Companyon
Following up the single “Oscar”, Companyon released their new single “Stay Low” on November 15th.
Produced by Bryan Wehrkamp and written by Wehrkamp, Jim Joels Jr and Grant Livesay, “Stay Low” is about keeping your head down in the midst of the crossfire; more specifically for my wife and I, it is to guard our marriage -- accepting how we are programmed and not fighting it; rather, consistently choosing to protect what we have despite what we see all around us, says Wehrkamp.
With a lot more music to be released in 2020, Companyon is ending the year with a poignant music video (directed by Luke Smith) reflecting on today’s society.
“Stay Low” is now available worldwide.
Photo credit: Luke Smith
Introduce yourself - where are you from?
My name is Bryan Wehrkamp. I am currently living in Winston-Salem, NC and am originally from Sioux Falls, SD.
What's your story?
I am 32, a musician of 11 years (pursuing full time whilst balancing a full time job).
When did you start feeling connected to art and music?
At a very young age I sought music. My mom and grandma say that when I was tall enough to reach the keys on her piano, I would insist on going into the living room just to touch it. Haha. I was in the percussion and drumline section through middle and high school, still played piano, and taught myself guitar in college. I didn’t really start singing until freshman year of undergrad school -- and it definitely wasn’t for the right reasons (I wanted to impress girls).
When did you start writing songs? What made you want to write in the first place?
During study breaks at a campus church, I have no idea why or what part of me decided to start doing this, but I would go into the pitch black sanctuary and turn on the lamp over the piano and just start playing. It was here that I wrote my very first song, and I believe it is where I really opened doors to the possibility of being a musician in addition to pursuing medical school.
Do you remember a specific moment where music made a huge difference in your life?
Oh yes. There was a definitive moment, and a tragic one at that. As I mentioned, I began writing songs at the piano during study breaks; and it was here that I crafted a song for my youngest sister who was 15 at the time. She was struggling with depression and one of our common interests was music. We’d hop in my pickup truck when I came home from college and take turns showing each other new music we had found. So I wrote here a song as she was really having a tough go and was actually doing inpatient treatment September 2008. She ended up going on a hunting trip with my dad on November 1st 2008, and never came home. This shattered my world for quite some time; and when I picked up the pieces long enough to decipher how to move forward, I was in Genetics 404 staring at the chalkboard and hearing nothing the professor was saying. At that moment I remember so clearly knowing that medicine was not the path for me. That music WAS a form of medicine, and to that point I had no clear direction or answers quite like this one. So I finished my degree in Psychology and Chemistry and have been pursuing music ever since. In so many ways music has saved my life. And it all started with my first live performance being my sister’s funeral.
How did your sound and artistry evolve since your very first release?
Given where I started, it was definitely a lot of sad songs to launch my musical career. Since then, I’ve gone through so many different evolutions. I have lost confidence in my voice. Buried it in sounds and distracting ear candy moments. Regained confidence and stripped it all back. Done that stadium rock sound. Was given a Juno 106 and went entirely too 80’s for a second. And the latest evolution has been to really make space for a more intimate connection to the vocals I write; building the sounds around it carefully as it is the primary mode of communication for nearly every song I craft.
As an artist, what lessons did you learn since your first release?
I have learned that comparison is a b*tch. That chasing the industry will always leave you one step behind. When I first started with my band Avian Sunrise, we didn’t have a clue what we were doing, how to run a business, or where it was going -- we just did it. And a lot of our initial moves were far less calculated, with ironically a much higher success rate than the years that followed where we were so much more business and brand oriented. I think part of it was the state of the industry, but another was that we have confidence and faith, and didn’t really care too much about what anyone thought. Our shows were centered around some pretty depressing and hard material and people packed the rooms for our first several years. It is that sort of reckless unfettered confidence that I’m trying to find again with Companyon.
"Stay Low" is your latest single. What's the story behind this song?
I am so excited to release this track! It has been almost a year in the making and I couldn’t be more proud and happy with how it turned out. The song itself is about the desensitization and consequent heightened sexualization of our culture. It’s so hard with social media and the chaos/stress of this life to not be envious or lustful with everything we see. Without going into great detail it’s trying to fend off these things that aren’t necessarily “attacking” us per say, but definitely surround us day to day -- a beautiful customer, a sexy scene in a Netflix show, a friend of a friend who’s partying in Fuji while you are sitting at your boring day job, a commercial leaving you longing for a new car because you drive a POS -- it’s everywhere all the time. “Stay Low” is about keeping your head down in the midst of the crossfire; more specifically for my wife and I, it is to guard our marriage -- accepting how we are programmed and not fighting it; rather, consistently choosing to protect what we have despite what we see all around us.
Could you describe us the songwriting/production for this particular song?
