Quenby & the West of Wayland Band

"Quenby...sings to us knowingly about heartache, loves lost and gained, hard life on the road, and can often be heard channeling the forbears of country and western."

"Quenby's storytelling resonates of Bruce Springsteen back in Asbury Park."

"...the music shuffles to the same beat as it did with Bob Wills 50 years ago."

"Quenby's voice never disappoints. Her sweet sounding vocals on "I'm Too Old," and "How Far" surround me like a cyclone of bluebirds."

-Murphy Blake, FarWest Almanac - FarWest Almanac

-Our google search for 'Wayland' brought up a couple of options--the least plausible of which is Wayland Baptist School. The other choices were Wayland, Indiana, Wayland, Michigan, and Wayland, Massachusetts. So...which is it?

Ha ha! Wayland, Mass. I’m a Mass-hole, born and raised.

-Have you always been a fan of country music, or is that something you came to later on in life?

Definitely later in life. I have loved Kris Kristofferson my whole life – my mom used to play Silver Tongued Devil on the piano for me since I was knee-high, but other than that…everything I know about country music I learned out here from all my Texas/Louisiana/Mississippi friends.

-And thinking about the writing process, what types of things inspire you?

Mostly what inspires me is listening to other bands live. It usually goes like this: I hear something I like, I say to myself, ‘I want to write a song like that,’ and then I try to find the right story for the feel in the snippets of ideas I have written down on scraps of paper all over my house and car. It’s a highly developed style of songwriting, I know, but…

-What are some advantages of being a country music performer in Los Angeles?

Well, that’s hard to say ‘cause I’ve never lived anywhere else and it was here in LA that I was introduced to country music. I have absolutely loved the scene that is here from the 29 Mules and Stonehoney to Old Bull and the Duggans, from Ronnie Mack’s Barn Dance to Topanga Days. I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for the scene I fell into.

What are some drawbacks?

That’s easy…this city is so over-saturated with so much talent that it’s really hard to get a substantial crowd at gigs in town. I know my actor friends struggle with the same problem trying to fill seats in their theaters for plays and whatnot…it’s tough. There are probably a half a dozen great things you could do in this town on any given night. Going to hear country music is only at the top of the list for a small group of us!

-How about the album, was it as much fun to make as it was to listen to?

This was my first time and I’m not gonna lie - I do NOT like being in the studio. Except for the fact that I was working with Bryan and he’s an absolute barrel of laughs, patient, full of ideas and sensitive…I can’t imagine what it would have been like the first time around with anyone else. I’m too hyper and impatient. I much prefer playing live. I hope that will change, but for now there was a LOT of dead time. I crocheted a lot of hats and scarves.

That being said, my favorite part of being in the studio was recording each of these musicians. WOW! It was amazing to hear the songs taking on the layers of these extraordinary players.


-What is your favorite track on the album, and why?

Train Whistle. Oh, for a lot of reasons. It’s the first song I ever wrote. It’s the one that sparked Bryan to suggest to me that we record. And mostly, as my first studio experience, I think this was a smashing success. This song, of all of them, is more about a mood than a style or technical virtuosity on any one player’s part. And, we TOTALLY captured exactly how that song felt to me in my imagination.


-We hear that Clint Short is an extremely difficult person to work with. Can you tell us why that is?

Ha hahaha – yeah. He’s a bear. He’s always saying ‘yes’ and ‘good idea,’ always telling you how good it sounds. Always wants to come and help and be a part of the process. It’s really draining… But seriously, yeah, he loves the studio, so you can imagine how helpful that was to me, and Bryan. He is such an awesome lesson to me. On those days when I just couldn’t pull it out myself one more time, I would just follow his lead. He never breaks down. These two guys were models for me, Bryan and Clint, that I hope I can emulate the next time around.

-Whats the next step for Q and The West Of Wayland band--touring perhaps? to Portland perhaps? hmmmmmm?

We would LOVE to come to Portland for a tour! My priorities for us right now are radio play and reviews, and touring. I want to get out there so badly. We have friends all over that want to hear us! I’m not exactly sure how to do it. I just know that I have to do it. It is the exciting, inevitable next step. You got any Americana-friendly-venue suggestions!?!?

-That's it! thanks for your time!

Thank you for taking an interest! - Ten Second Buzz