The Ready Set

Member: Jordan Witzigreuter 
Date Interviewed: October 2008
Interview by: Sarah Muratore
You will like if you listen to...Metro Station, The Secret Handshake, nevershoutnever!, PlayRadioPlay!

Why should you check out The Ready Set?  Why shouldn't you is a better question.  Jordan Witzigreuter has got everything going for him.  He isn't just a cute face in the scene - he creates ridiculously infectious dance beats with catchy melodies that will be stuck in your head all day long.  And that's not all - he is one of the hardest working musicians out there.  Fresh out of high school, this 18-year-older drummer, singer, and keyboardist extraordinaire is sure to catch the attention of fans across the country - and the world - with his dedication to his music and his guerrilla-style marketing of his music.  So turn up those speakers, get the bass start bumping, and dance around the room (in your underwear - you know you are doing it - have no shame) and be sure to check out this exclusive interview with The Ready Set!

What do you do in the band? Who does what in the band?

I do everything, kind of. I write and I record and I do all the music and
all the electronic stuff.  I make it all in my basement, just with a
computer and a mini-keyboard and just a few other things and I write and
record everything there and when I play live I have a few friends who play
with me. So, I'm by myself a lot. It is pretty much my solo project.

Can you give me like a background story about how all this got started? The
Ready Set is just you (Jordan), but how did you find the rest of the band?
What got you to make a band and pursue this career?

I had been in a couple…I had been in bands for a long time.  But…the first
band that I sung in was a two-person band.  And the other guy that was in
it, left to go California for a while, like during the summer so I started
to write a few songs on my own.  I just saved them and waited and then we
decided to end that whole thing.  I remembered I had them [the songs] and I
started making more and then in November I kind of made an official little
band, sort of thing, and put up a MySpace, started showing people the stuff
and it started doing pretty well so I started taking it more seriously.

How did you find the touring band that you are with now?

Our keyboard player, he had been in another band with me, I had known him
for a long time. He just started playing keyboard, cause I asked him to and
he was into it so he did it.  And we used to have a guitar player for a
while and we have had a few others but…yeah.  We have a lights guy, he just
really wanted to be in a band and involved with touring so he offered cause
he didn't have anything going on.  Our drummer was also just looking for a
band to be in, so that worked out really well and it all came together too.

So you have your own lights guy with your band?

Yeah he like programs things and aligns everything with the music.

So you just decided to go on the road and figure it all out?

Yeah.  I had toured in another band that our keyboard player was actually in
too.  And we both decided it was stuff we didn't want to do, and he has
another solo project too, and yeah, we just decided to do this rather than
that because I knew I still wanted to tour.  This is just way better.

What did your parents say to this career option?

They really, really want me to do it.  They are ridiculously supportive.  It
was either this or to go to college and they really wanted me to do this.  My
mom was very helpful with everything.  She keeps track of a lot of merch
stuff when I am gone.  They are both really, really supportive.   That is
just how my family is.

What are some of the influences you have? Music, family, friends?

Yeah, music and bands. I'm really into Copeland.  Not too much electronic
stuff but I do like Daft Punk, Kenna.  I like Kanye West too. So kind of
stuff that wouldn't seem that influential musically, but it is.  And my
friends and everything that goes on, is pretty much an influence.

Can you describe your music in under three words? What are they?

Ummmm, like give it a name? A genre name?

Anything!

Fun, electronic, punk.

What kind of bands or artists do you feel like your music sounds like?

I don't know.  People in the past have mentioned like… The Postal Service.  I
think that any electronic band is going to say; oh this is going to get
associated with the sound of The Postal Service.   So like, kind of them,
people also bring up The Secret Handshake.  There are a few other bands
doing the same sort of thing so it all kind of goes hand in hand with each
other.  Sometimes, it is just like, random things, random bands that I don't
even remember.  A lot of times people just think it is so different so they
don't compare it to anyone.  It is kind of better that way, I think.  I'd
rather not have people be able to pick out an instant comparison.  So it is
good.

Generally, I would ask what were you like in high school... but since that
was so recent... what were you like growing up?  Has this always been the
sort of things you have done or wanted to do?