The songwriting actually came out of a short little chorus hook I had written several years ago and forgot about. I opened an old session and found that little bit of a chorus and just saw it in a completely new light. It was almost as if the song had been waiting for this exact moment to appropriately fit into context with my life. This happens a lot with music I make. I will create a partial component of a song and it will sit for months or even years, only to become relevant in my life later. I wrote all of the lyrics from the piano and created synth textures around that (which eventually replaced the piano entirely). The bass line was next which gave it a much more upbeat and driving feel. My drummer Jim Joels, Jr. really helped shape the beat of the song to fit the groove of the bass line I had written, and guitars followed last.
Who helped you created this single?
As mentioned, Jim helped me with putting this song to a driving beat and I really enjoyed that feel -- there is a sense of urgency in the lyrics and this was achieved with the music through the groove we put together.
What do you want people to feel when listening to this song?
This is a tough question -- I hope there’s interpretation and meaning that each person finds in it that is unique to them. Even with my description of what the song is about, I think there are still many ways to interpret. My grandma thought “Stay Low” meant continuing to live life with a servant mindset (Christ-Like), which as you know isn’t at all what I wrote it about but she called me and was tearing up because she thought it was so beautiful.
What made you want to release "Stay Low" as a single?
I don’t think there’s a specific reason to release it as a single other than that was just the marketing plan we set out with -- as a single more people will give it a chance than if it were track number 6 or 7 on a full album.
What does songwriting make you feel?
Songwriting is super spiritual for me. It always has been. Whenever I finish writing a song I cannot help but thank God because it really never feels like it was entirely me. When I finished building out my studio, or put up floating shelves in our house, I never think “Man that wasn’t even me, there’s no way I could do this without God.” But with music, it’s just how it all comes together...I often have tears that well up in my eyes when I find a melody or create a hook. It doesn’t even have to be a spiritual song...I just think this is something existential that I’ll always feel close to my Maker. If I am to believe we were created in the image of God, I cannot think of anything closer to that image being actualized than creating something.
As an artist, what are the biggest challenges?
The biggest challenges I’ve found are the marketing aspect and getting music heard. I was so thankful and excited to hear back from you about doing this interview; for every 100 people I reach out to with a new release, I might hear back from 1 person -- That can be very disheartening when considering the amount of work and money put into the song or product up to that point. I’ve just realized it takes money in this industry just like any other...so not only do we have to be creative on the music side, but inventive on the marketing as well so the music doesn’t just blend in with the sea of other releases on any given day.
What do you like the most about creating art?
For me it is all about the potential connections. I’ve linked up with and had meaningful, life-changing conversations with so many strangers over the years that would have never happened had I not followed my heart with this path. As I mentioned above, creating is a highly spiritual thing for me and when I begin making a song, the worries go away, the stress peels off, and time becomes (for the most part) irrelevant. It’s a very transcending experience.
If you had to change one thing in the music industry, what would it be?
Tough question for sure. I have no answers and will start by saying I think the chances for success in this industry are very high compared to decades prior. I guess accessibility and a greater open door policy for distributors/streaming services/labels/PR firms etc. would be a good place to start. It has always been about who you know with this industry, and I think the hardest challenge is finding a way to get your music into the individual’s hands that can actually put your music in front of a bigger audience. Additionally, there are so many gifted musicians, and it’s a shame that really any artistic pursuit has such little financial return until you’ve linked up with the right people that can elevate you to that place. As I said, I have no solutions; Spotify has opened its doors for submissions but I know of only one band that has ever had a single song put on a playlist so even they are highly selective. They consistently feature bigger bands and artists that are affiliated with a label or management; allowing them to have short videos with each song and telling me that it’s still a feature that is in “Beta Testing.” This sea of music continues to expand every day; Dory said, “Just keep swimming” and I thought it to be pretty solid advice.
What are your thoughts on today's social media?
It’s fast. So trying to find the most cost effective way to put things out while maintaining a brand is the hardest part of that equation. I used to spend $1-2k on music videos and $5k on EP recordings but that was because shelf life was longer than it is now. Putting thousands into a music video that might be relevant for a few days or a week tops is no longer a financially viable option; so finding ways to do more for less is key (without sacrificing worth -- because videographers/producers/graphic designers/etc are artists that should be paid what they are worth!).
What message would you give to anyone who'd like to pursue their dreams?
F*cking do it. So many more people don’t know what their dreams are, or what they should do with their life than the rare few that are fortunate to have a passion for something. Even if it is hard, and it will undoubtedly be, to pursue it and fail repeatedly is far better than to run from it due to practicality or job security. Yes it’s stressful, but the wonderment, joy, and impact you can have by choosing to follow your heart is far greater than any of the hardships you’ll face.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
Love, Patience, Kindness. More wisdom seeking. Less Religious institutions. More open spiritual dialogue. Less talking, more thinking.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
Life is quick and it is fragile. Hold on, but not too tightly.
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