Soft Words Traverse
A couple of weeks ago, I did a Skype interview with Billy Mays III about his post-rock instrumental solo project called Soft Words Traverse. He definitely has a lot to say, but he's letting his music do all the talking.
Come join me and experience:
Ty: Billy, could you tell me about what got you into music and how you started playing?
Billy: It started pretty early; I think when I was about 5 or 6. I hadn’t started playing yet, but I was raised by a single mom, and she was a music fan. Our thing was that we drove around to places a lot and we happened to listen to a lot of music together. I guess I was just exposed to music at an early age, and something just kind of stuck with me. I was always drawn to the structure of a song more than anything; it wasn’t ever about the catchiness. It was decisions the artists made to build a song.
In middle school, I decided to take guitar lessons, and once I did that it was over. I didn’t really go with the whole classical way of learning guitar. I kind of just did it by feeling and ear. Then I ended up quitting guitar lessons and started just teaching myself. I think it’s better to learn the basics on your own because either way, you’re going to learn the right ways of doing music and making music. I look at it in an interval kind of way. I learned what one note to another note sounds like just by feeling and that’s my whole knowledge of music. It just built on that.
Ty: That’s pretty much exactly how I’ve went about playing drums, and I totally agree with you. Was there a specific band or album that caught your attention when you were younger that also helped spark your interest into music?
Billy: One band that really got me started with the feel of the music that was emotional yet heavy was Bush. I think my mom bought me Sixteen Stone because she liked that album too so I just kind of got into it. There was something about them that stuck out more to me more than other bands at the time, and I think it was Gavin [Rossdale]’s voice. Besides that I was also into Alanis Morissette back in the 90’s as well.
Ty: That’s really cool. After listening to your new album, I have to think that you’ve played in other bands before. Also you went to Full Sail University which is one of the more well-known music/entertainment industry schools in the nation. Tell me about what other projects you’ve done prior to Soft Words Traverse.
Billy: When I was in high school was when I really got that itch to be in a band and it just so happened that my group of friends weren’t really that musically inclined. I had maybe one or two friends where one was a drummer, another one played guitar. I was the one always trying to round everyone up to get a band going and when I would, I was the one who was the most into it, and that wasn’t really fulfilling. So I took it upon myself to do something on my own. From the beginning, I bought myself a little 8-track recorder and started recording a bunch of layers of my own guitars, writing out songs, and playing drums along with it. I wasn’t even a drummer back then. I had an electronic drumset back at my mom’s house, and it was all I had so I just used it. I was always just crafting songs and it seemed to be what I loved to do the most. It just kept evolving where I started out playing music by myself, I just felt more comfortable that way. It’s almost like collaborating with yourself. Different parts of me wanted to do different things, and I had to communicate with that part of me.
Ty: That’s such a cool way to describe it! There’s a lot people out there that maybe didn’t get to see this musical side of you when you were on television. You’re not a just guy with a high-profile family that is interested in music. You’re just as musically passionate as anybody else out there.
Billy: It’s funny that you say that. Like you said, I do have this “high-profile” family, I guess. What’s crazy is I have this career path laid out for me if I wanted to take it through my dad and people I’ve met from the show. That’s fine for my day job. I work production, but that’s not my passion so I’m kind of dabbling with following what I love to do instead using my name to become the next Billy Mays. I’m just taking a chance and kind of doing something that’s not so mainstream. It’s really because I’d rather be homeless and playing music than being rich and famous and not liking what I do.
Ty: I definitely respect that and your passion shows through your latest album, Gently. It definitely flows together with the order of the tracks, and it almost feels like a journey through what you’ve kind of gone through this past year. Is that what you were going for?
Billy: Well, Actually this kind dates back to late 2008. Let me take you through what happened. I met a girl in October of 2008 and at this point in 2008, I was planning on moving to Chicago to pursue music because I wanted that big city feel. This was right around the time when Pitchmen was starting to be filmed. Nobody really knew what this show was going to be like including the production company. So I met this girl and probably within a month of dating her, I decided to stay in Florida for a while. It turns out to be the best decision I ever made because if that didn’t happen, I wouldn’t have been involved in Pitchmen and in the longer run, I wouldn’t have spent the final year with my dad. It’s funny how things work out that way. It really makes me think about the power of love. It all felt so right even though it was confusing at the time.