I'd always liked music when I was way younger.  That is the one thing that I
have always liked my whole life.  I started playing drums in the fifth
grade.  That is actually my main instrument that I like, I am better at
playing drums than at singing and doing this kind of stuff.  And that is
sort of why I do this, it is a challenge for me.  So I have been playing
drums for a long time.  I started playing in bands when I was like, 13
[years old]. I did a couple little tours and stuff, learned kind of how to
book tours and how to do all that, so I kind of taught myself throughout
high school how to do everything and I was just in so many different bands
and just sort of ran into this.

What are some of the steps you've taken to get this far and what steps to
you expect to take to get farther?

Right now, I just want to tour a lot, that is my main thing.  I don't really
have, I kind of have come to the realization over the past year that,
that is what matters the most, is that if you are gone more, on the
road playing shows, more people are going to hear about you.  I will
just get way more hype that way.  I just want to tour a lot and be
playing in different places all over the country, and other countries hopefully. 
Pretty much, I just look at it like it is my full time job.  Because it pretty much
is all that I do.  When I am home I spend a lot of time practicing and promoting
and everything.  I feel like anything I can do, I will do.

What do you think your best promotional tool is right now? Do you think
that touring or MySpace/the Internet is your best promotional tool or do
they go hand in hand…?

The Internet actually, it is like, this wouldn't be anything at all.  It is
pretty much how I do all of my promotional stuff.  Mostly through MySpace
and a little bit of PureVolume and some other stuff.  If it weren't for the
Internet, there wouldn't be many ways for anyone to hear it.  I'm pretty
sure that is where most of my fans came from, MySpace that is.  Touring kind
of, once they find out about you touring and brings it to them, it gets them
excited and they tell their friends and they get excited too and they get
into it.  It starts a chain reaction.  It is really cool.  I think that they
both go together really well.  You can't…you, you kind of need both if you
want to do well.

What scares you or are some if your apprehensions of being in a tour band?
What excites you about it?

I think the scariest part is losing a lot of money and not having enough
money to go where you need to go, or to get home or whatever.  Having car
troubles is really bad; getting stuck somewhere, getting robbed would
probably be the worst thing ever.  If you go to a show or whatever, you can
expect it to be the worst show ever and it can turn out to be the best ever.
Like, 10 people there could still be one of the most fun ones you could
play.

What's your favorite part about touring?

I like being able to have a show set up, know that it is there, know that I
have been promoting it well and that there are a lot of people excited, and
get to go to that show and have it be really good.  To know that the time
that I spent promoting and the time I spent getting ready for it paid off.
That would pretty much be it.  Playing the shows.  Playing the show is
definitely the best part. But I like all of it really.  Even off-days are
fun - you can always find something dumb to do. I like all of it; there
isn't really any part of it that I don't like.  Occasionally I will get kind
of homesick though.

What is the one thing you miss most about being home?

Probably my girlfriend.  That is the main thing.  I don't usually hang out
with too many people when I am home.  I don't really do much other than
this.  It is pretty much music and then hang out with her.  And that is it.
So sometimes my family too, but it is kind of the same thing.

What would be your idea of the perfect tour to go on in the future?

Playing, kind of, not enormous places, but big enough places where you could
sell a show out.  An awesome night now I think would be to play every night
to at least like, 700 to 900 people.  I think that would be awesome.  Bigger
would be cool but I think that is more of a reasonable goal to set for that
amount of people and know that every nights show would be just as good as
the last night, with just as many people.  Cause right now on tour one show
will be really cool and the next one will be absolutely terrible but just
knowing to think, what would make it perfect, would be knowing that they
would all be awesome.

Who would you want to go on tour with?

I don't really know, probably not with a lot of electronic bands because I
would like to be kind of the odd band out.  So probably…I can't think of any
big bands off the top of my head that I would like to tour with, like a
reasonable tour that I could do.

Haha, dream big. Anyone!

Do they have to be a band that exists now? No? I want to tour with The
Beatles then!

You've made two CDs, what was the writing process like for you?

