First Umpire On the Making Of “I'm Here, I'll Wait”
Is there a person/event that stimulated the creation of “I'm Here, I'll Wait?”
“I'm Here, I'll Wait” focuses primarily on the darker times I experienced when getting my start in the music industry. Feelings of loss, resentment, and finally rebuilding trust with oneself.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for this single?
At the time, I was listening to a lot of post-punk groups that were using drum machines. But I felt that sound was getting a bit overdone, so I decided to breathe some new life into it by layering live drums over the samples. Typically, samples are just used to enhance live drums and the hits are layered identically, but I wanted to try something different. Instead of mirroring the drum machine, I created two distinct parts for the live drums and the drum machine that complemented each other perfectly. I think we nailed a great balance there.
For the guitars, my goal was to have two parts that were distinct yet harmonized nicely without overplaying.
How does "I'll Wait" fit into your overall artistic vision and what can listeners expect from you in the future?
“I’ll Wait” is a short, energetic tune that I think will be a great appetizer for what’s to come.
Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
For a while, I was only doing musical work for others; producing, mixing, recording, touring, etc. I had the opportunity to work with a lot of different artists in different genres and backgrounds. I felt like, over time, my mind developed a certain sonic vision that I had to pursue myself. Through that, First Umpire was born- I record whatever sounds good to me at the moment.
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
I had the chance to play a few First Umpire shows before any of our music was officially released, and the support was incredible. Watching people react to our songs for the first time gave me a whole new perspective on them. Music is such a social experience, and being able to connect directly with an audience made all the hard work feel worthwhile.
Recently, I also toured as a guitarist for a more established band. Experiencing the deep impact the music had by interacting with fans in different cities really put into perspective how much music can influence people’s daily lives. This was super motivating. It made me want to be a positive force in my own audience’s lives as much as possible.