Into The Willows

“Guys, I’m ready to do something different. I just want to play straight up rock ’n’ roll.” John Paul spoke these words to his fellow bandmates one night after a frustrating rehearsal where the guys said so long to a recently added member of their hard rock/metal band, Envy Insane. A little surprised and slightly apprehensive, the other guys agreed to give it a shot. Starting from scratch with John Paul on guitar and vocals,Trey “Smitty” Smith stepping up to fill the lead guitar position and Kevin Clement on bass, the band started searching for their new sound. For almost 2 years, JP, Trey and Kevin continued to rehearse and write music constantly. Even through periods of not having a drummer, the three guys just hammered it out playing with a metronome. The sound was starting to come together though and was headed in a different but completely welcomed direction: Rock ’n Roll! Although they were finding their sound, they were struggling to find their permanent drummer. The guys were getting discouraged. “Are we ever gonna get this thing off the ground?”, they wondered. Not willing to give up and really believing in the music they were creating, the boys started making calls. Nearing the end of 2018, John Gayle, Jr., or Johnny Tick-Tock as they lovingly call him now (ask him how he got that name), entered the practice space to set up his drums on the night before the band’s first rehearsal. He and JP decided to jam together that night and found an immediate electricity. After a couple of rehearsals, the band welcomed him aboard. Into The Willows was formed that day! The chemistry of the band is undeniable. The music speaks for itself but if it must be described they’d tell you, “It’s all over the place,” (in a good way). The band’s influences mainly come from the rock ’n’ roll of the 70’s-90’s; they have jokingly referred to their sound as, Alternative Southern Power-Pop Rock. You should come see for yourself!