Meet The Koneyo Project of Murfreesboro/Nashvilee/MTSU

Today we’d like to introduce you to The Koneyo Project.

Hi The Koneyo Project, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The way we came together as a band is really just a story of coincidence and chance. Three of us, Wyeth Carlos, and Elizabeth, went to highschool together at Soddy Daisy HIgh School, right outside of Chattanooga. The three of us all came to MTSU for the Recording Industry Department. On move in day, Wyeth went over to Elizabeth’s with Carlos, and started talking about a guy he’d met on campus that day. He’d said it was “some guy in a bucket hat who asked if I wanted to roam.” Wyeth mentioned he might could be a singer since we’d been wanting to start a band and long story short, we ended up inviting the guy over to hang out with the three of us. And that’s how we met Eli. The four of us jammed some that night and the energy was just right. About a week later, we’d all decided to go to the parking garage on campus to play together again. Beforehand, we stopped by the dining hall to grab dinner. While we’re all sitting there, Eli starts playing rock paper scissors with some random guy across the room. Eli ended up winning and invited him to come sit with us. We started talking to him and Elizabeth asked if he happened to play drums, as that was who we were missing for the band. And that’s how we met Brady, our drummer. The way we all met is one of our favorite stories, as it was all so random and coincidental.
Once we’d all met, we decided to go up to the parking garage and try covering a few songs together. The first rehearsal, all we had from drums was an old mini- Ekit drum pad type thing. That practice really was more just the five of us hanging out, and messing around with weird settings on the drum pad. But, we eventually managed to snag a drum kit off facebook marketplace and we were able to actually play together as a band. We started off with just a few covers, just trying to get a feel for playing with each other. Shortly after, we started trying to write our own music. The first song we wrote was Araya, which is the single we currently have released. From there, our focus shifted to almost entirely writing originals. It was a very new process for us and didn’t always happen quickly. There were a couple songs that we’ve written then ended up taking them apart and putting them back together until they finally felt right. Once we had a few originals written, our priority was to start booking shows. We’ve been a band for a little less than two years now and it’s crazy to think how much we’ve done together in that time.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Overall, it’s been a pretty steady ride. With that being said, there’s been some struggles. A frequent issue is often finding a rehearsal space. Initially, we used to go up to the parking garage at MTSU and practice. But of course, that is only so viable due to the weather. Then, we became regulars at R&R Studios, rehearsing there weekly. Unfortunately, over the past summer they closed. Once again, we needed a place to play. So, back to the garage we went. But then the storms came along with the cold. Luckily, we talked to our friend from another local band, The Feetles, and he let us play in his garage, where we still rehearse regularly. Another struggle has been booking shows. It’s a process that’s proven to be a lot less straightforward than we thought. The amount of emails, messages, and phone calls that just never get returned felt a little disheartening at times. But, we did what we could and have still managed to book three shows of our own, and have even gotten a few invites. But as far as the big picture goes, we’re moving forwards at a good pace and having a great time in the process.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Our band plays roughly alternative-rock music. It’s always difficult to pinpoint our exact sound down to one category, as each of our songs sound a little different. One thing that seems to make us a little different from a lot of local bands is us having five members. Our instrumentation consists of two guitars, bass, drums, vocals, and sometimes synth/keys. It feels like having more people leads to more ideas when it comes to songwriting. We’re able to all contribute individually and bounce ideas off of one another. Although sometimes having a larger group seems like it could create more issues and disagreements, we have a great way of communicating our individual ideas and agreeing on things as a group. Everyone appreciates honest criticism and it helps us build our music. As far as being known for something, it’d probably be the energy we bring to our songs as well as performances. Between the five of us, there’s a lot of passion that goes into it and it’s often translated through our music. When it comes to being proud of something in specific, our bond as a band comes to mind first. The cliche is always that all bands grow to hate each other one day, but genuinely the five of us are five best friends getting to do something incredible together. At the end of the day, everything we’ve accomplished has been the result of all five of us working to get there. What we’ve managed to do so far and what we do in the future is only possible because of what each one of us contributes. It feels great to do something so amazing with people you love.

What were you like growing up?
My name is Eli Miller and I play synth and sing for The Koneyo Project. I was born in the summer of 2004, at the former Blount Memorial Hospital, in Maryville Tennessee. From preschool to my sophomore year of high school I was attending Maryville Christian school till I decided I wasn’t so fond of the vibrations there. That’s when I made the decision to switch to public schools which was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Throughout my life I’d always had a strong attraction to music. I took piano lessons, played a bit of Cello, some drums, a little guitar, and two years of violin. But by far the one instrument that never ceased to blow my mind was the synthesizer. I remember talking to my first music teacher Mr. Bradham. Whether it be Cello, Guitar, Violin, or Piano, even drums. Mr. Bradham was a jack of all trades type of musician. One day, as we were doing routine piano lessons, a conversation on synthesizers began. I didn’t really notice it at the time but many of the songs I was drawn to had heavy electronic themes. That being said, when Mr. Bradham set a Korg Maxi-korg K3 800DV, from then on my life changed. The variety of sound that could be produced from one little keyboard was mesmerizing. I remember playing with these old chrome knobs and hearing this phat shrill sound upon pressing one of the keys. This synthesizer inspired me to strive for noise, and soon after my introduction to the Korg, I bought my own. The Microkorg was one of my favorite little doohickies growing up, till I took a hiatus from music and got sidetracked for a few years. For a little while my Microkorg collected dust at my friend’s house who occasionally used it in his home studio. Its destiny was diverted once I graduated highschool, with the mindset I would become a passionate environmental science major. As I strolled down the courtyard of MTSU, eager to make a new friend I approached a tall skinny guy with a neat hat. I believe I asked him a simple question, “wanna walk around aimlessly with me?” Wyeth was his name. He later Invited me over to his friend’s apartment where I met Carlos and Elizabeth, our drummer would later be found at the dining hall over a rock paper scissors win. This is how the Koneyo Project was formed, and my inspiration to return my fingers to my favorite instrument. Although I have a knack for random noise my love for non-synthetic music is just as deep and well versed. I enjoy everything from Country to Hyperpop, with every genre of music I’ve always found something I thoroughly enjoy. As a whole music has inspired me in so many ways, both through my emotions and in decisions.

