Artist Spotlight: Meet The Pulltops
What was the creative process like for this particular "Make Me Smile?"
This song was written in more of a singer/songwriter style, sitting down with an acoustic guitar and working it out. The verses came first while strumming out some chords. We built the track up around that, and then came up with the chorus.
Were there any challenges or breakthrough moments during the songwriting process for "Make Me Smile?"
The instrumentation was a lot more complex when we first wrote it. I was strumming the guitar straight through with not a lot of space. We ended up stripping things back quite a bit for the verse, and that's when things started to fall in place more.
What did you enjoy most about making "Make Me Smile?"
It was fun playing with the dynamics. Really building up that middle section, layering in the vocals and extra instruments, and then pulling everything out to almost nothing for the start of that last chorus. It's fun going from one extreme to the next.
How is the music scene in Milwaukee?
Milwaukee can be a bit of a challenge. There are more bars to play as a cover band, so sometimes you need to go that route and then sneak in the originals. But we do have a fantastic festival in the summer called "Summerfest" which brings in bands from all over. And the state fair is packed with bands and music. We also have a lot of street festivals and picnics, etc. But we only get a couple months of good weather, so all of that is packed into just a few weeks, and then the cold comes back.
How do you continuously grow and evolve as a band?
We're writing all the time. If you constantly write, you keep growing and developing. Plus, we're huge music fans and are always looking out for new music to listen to. Hearing new music inspires us to create new music.