The Wide Eyed Kids are uniquely blending musical styles while spreading positivity
Photo courtesy of Silverback Music. Photo credit: Brenden Donahue.
Daily Reggae caught up with The Wide Eyed Kids to learn about their new music, life in San Diego, and how the band is perfecting its sound in the studio and on the road.
What’s going on you guys! We are vibing with your new music! How has The Wide Eyed Kids evolved musically over the years?
Erik: The project originally started with no real concept of where we wanted to go. It was more like a garage studio, DIY thing but once we laid down our first few tracks and got positive feedback we started to take it more seriously. Overall I’d say our sound has evolved into a more genre blended style and we take pride in trying to make our music as unique and original as possible.
Your single “Warm Winds” truly crosses genres. I’m hearing reggae, rock, electronic and pop influences. How did this track come together and how does the band get started writing a song?
Chandler: Well, our process varies from song to song. For Warm Winds I bought a new analog synth and was messing around for awhile until I got a little beat going… when I sent it over to Erik he was vibing and started adding in some lyrics and that’s when we knew we had something special.
We’ve been jamming your 2020 album, “Beautiful Disaster”, and love the album’s feel and energy. How do you bring that energy to your live shows and what’s it been like touring with Shwayze?!
Chandler: I think bringing on the addition of Landon, our drummer, at the end of 2021 really helps fuel the energy behind our live sets especially with the album Beautiful Disaster. Our goal with live shows is always to spread as much love and positivity as possible.
Landon: Our first full performance together was with Shwayze in Honolulu. So this tour is definitely an exciting and full circle moment like reuniting with family as we hit the road together!
It’s rad that you guys are now part of the Silverback Music family? What are some of the band’s musical goals this year?
Chandler: first off, we are stoked and honored to be a part of the Silverback family. Turtle and Jared are like our guardian angels on this tour! This year we want to keep pushing to make more music and hit the road to share it all live!
You have roots in Hawaii and California, can we expect some Hawaii and Cali shows on the horizon? Do you see the band collabing with some big names in the Hawaiian reggae scene like Anuhea, Inna Vision, and Kolohe Kai?
Erik: As new residents to San Diego, we’re definitely excited to explore the west coast with some upcoming shows in California and definitely catch a surf or two along the way! Of course we want to continue sharing our music in Hawaii and are always open to collaborating with other artists that we look up to.
