Will Butler (Tired of Everything – vocals)
SPB: Tired Of Everything is your first time singing in a band. Between your first show and today, what have you done to shape how your voice sounds live?
Butler: I would say, honestly, I still don't know what I'm doing as far as my voice as an instrument. My first major step from the preparation for the first show and performing it was both knowing the lyrics and exuding confidence.
I'm a quiet person so it took a lot to walk up on stage and, since then, I've played on some bigger stages and feel comfortable and confident. Singing (or as my mom would call yelling) in a band is rough on my voice so I try to get in weekly practice with the full band to strengthen my vocal cords. A ton of the work for the band isn't the actual singing which is ironic -- I write lyrics, figure out shows we are going to play, etc and I'm busy with a day job and a record label, so it is about scheduling and doing better with phrasing in practice and the rest of my time is spent with the other parts. I look at my favorite punk singers and I'm pretty sure they are doing things the same way: they tossed themselves into the situation and they make the most of it. We oddly recorded before playing our first show and I think the recording process is harrowing as it brings what you're doing into a tangible thing. That experience and recording some practice demos have let me step outside of myself to see what I could do better. I wouldn't say I'm a gleaming example of a singer but I enjoy it and I enjoy having a message to spread.
