INTERVIEW: Skyward Reverie

Photo from band's Facebook

By: Summer Hartley

Tell me your name, your role in the band, and one interesting fact about you.

Tommy; vocalist; “I don't really have anything interesting about me, haha. My first name is interesting, I guess. My real name is.. [*insert extremely loud gust of wind that blocked out his name*]”

Jeffrey; Drums (“I try to play drums, at least.”); “I used to work at Burger King.”

Jacob; Guitar; “I'm actually in the military.”

Where did the band name derive from? Who came up with it and why?

Jeffrey says it was a long, combined process. “We were talking, like texting for a long time about it, maybe a full month. We would randomly throw in names and it would blow up at points in time. We once mutually agreed we wanted 'dream' in it, but then, 'no, that's so cliché, we don't want 'dream' in it!', so we wanted something that meant dream, like a synonym. Then a day later some said 'reverie', and after I learned the definition of it I was down for it.” Then Skyward, according to Tommy, came from a game on Tanner's (the nonpresent member's) phone that he was playing called Skyward. “So basically, video games and dreams. Video game dreams,” says Jacob.

Give me a brief history of how Skyward Reverie formed.

“We've basically been a band since January,” says Jacob. “We had been trying to get the band together for awhile, though. I was previously in a metal band, and I eventually left that group. I already knew Tanner and Tommy through other bands, and I wanted to do something on the softer, more indie side of the spectrum. I knew they would be into it, so I thought, 'why not?'. I hit them up, and actually at first they both said no, but they tagged on eventually.”

“And then a mutual friend between us came up to me and said, 'Hey, my buddy wants you to play in his band',” adds in Jeffrey. “And at first I was weary, because you get so many band offers just being a musician and then they usually don't end up working out. I ended up checking it out, because I wanted to get back in the music scene, so after talking to Jacob for like 30 minutes and setting up a date to jam, I came and jumped right in.”

“ … And it clicked ever since,” says Tommy.

Sum up Skyward Reverie's sound in just 3 words without using a genre.

It took the guys a bit to figure out an answer. Playful, Tasty, and Feel-Good were finally agreed upon, though, 'tasty' being my personal favorite.

Are any of you involved in any other bands?

“No; stay loyal,” says Jeffrey, which sums up all the other guys' answers.

What is a common writing process?

“It's pretty much a collective effort,” says Jacob. “We all put in our own effort.”

“Yea, like Tanner or Jacob will lay down something, then I'll start brainstorming and adding a thing, then Tommy says random words but he doesn't really write anything,” says Jeffrey. “Then we'll be playing a song we haven't written, and once we're done we're just like, 'What did we just do? Well I don't know, let's do it again.', and it's a long process of just feeling it.”

“So basically, we all do our own thing and bring it together,” Tommy ends. “And that's how it works.”

How do you guys pay for everything, like printing CDs or travelling to shows?

“All out of pocket, at this point,” says Jeffrey, which everyone repeats and agrees with.

Why should someone who is not familiar with Skyward Reverie come see you live?

“Because we're fun,” says Jacob.

“I honestly don't know why people should come,” jokes Tommy, but Jacob adds, “I don't know, I feel like we're a fun band with a cool sound and a nice stage presence.”

What are some of the pros and cons of being in the local KY scene?

“A con would be not being in a metal band around here,” says Tommy. “It's tough finding shows around here unless you're in a country cover band or a metal band.”

“On the flip side, though, that's a pro because we could bring something new to the table and start something new,” says Jacob. Jeffrey adds, “There's a ton of people that play music in Lexington or surrounding cities, so if you wanna start a band, it's super easy to find people that feel the same in terms of sound and start playing music together. There's a lot of talent here.”

What is your favorite local venue?

“I like Buster's, but it's no longer a thing,” Tommy says, which Jacob and Jeffrey agree with.

“My favorite place, honestly, was this little house in Grayson, KY, where they used to host shows,” says Jacob. “They don't anymore, but we used to cram 75 people into one small living room and they'd throw punches and tear down the place.”

Anything you wish you had learned about being in a band before actually joining one?

“No, because if I had already known, I would not have invested so much into it and equipment, specifically cheap cymbals,” says Jeffrey.

“I wish I would have known I was never going to play guitar in a band,” says Tommy. “I spent so much money on a guitar and now I don't play one but I can't get myself to get rid of it.”

“Also, I wish I would've learned that if your band goes somewhere, your girlfriend hates you,” says Jeffrey, which all the guys laugh and agree with.

“I wish I would have known the amount of time it takes to compromise and such, cause that's 90% of being in a band is working with each other on a compromise,” says Jacob.

Any bands that you want to collab with, whether it be local or famous?

“Picturesque,” says Jeffrey, referring to another local KY band that has done well in their start. “They sound great, and I love Cole.” The guys also begin naming off other bands such as Local Natives, Young the Giant, and Circa Survive to name a few.

What is coming up for Skyward Reverie? Will you guys be booking more shows, writing, etc?

“Mostly writing,” says Jeffrey and Tommy.

“We're definitely gonna be writing more music, playing more shows, and recording more,” says Jacob. “We're just trying to get our name out there and get material out to back us up.”

If you could have one unorthodox piece of merch to sell, what would it be?

Jeffrey opts for Skyward Reverie bobbleheads, Jacob would sell SR granny panties, and Tommy and Jeffrey co-opted for the creation of SR matches, along with mint toothpicks.

What is each of your guys' spirit animals?

Jeffrey - “I guess because of Tommy's spirit animal, I'm gonna be a mouse.”

Jacob - “[Tommy: I imagine you as an eagle.] An eagle? I'll go with that.”

Tommy - “Dude, all the way, I'm a cat. Like a fucking house cat, that is my spirit animal.”

Then they all create Tanner's spirit animal, as he is not there to make his own, nor can he go against their decision. “Tanner is a fish, but what kind of fish?” says Jeffrey. “Nevermind, he's a duck. He's got a duck shirt, wears those hats, he looks like a duck...”

And to close, give me one pet peeve each.

Jeffrey - “I hate when people don't get hype when I get hype. Like, I'm full of energy and wanna go party, while they wanna sit around and waste time.”

Tommy - “I do hate when I'm trying to bang to some music while I'm in my car driving somewhere, and someone turns that shit down, aka my girlfriend. Anyone really though, like I'll be driving with loud music since driving is boring as it is, and then they'll turn and down and wanna talk, and I'm like, 'No! Talk over the music, I can hear you just fine!'”

Jacob - “For me, a pet peeve is I hate it when you go to a public restroom and there's pee all over the toilet seat when you go to sit.”

Catch them on social media: 

Facebook

Twitter