AVERLY, an Indianapolis-based indie pop band is described as “the point of collision between clean pop idealism and a brand of rugged artistic maturity that can only be acquired through the toiling process of trial and error” by Medium.com. Get to know our April Stay Tuned artist below!
Tell us about your musical background.
Jonathan:- Actively participating in music through church definitely got me speaking the language of music, and I developed the love for it around third grade. Piano was my sole passion at the time, but as I began to listen to metal in high school, the idea of becoming a producer crept in, which really informed a lot of the moves I made from then on. I started trying to learn other instruments, and then in college I spent every second I could in my school’s recording studio and picked up gigs playing keys and bass wherever I could, so determined I was going to make it a career. After school I somehow landed a really great studio space, where a friend and I began to cut our teeth making records. Now I still get to make records every day, do a bit of touring, and have a project I can truly call my own with Jonny!
Jonny: It’s hilarious, but I remember the first time I wanted to ‘be a musician.’ I was about five years old and saw The Goofy Movie, which featured a Prince/Michael Jackson-esq character named Powerline. It was the mid 90s and the songs were performed by Tevin Campbell so that soundtrack was (still is) pure fire. Fast forward a couple of years to ten-year-old me begging my dad to teach me to play guitar. I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up, so I spent a lot of time and energy into teaching myself how to play, sing, and write songs. Similar to Jon’s story, in high school I got involved with the church band and did that type of thing up through college, where I studied music. When I was 24, I started releasing some solo projects and toured around the U.S. and UK before Jon and I decided to join together to create AVERLY this past year.
Tell us about the mix you curated. Does it give off a type of mood? What should we be doing while listening in?
Jonathan and Jonny: The playlist is probably less of a mood, and more of what has just been inspiring to us lately. There are several artists on here that we call friends, and several more we would love to call friends some day. We just feel like these songs are pretty fresh, but we keep coming back to even as we hear newer stuff.
What groups are killing the game right now?
Jonathan and Jonny: I think both of us have seen LAUV really nail an aesthetic and find a huge corner of the market that he really just gets. Billie Eilish just released an album that will both scare you and invite you in. She was already big and then just blew up more, and rightfully so. Father John Misty put out two amazing albums two years in a row; just completely nailing this early 70’s depressive sound. And maybe one of the coolest records of last year was Brandi Carlile’s. She made a record that is vintage country that I think any non country fan would still be wowed by. The songwriting is unbelievable, the production is captivating, her voice will slay you and she’s getting some real life recognition.
Tell me about your past and current music projects?
Jonathan: I’m always in and out of other peoples’ music, which is super rad and I wouldn’t change it, though I can’t exactly take major ownership over them, no matter how much work and effort I put in. But for a while in college I was definitely deeply involved in a band with Jonny and Joshua Powell. While I no longer tour with him, we’ve still made all of his records together, which is always a sweet reminder of how much music can tie a friendship together over several year, showing you where you’ve come from and where you’re trying to go. I currently tour playing keyboards with my friend Josh Garrels. I feel super honored to be helping him put finishing touches on his forthcoming record, as well as mixing the thing too. He’s one of those dudes that’s had some great success as an artist, without sacrificing his art or his integrity.
Jonny: I’ve been involved in a lot of music-related projects over the years. I feel like it has and is taking me a long while to find and refine the niches I want to be in. I started a couple of bands in college that never panned out to much, mostly due to my mind being all over the place. As previously mentioned, I hit a stride several years back when I started releasing some folky-pop tunes under my own name. I did a lot of other things music related, too, like running a small boutique booking agency for a handful of artists, as well as a blog. I think that all of those experiences have prepared me for what Jon and I are doing with AVERLY now.
What are your interests outside of music?
Jonathan: Trying to formulate this answer in a way that doesn’t sound like an entry in a year book, but I truly do enjoy the company of my friends, and of course my wife, who is the babe of all babes. I really enjoy watching movies for literally an entire day, and I will never not love cooking, especially pizza. My lord, do I love pizza…
Jonny: Oh boy, I am obsessed with coffee. It’s liquid joy. I love to cook as I’m like my dad in that it helps me unwind at the end of the day. I’m also a bit of a nutrition nerd and wholly believe in the power of good food to heal and rebuild the mind and body. I meditate a lot. What else? Oh, I’ve recently become fascinated by the YouTube vlogging community. I have plans to eventually start my own channel, I’m just admittedly terrified of it not being any good. But I’ll get there; you can hold me to it!
