Midnight Wagon
Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2016 | SELF | AFM
Music
Press
Midnight Wagon was formed in 2016 by bassist Trevor Speight and drummer Torrey Voisin. Originally formed as a joke band, the two conceptualized an album they called "Love is Brown." Months later, guitarist Ian Garrett was brought on board to help with the project. It was eventually scrapped and the group went on a short hiatus. The band later regrouped and took a different approach to their image.
Midnight Wagon released their single “American Spirit” from their debut album titled “Deep Yellow” and I can thank this band for delivering us a hit we can add to our playlists! Midnight Wagon wastes no time at all as "American Spirit" begins with an outlandish, chaotic, and brashful energetic introduction with a tempo too insane to attempt! I’ve always had this perception of rock music that it’s equipped with beautiful melodies and chords yet projected in a bold approach. “American Spirit” projects the anarchic expression rock music exudes and I love that. What’s neat about this song is they didn’t just stick with the over the top sound the entire song, they eventually slow it down and give moments of extremely well delivered subtle melodies. "American Spirit" holds your attention from beginning to end due to the enormous amount of energy it has. This song is BuzzMusic approved!
Listen to “American Spirit” here and get to know Midnight Wagon in our interview below!
Hi Midnight Wagon! Care to introduce yourselves to our readers?
What’s up gamers. We are a three-piece Alternative and Indie Rock band formed in April 2016 by bassist Trevor Speight and drummer Torrey Voisin, with lead vocalist and guitarist Ian Garrett joining later that year. We specialize in Alt-Rock revivalism, and we began production on our debut album, Deep Yellow, in January of 2018, releasing it one year later on January 4th. We also have a YouTube channel on which we regularly share behind-the-scenes vlogs, sketches, and other music related content. Also, we always tell the truth and are never dishonest ever.
Where did you guys meet?
To be honest, we don’t remember how we all met. Something to do with a Disney Channel audition in San Antonio Texas for Good Luck Charlie, we think. But, yeah, while we were practicing our lines and waiting, like, three hours before audition we started talking about music and our favorite bands and artists and the rest was history. Obviously, none of us made it onto Disney Channel, but we’re not stopping ‘til we reach that yellow brick road, baby.
How did you formulate the name “Midnight Wagon” any inspiration behind it?
So we came up with a really sick movie script called Space ‘Rillaz, short for Space Gorillas, which basically steals the plot from Harry and the Hendersons but instead of a Sasquatch named Harry it’s three Hip-Hop loving Gorillaz from planet Kongulon. They love to kick it and spit freestyles. There’s the level headed leader Grand Master Fuzzy, the shy nerdy one and his name is Chuck G, and finally there’s the goofy ‘Rilla, SpaceRillaPurrp. Still a WIP but expect it to be on Netflix pretty soon.
If you could describe your musical style in 3 adjectives what would you describe it as and why?
Fun, Funky, Fresh. ‘Cause we F-ing rock.
How do you hope to impact your fans with your music?
We hope that our fans listen to our music and are like “Wow, this is surprisingly not as bad as I was expecting.” Impacting them in that way would be super cool.
What’s the meaning behind “American Spirit” ? what atmosphere do you envision while listening!
Over the summer of 2018, we observed a romantic relationship between two close friends that was so remarkably odd that it was impossible not to write about. There’s another song on our album that’s about another aspect of their relationship, but we’re letting listeners guess which it is.
For the atmosphere of the song, we wanted it to be, like, sad, but like, rock n’ roll sad, you know what we mean? Like, when your cat dies, but like, it was the cat that you didn’t really like because she was mean, but still you had her for, like, a long time so you’re still kind of sad but at the same time you’re, like, glad that she’s dead, you know? Or, like, the kind of atmosphere you might get listening to whale sounds in, like, a sensory deprivation tank.
What’s your favorite part about creating music?
All of it. We especially love working in the studio and trying out new ideas. We feel like it’s where we’re all most comfortable making music because making music at a public park or a restaurant would be mega uncomfortable.
If you could collaborate with any other artist of your choice who would you select and why?
Ariana Grande for sure. She’s our favorite artist and definitely our biggest musical influence. We’re sure that definitely comes through on our most recent album. - BuzzMusic
Debut album ‘Deep Yellow’ will destroy you from the inside-out. In a good way. It’s like when you love a girl so much, you want to eat her up. It’s like when you love the party so much, you want to be there a whole week. It’s like when you see a world on top of a mountain peak, and that 9-5 job just doesn’t feel important any longer. ‘Mesa’ is a quick paced rock single with punk symmetries, anchored by raucous vocals and a delectable guitar solo. Best of all it give you wings to keep on fighting for what you love – whatever it might be. - comeherefloyd
Discography
DEEP YELLOW (2019) - FULL-LENGTH ALBUM
Track 1 - Ah Geez
Track 2 - Yikes!
Track 3 - Titus
Track 4 - Sea Foam
Track 5 - Sweet
Track 6 - Mesa
Track 7 - Corvus
Track 8 - American Spirit
Track 9 - French Wine
Track 10 - Spider Riot
PITY PARTY (2019) - FULL-LENGTH ALBUM
Track 1 - Feel Bad Machine
Track 2 - Black Magic
Track 3 - Bath Salt County
Track 4 - Hard To Breathe
Track 5 - Obliterate Me
Track 6 - Tree Rings
Track 7 - Wicken Wiccan Witch Trial
Track 8 - Glass Shards
Track 9 - Bikini Birthright
Track 10 - Super Blood Wolf Moon
Track 11 - The Day We Stared at the Sun
SELF-DESTRUCTIVE TRICKS TO IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS (2021) - EP
Track 1 - The Next Great American Hit
Track 2 - Slithis II
Track 3 - Never Honest
Track 4 - Car Crash Karaoke
Photos
Bio
Hailing from Northwest Arkansas, Midnight Wagon is a five-piece indie-punk band celebrated for their energetic live performances and vast sonic palette. Formed in 2016, Ian Garrett (guitar and vocals), Torrey Voisin (guitar and vocals), and Trevor Speight (bass) self-produced their first two albums, “Deep Yellow” and “Pity Party” respectively, in their free time after high school.
Inspired by bands such as Dinosaur Jr., At The Drive-In, and Sonic Youth, they aim to blend pop hooks with walls of distortion and punk energy. Since then, they’ve added drummer Eli Schwartz-Yermack and lead guitarist Ian “Sniff” Larsen to complete their lineup, injecting new dimensions into their sonic explorations.
In collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Dave Schiffman, Midnight Wagon refined their sound with the creation of the EP "Self-Destructive Tricks to Impress Your Friends.” This four-track EP showcases Midnight Wagon’s ever-growing knack for pop melodicism, sharp guitars, and relatable lyrics, packaged together in a brief, yet energetic package.
Known for their engaging live shows, Midnight Wagon has actively pursued a robust performance schedule over the past year, touring through the Midwest and captivating audiences with a unique blend of precision and unrestrained energy.
Midnight Wagon is currently in the studio working on their third full-length album, “Happy Family Game Cartoon,” with producer Jack Shirley taking the helm as engineer, with plans to release the album in mid-late Summer 2024. The band is also planning a tour in support of the album’s release.
Band Members
Links