I want to sit in a room with and talk with. For instance, I would love to sit in a room with John Lennon and ask him to tell me everything. I used to go to the Nirvana exhibit in the MoPop museum and sit for probably collectively 50 hours and just gather inspiration. I am all about that.
Leading up to the release, I am sure you have some things planned to gain traction for the new album, so what are some of the things we can expect to come from you guys in the coming months?
Right now, I am telling a story from our first post on Facebook to now and then to the album. And with different songs, we showcase different parts of life. We will be releasing a lot more videos. I have a lot I want to say and a lot I want to do. Likewise, I want to partner with nonprofits. Music is selfless to me, so I want to give back to the world. I don’t want it to fall apart; I want to do this forever. So, I am just going to keep going. Anything that I can do to move forward, I want to do it.
Not only are you enthusiastic, you are also methodical. You know what you want to do and what you don’t, and you have a plan, which is admirable. It sounds like you have learned from others in this way.
Yeah, I have lived vicariously through the other bands I have worked with. I know what I want and what I don’t want in my life and my career. This time, I have the most respectful and hardest working guys in my band, and I am beyond fortunate. I want to carry it forward.
Well, I can’t wait.
Girl, me neither. I talk about it and get chills. I get so excited, and I want to do so much of it now.
I can feel the energy coming through over the phone, and it’s making me stoked for what is to come. Like, I am super pumped for what is to come, and I am not even a part of it!
VesperaNo, you’re wrong. We are all a part of it, and that’s what I want everyone to understand. This is a group effort. I want everyone to be a part of it. I am not going with a label. I am not trying to get a manager. I am going to do it myself.
I have been doing this long enough, and I am confident in my abilities. It is going to take a lot of energy, but I have been sitting dormant for two years. I have all this energy pent up and am ready to use it. Even if you’re not in the band, anything you can do is a part of it. We need the fans and the people.
The business can get really fake really fast, so I am trying to be as real as possible. I want to be as open and honest as I can.
I am definitely on your team, as much as I can be on my end. I think the world is going to learn a lot from you with the new album and albums to come.
Ya know, I fucking hope so. I feel like society is at a point where it needs a good talking-to.
Uhm, I would agree with you on that one about a thousand percent. I think these times either call people to stand up and resist and spread their message, or they go and sit in a corner and pray it ends as gently as possible.
I’ve gotten into trouble for standing up for what I believe in, and I am still here. So, I’m going to keep doing that.
I feel you. I have never been one to roll over and die, that’s for sure.
(laughs) You have to stand up for what’s right and not let things happen to you.
Anything else you want to tell the readers out there?
First, I really hope that people stand behind this and understand it is a genuine expression. I don’t have an ego – it died a long time ago. I truly am in love with music, and I want that to come through. I am giving my everything back to music because it has given everything to me.
The industry is clouded with a lot of bullshit, and I want to be genuine. I am tired of it. I know what I want the music to be, and I hope that fans can get behind it as well. I will always strive to push the envelope; we know what we want to do. And, we are going to execute it.
That said, we want everyone to stand by us. We’d like everyone to dig it and be about it. I am excited. I have a ten year plan, girl. Consequently, people think I’m crazy, but it’s fine.
Well, you sound like you’ve been doing the crazy this long, and it works.
Oh, for sure. I embrace it and welcome what comes.
