There comes a time where a songwriter decides to pop from behind the scenes and lay down new music of their own. We saw that happen with Emily Warren whom we recently interviewed and now we’re seeing it with pop-rock trio WOLVES. Marc Avery (lead vocals), Rockwell Sands (drums, guitar, keyboard), and Sean Carney (background vocals, lead guitar, keyboard) all hail from Los Angeles, the city of dreams, which it’s so-often called. Together, the three fulfilled their own dreams of being in a band to eventually put out their own music. This culminated in the band self releasing their debut single “Animal” last month.
We had a chance to chat with Marc Avery to learn more about the band, their new song and the future of their new music.
The Young Folks: For our readers who are just hearing about you for the first time, tell us a bit how you three met and got together to form WOLVES?
Marc Avery: We were all songwriters/producers on our own and became an official band in the fall of 2016. Sean and Rocky knew each other before I came along. They actually met maybe a year and a half before at the ASCAP expo in Los Angeles. I met Rocky while I was bartending in Hollywood. We struck up a conversation about music and it led to us working on some songs with the intent of getting some songwriting/producer credits. One day I mentioned to Rocky that for years I wanted to be in a band, and he secretly felt the same. Shortly after, he introduced me to Sean and we’ve been rocking ever since.
The Young Folks: When did you guys realize like, “You know what, we should just make music together instead of for other people?”
Avery: Once Rocky and I were on the same page about starting a band, he began working on some production. He wanted to bring Sean in to add a different flavor, which he did (sometimes too much—just kidding). The first time I met Sean was when they told me to come by Rocky’s place to check out what they came up with. When I came by, I pressed play and that idea became “Animal” — The first song we worked on together! All three of us knew at that moment we were onto something and we had to see it through.
The Young Folks: Now that you three have come together and out from behind the scenes, what have you learned while working double or even triple duty where you’re producing, songwriting, and singing?
Avery: Overall, it’s actually not as hard as you would think. YES, the songwriting process for WOLVES can be difficult because we produce and write everything ourselves. With that in mind, what makes it daunting is that we hold ourselves to an incredibly high standard. There are a lot of ideas that get shot down before a song even gets to the point of being recorded, and sometimes even songs we record can still get thrown away. Since we have all been doing it so long, it’s pretty much the same bike we are used to riding, just on a different path. The ultimate difference is that we control our destiny a bit more as artists, while as a writer or producer you have more hoops to jump through before the song you wrote sees the light of day.
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The Young Folks: What’s one thing someone had told you way back in the beginning when you stepped foot in the music industry?
Avery: The main thing I can remember is that quality is key! Over time I have learned (and I’m still learning) that you can always make a song better and it’s okay that the first idea that hits you isn’t always the best one. I can say that being in WOLVES has definitely become more of a learning experience than we expected, and we’re reminded of how important quality is every time we sit down to create.
The Young Folks: Your new song “Animal” is really catchy. What was the writing process for that one like?
Avery: First, thank you for saying that! Secondly, “Animal” has been on the radio for several months and is currently on SiriusXM Hits 1, so listen to it and request it! (Hopefully you don’t mind the shameless plug HA!) The writing process for it was a bit difficult mainly because we felt like it was a really special song from the beginning. When this is the case you can’t just put together some bullshit and expect it to fly—you have to be a bit more critical. Also, it was the first time the three of us worked together in one room, so we had to feel each other out creatively. If my memory serves me right we had a lot of fun even though we were in the trenches, and I’m pretty sure a drink (or 12) was had to celebrate once we finished it!
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The Young Folks: The shots for the music video was pretty cool too. How did you guys go about envisioning what you wanted and officially figuring out where exactly you’ll shoot each scene?
Avery: Thanks again, the music video was a collaborative effort along with Hustlecake Productions. We met with Alex DiMarco and Ken Ashton of Hustlecake and incredibly, they brought the ideas we had to the next level, along with some of their own. “Animal” is fun and energetic but it’s also a song about passion, and there is an underlying message that speaks about enjoying a sexually empowered woman. We think the video showcases all of that and more, and we hope everyone who sees it feels the same way.
The Young Folks: With the release of this song, what can our readers expect to hear from you next?
Avery: You can expect us to keep the content coming! The next song slated for release is “Black Lingerie” and it will be available on all major platforms February 23rd. It sounds like a song that could have easily been on the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, so it’s not our fault if some babies are made to it. You’ve been warned!
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The Young Folks: WOLVES has a mixture of different genres morphed into one. If you could describe your sound in about one word, how would you describe it?
Avery: Passion. All of our songs definitely have pieces of multiple genres in them, but our main concern is that they resonate with us and the listener. We think at the heart of all of our songs you can hear and FEEL that they are full of passion. If you create a song and no one feels anything, what the fuck are you doing? As long as we aren’t in THAT genre then we are ok with that.
The Young Folks: Since you guys are named WOLVES and you’re a wolfpack. Do you guys have your own Wolfpack or some kind of speech to pump you up sort of like The Hangover guys? Or, if you guys were like the wolfpack from The Hangover… Who would be each character?
Avery: The three of us are 100% a Wolfpack and we operate as such. That’s actually what we call our fans and supporters, so if you like our music and vibe with what we’re doing then you’re in the Wolfpack! The three of us probably take turns being different characters from the Hangover but…. I would say I (Marc) would be Phil/Bradley Cooper’s character, Sean would be Alan/Zach Galifiankis because he’s kind of kooky, and Rocky would be Ed Helms character. There’s nothing like seeing a good rant or freakout from Rocky, ha!
We want to say thank you for taking the time to interview us, it’s been a real pleasure! Be sure to look out for new content, tour dates, and stay in contact with us on social media: @thebandwolves on all platforms.
FOLLOW THE WOLVES: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify
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