Back in February, I was just moving out of my dad’s place, and I was going out on my own with my own apartment. Two weeks after I moved in, my apartment burned down due to arson. I lost everything in it including my studio, a custom guitar that my friend made me, all kinds of gear, etc… My girlfriend and I were in the apartment when it caught on fire so we were definitely lucky to be alive. I literally was down to the shirt on my back. I actually called my dad as the place was burning down and he gave me this huge pep talk. As I was watching this place burn down, he basically said “You’re going to get through this; things like this happen, and what you don’t know is that these rough things will make you stronger on the other side.” I didn’t really know what he talking about at that time.
About 2 or 3 months after that, things started to even out and I got a new place and was writing music again. This music was really affected by the fire, and was just matching what happened. So I started recording again, and recorded three songs (To Circle the Drain, Sprawling Certainty, and A Void Does Not Exist) which are actually on this album. The day I finished To Circle the Drain, which is the third song I did, I was feeling good. I was like "I finished three songs, and I am on my way into this album." The next morning is when I got the call and was told that my dad didn’t wake up.
I began to panic for about ten minutes because you don’t really know what that means and don’t really know what to do. It’s really hard to take in, and it’s shocking. After that, all I could hear in my head was that speech that my dad gave me when my apartment burned down. It was almost like he was preparing me for his own death, and he didn’t even know that he was preparing me for that. From that little speech, I became less of a victim than I would have been, and I kind of accepted it right away. Then I said to myself that now it’s my job to make sure that everyone else is going to accept it, and we move on from this; because he made it clear what he would do in this situation which is to rise above it and come out on the other side as a better person.
Immediately after that, those three songs came to mind and I said, “Things are crazy right now, I’m just going to put these songs out there.” So I put them on Itunes as a 3 song EP. There wasn’t much thought that was put into it; all I was thinking was well I might as well release them because I don’t know when or if I’ll record or play music again because I have more important things at hand. At that point, I was thinking that this album might never happen. Then after things started calming down, a lot of people had downloaded my EP and I had some fans. That was just surprising to me because I would have been happy with just one fan.
After all of that I started slowly settling back into things and was working in production still. In the past couple of months, it felt almost exactly as before my dad died except there was one thing missing. It’s funny to me how much my dad is still impacting my life to this day; I never thought he would be in my life this way even though he’s gone. Before, I was always helping with my dad’s image and talking with his fans, and now it’s only me doing that. Basically, Sully (Anthony Sullivan) told me that whether I like it or not, "You’re Billy Mays now." At first, that’s really hard to take because I’m thinking that I don’t know if I can fill those shoes; but then I was thinking that I just want to hold those shoes up and show everyone his shoes; then say that these are the shoes that I’m not trying to fill; I’m trying to make my own shoes and if they can be anything like this pair of shoes, then I’ve succeeded.
I’m trying to take that same mentality he had. He loved what he did, and he was never afraid to help other people in what they wanted to do. One thing that I Iearned from him is that he believed in abundance, meaning there’s enough for everyone to go around. No one needs to fight over everything. So the more you help someone, the more that people are going to help you. It’s people helping people.
Long story short, I eventually started recording more and this album sort of just came to me from a different place. These songs started forming. I would go into the studio with one riff and four hours later I would have a full song. That’s basically how it happened.
Ty: Wow… thank you so much for opening up and sharing that amazing story. Your dad has touched so many people’s lives, and it’s great to see how his impact on you has led to the making of this album. Were you ever worried about how some people would react to Gently being an instrumental album?
Billy: I know that an instrumental album is not something everyone is into and that’s fine. I'm not saying that instrumental music is something that everyone should like. Music touches more into what we are. Music is on some other dimension. The song titles aren't something that I pulled out of nowhere. A lot of these titles have written poetry that go along with it that come from my blogs on WheresBillyMays.com and my own writing. That’s why I made an instrumental album. It’s not because I can't sing or I didn't want to find a singer. It’s because the music sings to me.
Ty: I love the way you just worded that because your music definitely sang to me. Your music truly shows how much music can say without even speaking a word. When it was over, I wanted more.
