West & Run

Thank god it’s Friday! We’re here to celebrate with an awesome band called West & Run from Grand Rapids, Michigan! Up on stage you can find Ryley Grayson (Vocals/Guitar), James Reinhardt (Drums/Vocals), Adam Pulaski (Guitar), and Taylor Robida (Bass)! Ryley took a break from jamming and answered our questions!

Is there a story behind your band? The guys all met in High School, and quickly found out they had similar musical interests. Together they decided to take the music to the next level, and create West & Run! They began writing their own music, rehearsing, and playing gigs. Now, they’ve even their first album entitled, ‘Ms. Direction.’

Where does your band name come from? Ryley explains, “The name comes from an old Western saying which represents choosing a direction in life and going with it. ‘West and run…’ -Sam Douglas, 1963?

How would you describe your fans? West & Run describes their fans as “very cool”.

What’s your style? West & Run is a pop/rock band.

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be? Ryley would title the book “Meet the WAR Boyz”.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done? Ryley struggled to build West & Run from the ruins of the group they were previously in. He comments, “We had no choice but to rebuild. That was a lot of pressure; but it all came together.”

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Ryley couldn’t think of any specific think he would like to learn but added, “We are learning so much as we go. It’s difficult to only focus on one.”

Interesting Answers
How do you say “hello”? Ryley responded, “Hey, what’s up?”

It’s your last hour on Earth. What are you going to do? Ryley says that West & Run’s goal is to “continue to push ourselves and create success with what we have.”

Summer or Winter? Ryley likes the Summer time! - Up N' Comin'

Who’s West & Run?
We are a pop/rock from Grand Rapids, MI.
How did you guys came together and created this band?
After relocating to Grand Rapids, James and I decided to start over. We wanted to create something more serious and focus on the story behind our music. Taylor and Ryan were separate friends and were interested in joining us after seeing a post downtown. We are the best of friends now. It’s fantastic.
What’s the story behind the band’s name?
I originally decided ‘Weston’ but that title was already in use. ’Weston’ came to mind because I used to live on a street called Weston. I added Run and we decided on ‘West & Run.’
What are your music influences?
We love Jimmy Eat World, Angels & Airwaves, The Cure, and Taking Back Sunday. There are so many bands we look up to but the list goes on and on.
Southern Heart. How was the recording and writing process? How you guys came out with the album’s title?
The writing process was the toughest part. It took a year and half to write the five songs that we decided to include on the album. We drove to the Looking Glass Recording Studios in Lancaster, PA to record ‘Southern Heart.’ Recording with Kory Gable was awesome. He turned our songs around and brought out the best in them. We spent a week sleeping on his floor and watched a lot of TLC. The ’Southern Heart’ title was pulled from the first track off the album, “Like Crazy.” The first line of the song is, “I quit that Southern heart. I found it somewhere.”
So you guys are planning to hit the road?
We are planning on going on tour in late Spring or early Summer. It’s definitely going to happen.
What’s your method at the time of writing a song?
James and I work on the chord progression, lyrics, and melodies together. We bring what we have to practice. Taylor writes his lovely bass lines and Ryan writes his gorgeous leads. It comes together so fast. If someone doesn’t like something, then we work together until everyone likes it.
What has been one of the funniest moments you have been or took part while touring?
Our van contains a built-in VCR/TV. We watched ‘American Pie’ on our way to a show and the fast forward button didn’t work. Sometimes, it would rewind out of nowhere and we would have to watch the same scene again. On top of that, the eject button doesn’t work so we can only watch ‘American Pie.”
Are there any plans for the future we should be aware of?
Besides touring, recording our first full-length is in the works. It won’t be out anytime soon though.
Where can we find more about your music?
band camp.westandrun.com contains our entire discography.
Do you feel like you’re moving on the right direction?
It has been two years since we’ve been a band. We can finally say that we are established. Everything is going in the right direction. Patience and hard work is the only key to success. - Vents Magazine

Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
We are from Grand Rapids, the second largest city in Michigan. It took us two years, a few releases, two-hundred shows, and complete dedication to establish ourselves in our own hometown. There are so many great bands from Grand Rapids that have been around long before us. Breaking in was the toughest part to accomplish.

What do you have coming up? What are some of the new projects we can expect to see?
Pushing our new album Southern Heart is number one right now. We go on tour in February and it’s the perfect opportunity to promote the release. As for new projects, we are in the early stages of writing our full-length. It’s been fun but it won’t be finished anytime soon.

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
Like Crazy definitely represents us musically and emotionally. That’s why we decided to have it introduce the album. It’s one of our favorites because of the energy it has when we play live.

How does your music separate yourself from other artists and bands out there?
Songwriting is the most important element of being a successful musician. We definitely carry that and we know it’s going to take us somewhere.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
Getting a chance to prove ourselves has been the biggest challenge. We’ve wanted so many opportunities, but we can’t blame the music industry entirely. We have only established ourselves in certain areas. Stepping it up with consistent touring and promoting is the key.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
Band mates coming and going has been the biggest set back. Sometimes it takes awhile to find the right people. Now we are more dedicated and committed than ever.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
Saying “no” to anything is the one thing you should not do. Always be open-minded to any possible opportunity. Every show and press interview is a step forward to bigger and better things.

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
Stay dedicated through the difficult times and never be naive about your position. Working harder is the best thing you can do.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
Digital distribution is the best way. Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp, and CDBaby has helped us gain new listeners everyday.

Where can people visit you?
www.facebook.com/westandrun
www.westandrun.bandcamp.com
www.twitter.com/westandrun - Warped Magazine

West & Run, Pop-rockers from Grand Rapids, released their new disc today. It’s called “Southern Heart” and it weighs it at 5 tracks. It’s available on CDbaby for $4.99, or at their release show at the Intersection Front Lounge this evening with Bennett and Another October. - Jacob Pauwels

West & Run have released a new song for streaming, titled "Like Crazy." You can listen to the song below.

Their new EP, Southern Heart will be released September 22nd. - Tyler Common

Up and coming Grand Rapids, MI act West & Run have partnered with UTG to debut their latest (and ridiculously catchy) single, “Young (Right After Nine).”

The song, which you can stream after the jump (or on the official UTG mobile app), should be all the proof anyone needs to know why West & Run deserve much, much exposure. Heartfelt lyrics paired with perfect structure and delivery that’s catchy without feeling insincere or forced, what more could anyone ask for?

Do yourself a favor, click past the jump and discover this band before your friends make fun of you for missing the bandwagon. Acts like this don’t stay unknown for long so spend a few minutes with them now and get behind a sound we can all believe in. - James Shotwell