Rock Music News: Wil Martin on new Earshot music (2024)

The hard rock band is heading into the studio to work on a new album and getting ready to head out on tour next year.

Rock Life recently caught up with vocalist Wil Martin.

Rock Life: What's on the near horizon for Earshot?

Wil Martin: We're getting ready to enter the studio to record a full length album, which will probably be out in the fall or next spring at the latest. We're also working on doing a 2-week run in the fall that will go from California staying South all the way to Florida.

Then, we're planning on going out next year in the spring or fall or both to support not only the new record, but also the twentieth anniversary of our second album. We've got some stuff planned with a lot of moving parts

RL: Do you prefer being in the studio or on stage?

WM: You know, I love being in the studio. I've been in there since I was a kid so I'm partial towards that, but I also love traveling. I think there's an expiration date when I'm traveling though and it becomes A bit boring or monotonous after awhile. However, its always a great time to go out and see our fans and say hello to old friends and family that we don't get to see all of the time. That part is really cool.

Honestly, it's just the whole moving around stuff and the hustle and bustle of getting from one place to another that wears on you. Otherwise, I love playing shows and interacting with our friends and fans and the other bands as well. I'd say it's about equal levels of enjoyment.

RL: It never seems that you have much down time. You've always got something cooking.

WM: Yeah, there's always something. I'm also pretty active working with other artists as well so my time is pretty full.

RL: How did the new single "Unraveling" come together?

WM: That's one that I wrote about a year ago now. It really just started out with me playing this new guitar I had gotten. It really just came together organically. I kind of got that song out pretty quickly and then when I sent it to the rest of the guys and Aaron (Fink, guitarist) got ahold of it, he came up with another piece of the song; the heavier guitar parts.

That brought it all together and wasn't something I had even thought of to do. That's sort of been the magic between Aaron and I. We seem to really complement one another when it comes to ideas and thinking of things and hearing things that complement the other.

RL: Lyrically, your music has always been very relatable and this track really strikes A chord with all the chaos of the last few years.

WM: Yeah, I mean that's not only what I was feeling, but also something a lot of people were feeling. I try really hard when I'm writing lyrics to sort of be a reporter of what's going on in the world and what the sentiment felling is out there.

This is one that I think is still ongoing and a lot of people can relate to the lyrics that I'm singing and I think that's why we're getting the reaction that we're getting at the moment.

So far, the reaction has been really great and we're just happy that there's even anyone outside of our circle of friends who like the song. For that, I'm grateful.

RL: And the Earshot music has always been distinct from a lot of what's on the radio. Has that always been important to you and the rest of the band?

WM: I'm glad that you brought that up because it seems like every time we put out a new song there's always someone that wants to know why we're not writing songs like "Tongue-Tied" or whatever it drives us crazy because we really try hard not to write the same song over and over again.

I get that people really love those songs and they're great and we love them too, but I think it would be really lazy to just sort of recreate the same song. There are no shortage of bands out there who are doing just that. For better or worse, we pride ourselves on thinking outside the box while still keeping the essence of who we are within each song.

I wish more people found value in bands that are really trying to stretch creatively and not give people the same thing continuously. I think variety is good. There's always that sense of darkness in our songs anyways.

RL: And where are you headed with this new record?

WM: Well, we've got a handful of really great songs to start from. Now were in a phase where we're writing some more stuff and there's a lot of songs that aren't quite finished that we like.

We're going to be meeting up in Florida in the next couple of months and record. That's the time and place we will sort through the songs and finalize what we're going to do and not going to do. We've certainly got enough material to choose from.

RL: And what has been the biggest lesson you've learned from working with other artists or playing shows with them?

WM: Just to have fun with what you're doing and understanding that what you're doing out there is an opportunity that other bands don't really get to do, at least at this level. There's also a lot of hard work and compromise.

Its all about how you deal with it and respond to it. I've gotten the chance to really watch some other artists that I respect and have gotten to see how they operate and kind of juxtapose that with how I may have responded in the past. I've learned a lot in that regard. I think the biggest takeaway is just really going out and having fun and allowing yourself to really connect with the fans.