Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Wyatt.
Zach, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Pepperwood as an idea started when I was rewatching New Girl in 2018 – I always identified with Nick Miller, and when he actually went from underachieving bartender to publishing a successful novel, I thought “maybe I can do that to.” I met a bass player (Tyler) shortly after, and through a series of lineup changes and the Covid lockdown, we cultivated a revolving group of guys we like to create and play music with.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think it’s been overly difficult, but I wouldn’t call it smooth either. We had a revolving door of members for a while, with members moving away, starting families, wanting to work on their careers, etc etc.
Financially, everything is out of pocket for indie bands. It was expensive for our album to be made, designing and producing our own merch, taking off time to tour (we were lucky to break even). It cut into our social lives and even had a heavy toll on one of my relationships as well.
At the end of the day, I’ve made my peace with the journey and the outcome, so I’d like to say I have no regrets.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I would say what sets us apart is our approach to our artistry and our goals for the art we create. We want to be more than just another rock band. We don’t really care about fame or fortune. Our goal is emotional connection and authenticity. Of course we also want to make great music that people want to sing along too, but we want that music to be a conversation. A two way street. We want our fans to feel like they are our friends. How they respond and interpret our music has almost as much weight to me as the music itself. I want to tell the stories of the human condition, the strings that connect us all. Everyone has their own story, and yet we are all so similar, and there’s nothing better than being in a crowded room full of people singing our songs and feeling a little less alone in the world. We want to be about more than just rock and roll. We want to be a band of community and hope.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
It depends on what you mean when you say success. Success is setting your mind to something and then doing that thing. Hard work, determination, consistency.
I could care less about follower counts or content creation. We don’t look successful from the outside on any modern metric, but I’ve heard our songs being sung back to us, I’ve had multiple conversations about how seen and understood others have felt from our music. So in my opinion, I’ve already made it.
Pricing:
- Pricing for what?
- Our music is downloadable for free on our website.
- For merch, we roast our own coffee beans.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://PepperwoodBand.com
- Instagram: @pepperwoodband
