Interviews
Not My Weekend is not your average alt band. With their catchy hooks and fun to listen to lyrics, you’ll be singing their songs for days. The band is comprised of Patrick Gilchrist, (vocals and guitar), Nick Hudson, (guitar), Noah Hammontree, (drums) and Ed Ma (bass guitar). We spoke to Patrick about all things band related and TikTok (which he explained to us how to use it). It was a pleasure talking with him and we hope y’all enjoy this interview!
WCBG: Please introduce yourself and tell us a fun fact about you! PG: Hi, I’m Patrick Gilchrist and I sing for Not My Weekend and I have an extra rib. WCBG: How did you guys became a band? PG: At this point everyone has changed in the band but me. Nick joined in his junior year of high school and has been there ever since, My freshman year of college I met Noah, he was in his senior year of high school and he was really interested in pop-punk so he joined the band on bass and then he learned how to play drums. I met Ed at a Real Friends show 2 years ago, he was a guitar tech for a band called Have Mercy. He played a short tour with us and has been in the band ever since. So, the band is made up of a high school friend, a college friend and a music friend. WCBG: What musicians influence you to become a better musician? PG: Myself specifically, Bowling for Soup got me into music. Musically I’m also influenced by All Time Low and the Jonas Brothers. WCBG: What is your writing process like? PG: It changes every time, there is no right answer. Most often I come up with a vocal melody and lyrics at the same time with chords that compliment well on an acoustic guitar. I build a good idea of the rest of the song on my computer and then show it to the other band members. If we all think we like it then we work on it further. WCBG: How did you pick your instrument specifically? PG: As I said earlier, Bowling for Soup is my biggest inspiration and I saw them in concert when 11. 2 months later I held my own garage sale and saved up enough money to get a starter kit from Sam’s Club for a guitar. WCBG: Do you have a favorite guitar? PG: It’s a Gibson SG, I’ve used it on every record—it’s my dream guitar and I love it to death. I was obsessed with it for a long time. It was used on Fall Out Boy’s first album as well as All Time Low’s first album. The guitar was discontinued in 1998 and I got it for my 18th birthday from my mom. WCBG: What is your favorite part of a song written that you’ve written? PG: The riff on “When You’re Around”, it grabs the listener’s attention. I was trying to sound like Tiny Moving Parts, and I ended up basing the entire tune around it. II like to think I write lyrics different than most people. They’re weird and cringy and I kinda want you to turn your heard. My favorite lyric would have to be: “You’d be number one in Myspace top eight I wanna see a red heart next to your Snapchat name Wanna write lyrics about you that hipsters think are lame” WCBG: What was the story behind your EP, “Yellow”? PG: We were on tour in 2017 playing songs and trying to figure out who we were. We met with Producer Neil Engle who did the drums for Dance Gavin Dance. We were obsessed with his mixes on the records. He helped me reign in my songwriting, I was getting too creative for my own good and he helped us hone in one what we were doing. I don’t want to be a band with an album that has the same sounding song 10 times in a row, so we picked the weirdest stuff. “When You’re Not Around,” drove the whole EP. “Yellow” is electronic and bizarre, “Fires” is a pop punk friendship vibe. “Love” I didn’t want to put out and Neil convinced me that it is because you so desperately don’t want to put it out it is that good. We ended up sitting on it for a year and I emailed it to people for a year. We Are Triumphant said they wanted to put it out, so I have to thank Greg Long for taking the time, I greatly appreciate it. We toured on it for another year. What [We Are Triumphant} does with Spotify and YouTube is beyond me so I give them a lot of credit. WCBG: If you could change one thing about the music industry what would it be and why? PG: I think that I would be to make venues more accessible. There is an organization in Portland we’ve worked with a lot called Half Access. Music venues are some of the worst places on the planet for accessibility and people with disabilities. There have been multiple times in our short tour history where my friends and I have carried people upstairs and wheelchairs and have tried to find areas of the room where they can successfully hear the band much less see them. That really bums me out and people don’t talk about this much. They’re really the only organization focusing on this. They work with about 60 music venues on the whole country where they work to improve use for wheelchair users and people that require other assistance and give them the ability to see their shows well. There are 1000's of venues in the country and we should make venues more accessible. Check out Half Access and all they great work they do here! WCBG: What is the weirdest or funniest question you’ve been asked in an interview? PG: Someone asked me what my porn star name would be. In 2010, Brian Stars asked every band he interviewed that. I think it was your first pet and the street you grew up on so mine was Alex Piney. WCBG: What is your favorite state that you’ve been to? PG: Our favorite place to play shows is Denver, CO. We love it to death, they’re the best! I was born in Houston and we’ve played some great shows there. I would have to say my favorite state would have to be California; I hope to move out to LA before I’m 26. New York is great too; I want to stay in an Airbnb and experience the city. WCBG: What’s the scene like in Colorado? PG: Everyone is so hyper supportive! Friends are made and had in the music scene here. I’ve never really seen something like that everywhere else. Normally kids bring friends from school to shows but here your friends are at the shows. They also go so hard at these shows. WCBG: What are you currently listening to? PG: It changes all the time. I’m currently on a big Allstar Weekend kick. I’m always listening to the Jonas Brothers. I’ve also had some Big Time Rush in my life recently. Also, Maggie Schneider, she’s amazing. We tentatively have a full US tour planned from June 4th to June 25th. It’ll be 19 days with four different opening acts. Maggie Schneider is one of them as well as Last Night Saved My Life. My favorite part of touring is the shows that half hour a day makes it worth it. It’s the best part of my year. When I talk about 2019, I talk about the Happy tour. It is a lot of long drives and you’re not home and it is one of the most exhausting things you can do but the adrenaline hits every night. WCBG: Do you have any preshow rituals? PG: The four of us collectively get anxious about set up. We’ve never had a good set up and a bad show. If something goes wrong in set up we can have a good show but we have only had a bad show when something went wrong during set up. WCBG: You’re going on road trip, what songs must be in your playlist? PG: “Life is a Highway” Rascal Flatts “Rockstar” by Nickleback “One Week” by The Barenaked Ladies “Smoko” by The Chats WCBG: We have some spitfire questions, so whatever comes to mind first! Favorite Color? PG: Red WCBG: Favorite book? PG: Percy Jackson WCBG: Favorite Movie? PG: Avengers Endgame WCBG: Favorite TV Show? PG: Digimon Season 3 WCBG: What are your goals for 2020? PG: To sign with new booking which we’ve done. To release an LP and 2 to 3 singles, tour in the summer and fall, and to hopefully secure an opening spot. Our goal is 100 days of tour before the year’s over. Follow Not My Weekend on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter Get their Merch here! Check out Pat on TikTok
0 Comments
|
Archives
June 2021
Categories
All
|
Follow WCBG:
|
Copyright 2021 WCBG. All Rights Reserved.
WCBG is a service of Wagner College. Site powered by Weebly. Managed by Radio.co |