It is kind of a spread out process, like really far.  The last CD I started
writing in like, January, and went until the end of June.  So I will work on
songs, I'll have a few songs, little pieces put together and then just stop
and start a new song and then just go back and forth on songs until I get
something done.  It usually takes me awhile.  I try to not…if I'm not in the
mood to write a song I won't because if I try to push myself to write it
cause I know it won't be as good as I want it to be if it doesn't come
natural.  I throw away a lot of stuff too.  I have like, 30 songs that I
know I will never use because they weren't as good as I thought they were.

Do you like to use programs like Pro-Tools or GarageBand a lot? Do you find
it more convenient because of its capabilities to be able to do it in any
room?

Yeah, every time when I write something, I don't write anything down really.
I don't know too much about music theory and all that kind of stuff and
writing music and all that.  I just kind of record little parts and put
vocals over it. I will record something over it, like a little melody.  And
I will just save it and then go back to it and I'll make a better version of
it and I will keep doing that until it is good.

What would you be doing if you weren't in this band?

I would probably be in college.  But the thing is, I don't know what I would
be doing in college. I would probably just aimlessly be hanging out, not
knowing quite what I'm doing.  So it kind of works out, cause I'm doing the
only thing I could see myself doing.

Had you pursued that do you think you would end up at a school like this
[interview conducted at SUNY Oneonta] where they have music industry
program?  Would that have been something you would have pursued?

Well I thought about that, I actually didn't know it was like a music
industry sort of thing [the school's program] that went on until today. 
That is definitely, like, now if I had to stop doing this and look at schools,
that is probably something I would consider going for because I'm really
into the whole industry thing, it is really interesting to me.  I really like
learning everything about it.

What kind of tours have you been on so far as The Ready Set?  Just
Indiana…or the Northeast…?

We did, like regional shows all the way from January to like, probably June
or whatever.  We started touring full time in July.  That is when I stopped
being in the other band I was in we had been on tour fulltime.  But, we did
like an all-South tour, the first one, then a little Mid-West tour, and on
this one we are going out East and sort of, mid-west a little bit it in
December-January. We are just trying to hit everywhere now.  We did a little
bit but now, just a little part of the country.

Where has one of your favorite places to play besides hometown shows?

I think my favorite venue that I have been to was in Joplin, Missouri at The
Foundry.  That is probably where I played one of the best shows we've
played.  Obviously home shows are pretty good, usually.  But it kind of
depends.  I'm really excited to play in Texas because a lot of people
tell us to play in Texas. So I think those show are going to be …playing
there is probably going to be my favorite. I'm guessing just because
how many people tell us to play there.  But right now, Joplin, Missouri.
I like it a lot. I think we played a festival there and it was awesome.

Alright, last question! What are some of your guilty pleasures? Any
embarrassing shows you watch on TV or music you have on your
iPod that you don't want anyone to notice?

I watch a lot of MTV. Kind of. Like I think I follow a lot of the pop
culture stuff a little too much sometimes.  Like I think it is kind of funny
and then…I think it is funny but then I start watching it and get into it.

Like The Hills kind of shows?

Kind of.  Like I think The Hills is probably like the funniest one of all.  I
can't *seriously* watch it.  I find it entertaining but I can't take it
seriously at all.  Yeah, I think I watch…yeah I don't watch that much TV but
when I do it is usually dumb stuff like that.

What about your music? What is that one thing on your iPod that you are
like I love it but I don't want anyone to know it!

Well the funny part of that is that I don't have an iPod.  I think I'm the
only person in the world who doesn't have an mp3 player.  But if I did it
would probably be, hmmmm. I don't know, because usually if I had something
dumb or funny on my iPod that I wouldn't want anyone to know about, I would
probably make it well known that it was on my iPod because it would be
funnier that way.  I don't know I really can't think of anything that I
would be embarrassed about.

You are just not easily embarrassed at all dude.  You are just too fly!

I'm far too fresh to be embarrassed.

This was a lot of fun. Thank you!

Sorry if I was awkward! Ha ha!

Thank you to Jordan Witzigreuter for taking the time to do this interview and to helping set up this interview. Check out The Ready Set's Official MySpace to hear more songs, and to check tour dates to see when Jordan is coming to YOUR hometown!