Billy: Thanks man! One thing about this album is that it’s deliberately arranged. When I made the song, Yield; it was made to be the first track on the album. I feel like the album takes you on a journey, it takes you to a bunch of different places. As different as the songs are, any order could end up working. There are some themes in this album like at the beginning of the album when you wake up in the morning and your ambitions are running wild. You have to get out there and do something. The beginning is the inspiration. The middle it gets a little spacier, a little dreamier, and it’s more flowing. The end to me is where you face [death].... It gets deep into my head... The song called "A void does not exist" is about dealing with death and that death is a natural part of life. Our usual perception about death is that it’s the end, and I don't believe that. Death is pretty much a rebirth, and anyway you want to take that is fine. If you feel that your loved one now is dead and they are no longer in your life: that’s just how you are looking at it. I'm taking the stance that my dad left enough of an impression on me to imprint those things in me. For me to say that my dad is gone is insane because everything he did while he was alive is still affecting me and the people he knew.
Ty: I totally get what you’re saying. It’s not morbid; you’re showing how your connection with your dad is still there, and I think that can give some readers out there some hope for how they can handle a situation like that. That’s pretty much all the questions that I have. Is there anything that you’d like to say for the readers out there?
Billy: I guess we can end it with saying that the point of all this is that we never know what’s coming at us. We all have our goals and everything. Just because something happens that makes you think you’re not going to reach your goal doesn’t mean that it’s not going to get you closer to that goal. That’s what this album is to me. With all the tragic things that happened to me, I thought that this album was an impossibility. Now, it feels like this album would never have been made without those tragedies. It’s also about being flexible. Everyone is dealing with different degrees of change. Move with life, and flow with it, instead of trying to fight it. That’s why my music flows like that. I try to let it all happen naturally. The way I write my songs is the way I write my life.
I would like to thank Billy Mays III for taking the time to do this interview and for the amazing impact being made through the music of Soft Words Traverse. I would also like to thank Sug Cain for his help with the interview.
Photo Credits: Billy Mays III and Sug Cain.
Soft Words Traverse Official Website
Soft Words Traverse on Facebook
Soft Words Traverse on Myspace
Soft Words Traverse on Twitter
Soft Words Traverse on Facebook
Soft Words Traverse on Myspace
Soft Words Traverse on Twitter
This article is dedicated in memory of Billy Mays.
Comments
Cody said on 12.19.2009 at 8:12 PM
Wow... great job man.
i had high expectations for this interview and i wasn't let down.
The album is great also.
His view on death is enlightening to say the least.
Derek said on 12.20.2009 at 9:53 AM
Awesome job on the interview Ty.
ty's sis said on 12.21.2009 at 1:25 PM
i love it! Billy's story is so amazing. i love his music!
Billy Mays III said on 12.21.2009 at 2:41 PM
Thanks for doing the interview, Ty. It turned out great.
J. Scott said on 12.22.2009 at 10:51 AM
Very groovy. Chalk up another fan Mr. Billy Mays III.
Eric Straw said on 12.22.2009 at 2:36 PM
Really enjoyed that interview, what both parties said. Billy, indeed, had a fascinating perspective on all of the events that led to the album. Reading it was intense, while oddly enough, also comforting. I was eating an apple while reading the interview and was so absorbed I accidently got down to the core and may have swallowed a few seeds, which correct me if I'm wrong, are highly poisonous. So, I'm going to go deal with that, but when I come back I'll be sure check out the album.
Garrett Kreller said on 12.23.2009 at 1:54 AM
Wow that was an amazing interview Ty! Billy Mays' music is very interesting, moving and inspirational. I like what he said about waking up in the morning and your ambitions running wild and agree that it links into his musical themes and tones. I was listening to the songs on Billy's myspace page while reading this interview and seemed to amplify everything he was talking about. Great work and great thoughts/ideas/credos on life!
Mimi Kubler said on 1.04.2010 at 10:25 AM
WOW! Billy, Love It,Love You. Thank you for the gift of music.
Eric B. said on 1.06.2010 at 4:58 PM
That was a superb interview Ty. I like what I have heard of Billy's music. I'll have to check him out and listen to more of his jams. Also, I like how he likes to put his dad's face on random things. I would like to do that. Keep up the good work hombres.
Craig said on 1.07.2010 at 10:59 PM
Good read Ty--you've opened me to check out his material, and brought him to my attention. I didn't know of Billy Mays III prior to this.
Ian said on 1.14.2010 at 10:59 AM
Great interview Ty. I really enjoyed reading from beginning to end. Billy you seem to have gone through some tough stuff, glad to see you've been able to remain positive and grow from all the experiences. I like the tunes, too.
-Ian
Jon Griffin said on 1.21.2010 at 10:30 AM
Your talent and love for music really comes thru in this interview Ty...great interview and flow...I'm now a fan of Mays (always a fan of you...)