The Ready Set – Jordan Witzegreuter
Interview by Christina Belles
The Ready Set’s Jordan Wizegreuter loves songwriting. The singer-songwriter based out of Fort Wayne, IN, began his journey as a musician in 2007. Since then he has gone on to record three full-length records, the most recent, “The Bad & The Better,” dropped in May 2014 and found its way onto Billboard’s 200.
Christina Belles: You just released your latest album The Bad & The Better; what makes this album different from your previous releases?
Jordan Witzegreuter: I feel like I re-learned how to write songs. I got to work with tons of really talented people over the past couple years, and in a way took something away from each of them. It was almost like songwriting class every time I went into a session, so when I started writing this album, I had a way better grasp of how to make what I was doing better.
CB: Where did the album title come from?
JW: To me, it means perspective, and the effect that the way you perceive things can have on your life. There is good in all bad, and bad in all good. Everything just comes down to how you choose to interpret it.
CB: What are you most hoping people are taking away from this album?
JW: Anything, as long as they take something away from it. Whether it’s that they relate to the songs, or they just find it catchy and fun to listen to, I just want people to feel something.
CB: What are your favorite and least favorite parts of the recording process?
JW: I love all of it except for anything engineering-based. Luckily Ian Kirkpatrick, who produced the album, is amazing at that. I’m all about working on tracks, melodies, lyrics, vocal tracking, etc.. But when it comes to messing with compressor settings, I go kind of crazy. I’ve been spending a little more time getting more familiar with that stuff, but I prefer the writing aspect more for sure.
CB: Did you have trouble with writer’s block on this album? If so, how do you deal with it?
JW: Nope. I had been writing for 2 years basically, and a lot of the songs didn’t feel like what I really wanted to do. It was kind of nerve-wracking. I felt a lot more free with this, a lot less pressure. It’s much easier to write under those circumstances.
CB: You were recently on VH1’s Big Morning Buzz Live, so how did that go?
JW: It was great. I love doing live TV stuff, there is a really cool energy about it. Ironically, I am getting over a really bad cold, so I was kind of stressed. I haven’t been sick in 2 years, and of course I get sick before an acoustic TV performance, but what can you do!
CB: You released a video for “Higher” off The Bad & The Better; what made you choose this song to do a video for?
JW: It feels like the TRS song I’ve been trying to write for a while. The vibe of the track- the blend of organic and electronic is the perfect blend for what I wanted to achieve on this album and I think the song sets the tone for it. The lyrics are some of my favorite I’ve written as well. They definitely mean a lot to me.
CB: You’re heading out on Vans Warped Tour again this summer; what are you most looking forward to about the festival?
JW: We have so many friends on it this year, which is great. I’m excited my album just came out and then 2 weeks later warped starts. It feels like the first tour of a new beginning for me. I’m so stoked.
CB: What would you say has been the most difficult part of your career for you all personally and collectively?
JW: After “Love Like Woe” did well at radio, I was really driving myself crazy thinking I had to do that again and write radio songs, chasing “hits” or something. Writing in that state of mind is really tough.. Almost retroactive- and ironically I was the farthest thing from that mindset when I wrote that song. I had to spend some time re-evaluating who I am as an artist and really just focus in writing what felt honest to me. You just got to do what you want to do.
CB: How did you, or do you continue to, overcome that struggle?
JW: Honestly I just had to get out of my own head. I had to stop making decisions based off of a potentially negative “what if” situation. I think when you do things out of fear, you’re setting yourself up for failure. I try to make a conscious effort to feel really good before I do anything now. It just makes things so much easier.
CB: So, what is the ‘highlight’ of your career so far?
JW: So many.. Having a song go platinum, playing my first arena, playing to huge crowds overseas, hearing my music on the radio. I’m thankful for so many things.
CB: What is the one dream the moment at which point either personally or collectively you would be able to say, “Yes I’ve achieved this, I’m living my dreams”?
JW: Playing at Madison Square Garden under any circumstance would do that. I actually feel that way every day though. I wake up and realize I write and play music every day. It’s a dream job.