My name is Wyeth Long and I play bass in The Koneyo Project. Growing up I was surrounded by music. My dad played guitar, saxophone, and clarinet and my brothers played trombone, bass, and saxophone. I was born in Atlanta, lived in Mississippi until I was 12, and then grew up in Chattanooga, where I still go home to today. I’ve always been a quiet kid my whole life. I kept to myself, playing video games, mostly Minecraft, watching TV, and reading. I’ve never been into sports. I tried baseball one time and hated it. I did well in school, but I didn’t care about it. Music has always been an interest for me so I joined band in middle school and played the flute. Throughout school, I took up an interest in producing my own electronic music, inspired by my oldest brother Canon. I started taking flute a lot more seriously in highschool and I didn’t learn to play bass until my senior year of highschool for a talent show. That band included Carlos, Elizabeth, my girlfriend Lainey singing, and our friend Jake on drums. That whole experience really made me want to form a band and keep playing bass.

My name is Elizabeth Johnson, I play guitar for The Koneyo Project. I grew up loosely in the Chattanooga area and moved around alot of the nearby cities. I was an only child for the first ten years of my life, and spent most of my time either playing Minecraft or spending time with friends. Music was always a big part of my life since I was a kid, as my mom’s side of the family has always been very musical. I grew up around a lot of bluegrass, country, singer-songwriter, and classic rock being played. When I was little, I always used to say I wanted to be either a drummer or the president when I grew up. Fun fact, I can’t play the drums and I’d rather do almost anything other than be the president. As a kid, I was always very imaginative and independent. I’ve been self driven and self disciplined my whole life, my parents say they never had to get onto me much since they knew I was hard enough on myself. That level of drive has definitely helped me to get where I am today. It was towards the end of eighth grade when I first started to really want to play music again. So I bought an electric guitar that summer with money I’d saved over the years and started teaching myself using youtube and online tabs. From there on out, music became my biggest priority in life. I ended up moving to Murfreesboro to go to MTSU for Audio Production, and that was where I got to help form this band.

My name is Carson, or Carlos, Santos. I play guitar for The Koneyo Project. I grew up in a small town around the Chattanooga area. I Moved to Murfreesboro for aspirations of school and music. I come from a family that has a lot of hard workers within it. My mom is a single mother who works very hard to supply for me and my sister. We always made do with what we had, especially with the help of my grandparents, uncle, and aunt. My grandpa was a great guitar player who originally owned the same guitar that I use on stage. He and my uncle were father figures in my life. I remember him and his best friend named Carlos playing together in their living room. I credit to him on how I got to be where I am. My interests for most of elementary school were games and different TV series. In middle school, I started having more of a social life and made many of my great friends I still have now. I did band in middle school but never took it seriously. I was on the “I’ll get better without practice” mindset for a while… didn’t work so well. My highschool years was where I started even having a slight interest in music. Mind you, before this, I had zero knowledge on music. You could play a song by Michael Jackson and I’d have a hard time guessing it’d be him. I started with music from the 60s and worked my way up. I eventually got into 70s and 80s rock, which is then I began to pickup guitar. I still remember learning Crazy Train and how happy I was to get it at least sounding like the song. From there I’d practice, I even did some crazy routines like going on the highest strings and just bending it up to build my calluses. Junior year I learned music is what I want to do, and senior year, I learned of MTSU. And now I’ve been studying Music Business here for almost two years, while getting to play a music and enjoy the local scene.

I’m Brady Romano, I’m from Long Beach New York, and I play the drums. Growing up I was a very reserved child, oftentimes quiet or shy. My musical journey began around 10 years ago, I knew I wanted to be a part of making music but I had initially felt scared being towards the front of the stage in the spotlight. This sort of stage fright of mine led to me deciding to play drums, that way I remained an integral part of any band or ensemble, and still had some comfort being able to have my own space in the back. While I began my first years of learning drums individually as well as in school band throughout the years, I didn’t take it very seriously at first. I found myself often more interested in swimming, math, and technology. It wasn’t until around 7th or 8th grade when my love for music really began to grow. When my instructor introduced me to the band System of a Down through their song “Toxicity” it really altered my perspective on what music could be, as I had never encountered metal or any similar genres before, I learned of what was really possible using music and drumming as a medium. There still is a video that can be found of a little 7th grade me performing the song for a recital, and although I didn’t appear so enthusiastic, my perception of music had changed. As I continued exploring drumming and music through various ensembles and bands I had been in, I grew better at expressing myself through my playing. I had begun to learn how to use music as a form or expression rather than just playing a song. My love for music only grew as I kept performing with many groups, as well as going on tour twice with my local School of Rock house band. By doing this I began to develop my personal playing style and grew much more comfortable with expressing myself on stage, suddenly I didn’t always appear to be so reserved as I used to. During this time period I also began to gain a large interest in the composition and production of music. I found myself interested in the intricacies of music theory and recording and post production processes, almost combining my interest in math and technology with my love for music. This ultimately led me to study Audio Production and MTSU, where I am a student currently. This choice caused me to meet so many amazing people and my band members that I get to perform alongside.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekoneyoproject/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheKoneyoProject
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/42WBB9eVz0eO56w9k5pZFg