Interview: John Wiebe

[gallery type="slideshow" link="none" size="full" ids="138881"]   What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?  I've had a love & passion for as long as I can remember. And some days I can't remember. I'm sure my love of music started in grade 2. Something inside of me just wanted to know what it would feel like to record music & then perform it to a live audience. Oh, man. If I weren't doing music, I would have to say I would have to be involved in the film industry in some way. That's always been a passion of mine as well.   What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity? When I'm not playing, writing or producing music. I'm usually listening to music from my favorite artists, playing videogames & watching a good movie or TV show. The best way to describe the way these things influence my creativity is all dependable on how I'm feeling that day, I can be having an absolutely terrible day & an Alternative song or line from a TV show, movie or videogame can pop up & influence a line or the whole song!   How long has music been your career? I started doing music full time around 4 years ago, but the passion & drive to do so have been there since 2011.   Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music? I'm originally based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba but currently reside in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The biggest way my home has influenced my music is the experiences I went through as a kid. Tell me about the best and worst shows you have played. Oh man, that's a tough one! I've had a myriad of good & bad performances. I haven't gotten the "festival" live show experience. I've still performed at local cafe's, talent searches in high school etc. My first " big" performance was in front of my high school and it didn't go well at all. It was my first time performing in front of a crowd & I had two things. No stage presence & no idea what I was doing. As soon as I walked up to perform my whole body started shaking, I fumbled over the lines to my OWN song multiple times (and apologised while in front of everyone) & I believe my body decided that i wasn't going to be a part of the situation as I was told my skin was as white as the shirt I had decided to wear that day.   The second worst was a performance I had done in a local town not far from where I live now. It was a local "summer music festival" just out of view of a farmers market on a stage. By this time, I had just released my debut EP in grade 11 (I believe this was the release day this occured.) At this time, I didn't have any merchandise or anything to self promote myself, just myself & social media. I had announced the performance a few weeks prior & showed up to the venue expecting some people to be there (aside from my family of course)...No one. I performed my first "festival" show to a literal field of grass & a bustling farmers market around 30 - 40 feet away from the stage. I did get featured in their local newspaper though which was cool!   One of the best shows I performed was a local cafe here in my city, I had a few flubs in the past, forgetting lyrics & chord progressions, but now I kinda knew the formula on how to get out of the jam. This was my first performance without any of those, and sonically & performance wise, I could tell I had done a lot better than previous gigs & felt really proud of that.   Tell me about your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already? That's a tough one! Yeah, if I had to choose I would have to say a local cafe' here in my city of Sherwood Park called Cafe' Haven. It's a great little shop with a great aesthetic & they've always been very supportive of the local music scene...Plus, a free drink afterwards doesn't hurt at all. Oh, I definitely have a few places I would love to perform that I haven't yet. Bigger festivals, bigger stages & to a bigger crowd. Whether to be to a crowd of people at a city funded event like a Canada Day performance or just being footed on the bill of a bigger act & performing on a bigger stage in front of people that don't have a clue who I am...New York & Nashville would be pretty incredible places to perform & are definitely on my list as well in the future!   If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket? Man, there are so many I would love to perform alongside that have inspired me over the years. Just to be mentioned on the poster would be enough for me! Let's see. Dream lineup would be NF, Simple Plan, Eminem, Sum 41, I Prevail, Beartooth, Skillet, Memphis May Fire, Bring Me The Horizon & Underoath, maybe through some Marilyn Manson in there to give it some spice!     What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into music? Don't give up. If you know you have the talent & are willing to put in the hard work, things will work out in your favor sooner or later! Don't be afraid to fail, don't be afraid to collaborate with other artists. They don't even necessarily have to be in your genre, if you think it could be a great collaboration, don't be scared to ask. And finally, you're going to get a lot of companies knocking on your DM's wanting to work with you to grow your following, if anywhere in those messages do they mention a dollar amount followed by a number of followers...Run. Organic growth is more credible than paying for bots.   If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, what would it be? That there will be a lot of trials coming your way, a lot of heartbreak & questions...But keep going!! They say time heals all wounds, the truth is getting the help you deserve & need heals wounds. And you're going to make some pretty incredible music along the way!   Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?  I wrote a song called "Let Go" around a year or two ago. It was a pretty arduous process as I had lost a very good friend of mine. This song is definitely one that I get emotional performing live.   Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most? I honestly enjoy performing a good cover song. But personal songs are Let Go, Overthinking & most likely Crazy once live performances start up again!

What is the creative process for you, and what inspires you to write your music?

The creative process for me all depends on what I'm feeling that day that will affect the outcome of the song. If I am going through a rough patch mentally & if I'm feeling good. It honestly all depends on my mental state at the time as well as the music I'm currently listening to.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

That you are not alone, that you are loved & that you have a story. That story matters!

Do you ever have disagreements when collaborating and how do you get past them?

Not yet! I say that whilst currently knocking on wood, because you never know what the future could hold!

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

Yes! If all goes to plan, finally touring & performing in cities & places I never have. One thing I would like to spotlight is my new EP which will hopefully be releasing this Fall. As well as the official music video for "Crazy" which will be premiering soon! Social Links: Website: http://johnwiebemusic.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/johnwiebemusic Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnwiebemusic Instagram: http://instagram.com/johnwiebemusic YouTube: http://youtube.com/johnwiebemusic