Exposed Vocals Interviews ‘DayLater’

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?  

Will: I was born and raised in Sonoma, California. I discovered my actual love for music a little later than the other kids when I was 13. My dad bought me my first AC/DC cd (AC/DC Live) and from there, I was carried away by the rhythm.
James: I grew up in Lake County and picked up guitar when I was 16 after being captivated by pop punk bands such as Green Day, Blink 182, NOFX, and Alkaline Trio.

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

Will: My friend and I were cruising down the road when she saw a license plate with the letters and numbers in such an arrangement that resembled ‘daylater’. She said, “hmmm… That sounds like it’d be a good band name.” So I asked if I could use that idea, should I ever start a music project that I was really serious about.

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

Will: Well, yes and no. There are certain sacrifices that need to be made in order to get the proper exposure. However, studio sessions, equipment costs, and time (lots and lots of time) eventually need to be factored in for obvious reasons.
James: I think you have to give some music away for free, if people like it they’ll come back and buy the rest of your music.

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

Will: I’m totally with James on this one. Never rush yourself in the studio. That’s going to be a solid impression of you to both venues and listeners alike. Having a well-defined sound to present to venues and booking agents will convey to them your passion at its best.
James: When recording don’t rush, take your time and think if what you’re recording is something you would listen to if you weren’t in your band.

Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?

Will: Mistakes will always be inevitable during live performances, so it’s best to practice swift recoveries, or, if the mistake is a little too obvious, roll out of it with a little humor. If you take it to heart, the rest of the show won’t feel right and the audience will pick up on that. So just have fun with it.
James: My guitar parts are really simple, so it’s hard for me to make any big mistakes. If I mess up though I just move on to the next part, the audience generally won’t care.

Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about? 

James: We are still in the process of putting a tour together.

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process? 

James: I usually come to Will with a little guitar hook and then we build it from there. I’m not a great guitar player but I’m good at coming up with little melodic hooks that lend themselves to the type of music we play. Will then creates a vocal melody, lyrics, and drum parts and then at the end we have 90% of a completed song before we take it to the studio.
Will: I’ll typically have a line that circles around in my head, or a melody that I find myself humming. When James and I meet up, we’ll both put what we’ve got on the table and build from there.

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

James: We don’t yet have a band website, but we are currently on Facebook and Reverb Nation.

Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?

Will: I don’t know if I have anything that I’d consider ‘embarrassing’. I mean, those songs made it into my music library for a reason. If I thought a song was embarrassing, I probably wouldn’t listen to it.
James: I can’t say I own any songs that I’m really embarrassed about, all my music is really from the pop punk genre.

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?  

Will: Oh man… It’d probably consist of long periods of isolation in the studio. I love creating a new musical aura and being able to capture it in the moment.
James: Probably travel overseas and record music.

Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?

Will: Right now, we have a pretty basic setup, but we’re satisfied with what we’ve brought to life so far. So I don’t think we necessarily have anything in mind, as far as upgrades.

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

Will: In this day and age, social media seems to be the best bet. But nothing feels better than knowing you won a fan over through a solid performance.

Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why? 

Will: I’d have to say AC/DC on drums at the Oracle Arena.

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

Will: Our EP is the main focus at the moment (getting it recognized and all), but we will be back in the studio in late 2016 to work on a full length album

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?  

Will: My second passion in life is cars, so I’d probably pursue a career at a racetrack, or something along those lines.

Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?  
Will: My pops bought me AC/DC Live. I listened to that album nonstop for the longest time. AC/DC is who got me started in music, so that was one of the greatest moments of my life, getting that album.
 
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life? 

Will: I just make sure I’ve got enough money to pay bills, more or less. I’ve had different career opportunities come and go, but it would have most likely compromised my musical career.

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?  

Will: Sold out shows at the Fillmore! Haha, but really, new and exciting music is to come and we hope everyone else is just as excited about our craft as we are.