Wild Nights is a pop punk band from Toledo, Ohio. They have plenty in the works for us all and are a great group of guys to get to know. Click the play button and keep reading to get a taste of what they are about.

Who are some artists or bands that inspire you?

It's difficult to boil any and all of them that inspire us as musicians down to just a few. To keep it in the genre, we'd have to say Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, and blink 182.

What brought you together as a band?

Emilio and Tyler started jamming together, and then Emilio found the original lead singer and bassist. After some more hanging out and jamming, they decided they wanted another guitar player to form the sound they wanted.

Trent joined the band, and then Wild Nights became a thing. The original singer left the band after a disagreement with the remaining members. In replacement, Ethan and Jarik joined to fill the open spots of bass and vocals. -- Trent

What is the basic timeline of your band?

Honestly, Ethan and Jarik joined just in July of this year, so we haven't had much time together.

We knew we wanted to start writing as soon as it got cold, so we just played as many shows as we could to kind of get some ground under us moving forward. Having performance experience is always a plus.

What genre is your music and why did you choose to make this type of music?

Pop punk. We definitely want to have a dynamic to it that makes it unique, but definitely pop punk. Alternative rock is the mainstream term for it, but you won't hear it on the radio very much anymore.

Why did we choose it? It's fun. It's just such a high energy and high emotion genre that has such a deep root to our generation.

Bands like Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, blink 182, Sum 41, bands we grew up listening to. It still has a following, and bands like The Wonder Years, The Story So Far, and even still blink 182 are selling out shows.

Great new bands like Belmont, Life Lessons, and even the local band Silver Age are still out putting on some of the best live shows I've been to.

Is there a venue that you would like to play?

Personally? Red Rocks in Colorado. As a venue and an experience. -- Jarik

What makes you passionate about making music?

For me, it's a last resort. I grew up wanting to be a marine biologist or paleontologist, then got realistic and wanted to do veterinary medicine or criminal justice.

Even though you plan everything to live your life a certain way, you still like to keep music as a hobby or some interest. For me, I've become physically and financially unable to go into the career field I wanted to right out of high school or go to school to learn to do something I want to.

I'm still financially and physically able to sleep and live in a van for a month or so playing and performing to a bunch of new people and potential friends or fans, either really into what you're doing or doing it as well themselves.

Actually being a part of it for the first time this year with the three groups I've been in, now it's just a wonderful atmosphere and environment and I wouldn't want to be attempting much else with my time. -- Jarik

What does the writing process look like for you?

Spontaneous. I can't really plan it out or force it too much, or it appears forced and I don't want that. I'm strictly a lyricist.

I play drums, but I've never been the sole creator of a drum part of a song. I can't play guitar, but I have riff and pattern ideas I have to verbally convey to those who know what the hell I mean. -- Jarik

Where do you get your inspiration for your music/lyrics?

I typically write from personal experience, but a lot can get lost in translation.

I feel if you can balance personal experience with relatability without sacrificing emotional connection or downplaying any potential performance aspect, you're doing well.

What is your main goal with music?

Again, I'm only speaking on a personal level, but if someone comes up and says "This song means so much to me" to anything I've written or performed of someone else's, then I've done what I intended.

Do you have anything in store for the future?

Writing. Releasing new music early next year and playing shows while simultaneously planning another release to hopefully get and maintain any momentum we would have from action early in the year.

We don't want to go tour or play out of the area when the weather turns, so we're going to hunker down and get some of our fresh material in the works. We've released one and have another ready to record, but we're still unsure what length of release we're looking to aim for.

Do you have any tips for aspiring musicians?

Practice, network, experiment, work. Never run out of new ideas.

The indie music scene has taken quite a few hits over the last few weeks, and if you plan to still make a living or make music a large aspect of your life and free time, you have to be able to bring something to the table that sets you apart from what other similar artists are trying to do.

I can't say I personally bring anything extraordinary to the table. but I have the ability to throw my perspective on life into our music and hopefully connect with some population of people enough to strike the proper nerve that gets people to listen.

Talk to any and everyone involved in your shows. Fans, promoters, sound guy, bartenders, other bands. Everyone has the potential to be a contact for recurring use, and you'll never know them or how you can help each other without talking to them.

Additionally, you're not only playing music. If you want to "tour," you need a performance aspect to your live shows as well.

It gets very expensive very quickly to have gear and/or effects that will get you to have a "Wow" factor to your shows, but definitely don't disregard practicing your instrument and your art. Visuals only go so far if you're not well versed in your craft.

*Responses are edited.

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