It’s been more than a year since we helped debut Antlerhead’s EP Am I Dreaming…and it’s safe to say A LOT has happened in the world since then. Thankfully, however, this era of uncertainty has given some artists the time to hone their skills while continuing to be creative. Antlerhead’s front man, Ty Bush, is doing just that.
While the EP Am I Dreaming continues to grow legs and spread to new fans all over, Ty has been hard at work compiling new material for the next album. Part of this work has led to a highly anticipated music video for the new single Garden Home…which will premiere tonight, September 18th, at 9pm EST through the following link.
We took a moment to catch up with Ty this week on how things have been since we last spoke. Check out the interview below!
SoBros: The last time we spoke, you had just released your first EP. How was the experience of releasing this? How did you feel about the overall response and feedback from the release?
Ty Bush: Oh man – the experience of releasing Antlerhead’s 1st EP was nerve racking, ha! I wrote all these super personal songs about getting divorced and then spent a bunch of money making the record and you just have no clue if people will listen or even care or if your music is cool enough to get people’s attention, etc… To be honest though, I could not believe the response it got! People reaching out to me at shows throughout the Midwest or online telling me how much the songs meant to them. It was truly so humbling and surreal. I didn’t know so many people would resonate with the songs. I don’t think Antlerhead or the Am I Dreaming EP is that big numbers-wise, but for some reason, its overall reach had quite the emotional connection with people and Antlerhead has developed a really cool following of people I consider to be genuine friends now! Most times we get a new merch order, I can see the name of the person and usually remember exactly who they are and where we met and what conversations we had after a show or whatever. It’s a very cool feeling to connect with people that way!
SoBros: I assume the current pandemic situation has dampened opportunity for live performances, but has it also given you time to continue making plans or being productive?
Ty Bush: Yeah, it certainly dampened plans for live stuff. Early into the pandemic I had basically given up on even thinking about playing live for a year or two, but it did allow me to focus on the record I’ve been writing. I’ve been able to do some fun co-write with a couple friends and obviously there was a lot of downtime to write/record when I was laid off from my day job in March. I can’t say there are any certain plans for the future, but it did allow a nice break from the hustle to step back and get a new perspective on goals. Even the original guys who helped start the band have kind of come back into the picture as we all live in the same city again and regularly talk about planning stuff just for fun or “just to see where it goes.” It’s exciting for me at the very least.
Nick (bass player) and I have kept printing and pushing merch this whole time and I’ve continued working on the next record so I’d say things have stayed productive!
SoBros: What can you tell us about your single Garden Home and the music video?
Ty Bush: Well straight up, I had no intention of making a video, ha! I casually showed my good friends at Pending Beautiful Co. the song in March or April and they immediately sent me a storyboard idea for a video. They wrote some amazing details into this video from the way they personally had interpreted the lyrics and incorporated a sense of “isolation” as we leaned into the whole concept of everyone isolating themselves this past spring. We shot the whole thing in my tiny apartment to give it a very confined feel and shot all of it early in the pandemic when nothing felt safe. We stayed in the apartment and even decided to have myself and my lovely girlfriend act in the video instead of hiring actors because we weren’t sure if it was safe to invite others over besides the four of us working on this. I can tell you that the directors of the video definitely pulled more depth out of their interpretation of my lyrics than even I had put into those lyrics when I wrote them. The result is this video that honestly made my heart and jaw drop the first time I saw the final cut. They really helped bring this song to life in a beautiful way visually and my hope is that everyone will feel the emotion they brought to this project when people see this video.
SoBros: Is there anyone you’d like to thank or mention?
Ty Bush: First I’d like to genuinely thank Sobros Network for taking time to chat and being willing to push this release once again. You guys over at Sobros have been so cool to me/Antlerhead for a couple years now. You guys even sent me a Christmas card last year and it meant a ton! SHOUT OUT TO SOBROS NETWORK. Shout out to Conner Jones and Jordan Viehe of Pending Beautiful Co. for making this gorgeous piece of art with me! Thanks to Jeremy Wurst for mixing and mastering the song to make it sound amazing and thanks for everyone who has stuck by Antlerhead thus far!
If you didn’t catch our original post for Am I Dreaming’s release, check it out here.
Cadbury Pringlebatch is the Lead Motorcycle Guy, Investment Analyst, and Travel Blogger for The SoBros Network, but knows a little bit about everything. Known for frequenting Nashville YMCA steam rooms, he’s a firm believer that winning football is produced by moving the chains, and became a SoBro after mistaking one of our podcasts for an AA meeting. Follow on Twitter: @SoBroCadbury
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