Interview #7 is pretty exciting because it is with Will from .breakwood records, a Toronto-based independent record label. Get to know Will and all about .breakwood records below:
trtlz: Hi! Thanks so much for doing this interview by the way, I am really stoked about this!
trtlz: So let's begin with an introduction. Tell me a little about yourself and breakwood records and how it began.
Will (breakwood): So I’m Will, and I moved to Toronto about 3 years ago to study film and media. In the summer of 2017, I was working as a waiter in this super stressful restaurant, I took a week off to go visit family, and when I got back, the restaurant stopped sending me the schedule. So it was safe to assume I was fired hahah. At that point I was just so fed up with serving, and I wanted to pursue something i really loved. I’d been making music and producing for a few years at that point, so I just kinda said fuck it at that point and dove in. It started out with just me losing my mind trying to take care of everything, but now we have a great little team and we’re starting to get some traction!
trtlz: Whoa! Ok! That's kind of an amazing story how this worked out. How awesome!
trtlz: So you've (breakwood) been around for about 2 years?
Will (breakwood): Yeah I really didn’t have any expectations for it, so I’m really grateful that there are people out there listening!
trtlz: Wow ok yeah I feel like 2 years is not long at all for something like this, so to see where it's at now is super cool!
trtlz: When you're looking for artists, are there any specific genres you tend to go for, or is it just based on their sound (regardless of the style) and how you connect with it? What do you look for in a demo?
Will (breakwood): With new artists, I mainly just look for something that I can contribute to as a producer and musician myself. I have a pretty wide range in what I listen to, but what I can work with is a different story. PopCulturePirates was a godsend, because I’m a huge fan and nerd with his kind of sound. Same goes for rap, with artists like Jordan 212 or WizTheMC, who are gaining some traction up here in Toronto. If I feel like I am more than able to contribute to their specific sound, then I know it’s a match.
trtlz: Ya for sure. I'm into a wide range of music also, so as long as it's good, I'll listen. But yes! I'd have to agree with you on PopCulturePirates cause not only do I just love that style as well, but you know I'm also a huge nerdy fan of his music specifically, haha.
trtlz: I think that's really cool you're pretty much willing to work with anything if you feel like it's something you can contribute to. It's exciting to have that variety!
Will (breakwood): He’s [PopCulturePirates] also just such a wonderful guy to work with, so that also plays a major role in picking artists. None of us will go out of our way to work with/for anyone who’s just making music for the sake of it, we work with people who love the process as much as we do
trtlz : Definitely. I really feel like the music is so much better when you can tell the artist is truly passionate about it.
trtlz: And it must make it a lot more fun to work with someone like that as well
Will (breakwood): Oh for sure, the excitement is pretty contagious
trtlz: What kind of services do you provide an artist that joins breakwood records?
Will (breakwood): So we’re a creative operated label, everyone involved comes from some sort of artistic background, like filmmakers, photographers, producers, graphic designers etc. We give our artists full access to our teams abilities, so that translates to an all-hands-on-deck album production, merch, videos, and all that fun stuff. But on the business side, we’re really dedicated to the gritty stuff like promotion, tour management, and PR. Basically, we try to take as much stress off the artists shoulders as possible so they can do what they do best. But also, they have the final say in everything design-wise.
trtlz: I really respect that. That's why I love this label so much. I only hear good things. And I feel that's exactly how a label should be. Being there to make the experience fun and exciting, but with the least amount of stress as possible and actually allowing their project to still be their project and helping them to enhance it, but not taking over.
trtlz: I think a lot of artists are afraid of losing that to a label
Will (breakwood): Can’t tell you how much I appreciate that!
Will (breakwood): Our main goal is to eliminate that fear for artists. It’s a collaborative medium, but we’re always listening to the artists vision at the end of the day.
trtlz: Aside from being a record label for artists, what else is breakwoods involved in?
Will (breakwood): Hahaha that’s a great question
Will (breakwood): We’ve been toying with a few different ideas. One of our biggest ones is merch for the label itself. Clothes, artwork, and (hopefully) instruments like synths guitars etc. We’re also looking into starting podcasts and video content. But the possibilities are endless right now.
trtlz: Haha I legit just got so excited about all that.
trtlz: How crazy (in an awesome way) if you have instruments. That would be way cool.
trtlz: I can't wait to see which of these (hopefully all 🤞) work out!
trtlz: I would totally buy some Breakwoods merch
trtlz: Who are the current artists with breakwood records?
Will (breakwood): Currently 8. 4 artists who released music, and then 4 others who are working on their projects who will be announced when the projects are close to ready.
Will (breakwood): The ones who’ve released already are PopCulturePirates, Jordan 212, awfuq, and then myself!
trtlz: I feel so dumb right now. You have your music out? How have I not heard it?
trtlz: Or maybe I have and didn't know? Haha. Your own music I mean.
Will (breakwood): Haha don’t feel dumb! I only have an instrumental single currently out, I’m hoping to release my album at some point in the fall
trtlz: Oh ok! I thought I was missing a whole album or something! But still, where would someone find the single that is out if they were wondering? Haha
Will (breakwood): It’s called “Shoulder Blades” by Will Buchanan
trtlz: Thanks! And if someone wanted to hear the other breakwood artists, is there somewhere to hear that? Or would they just go to each individual artists social media or website, etc.?
Will (breakwood): Funny you should ask! We’re currently making a playlist for all breakwoods artists, and we’ll be posting that pretty soon.
Will (breakwood): And all platforms links are on breakwoods.com
trtlz: Nice! I'll be looking out for that!
trtlz: How does the process usually work with some of the artists not being local?
Will (breakwood): It was originally pretty daunting, but the more we worked, the easier it became. Specifically with PopCulturePirates, it actually worked out pretty well. He has a whole studio setup where he is, and we have one here, which was such a relief. As long as you understand the end goal and keep communications open, it’s hard to screw it up, especially in the age of WhatsApp and Dropbox. It’s a bit tough when schedules don’t align, but it gives us a lot of breathing room to hunker down and do the gritty work.
trtlz: Haha yeah, if only everyone came with their own studio! But that's cool you find ways to make it work.
Will (breakwood): Haha that’s where the passion helps the most!
trtlz: What are some of the projects you've released that you are really proud of and why?
Will (breakwood): Palo Alto, hands down.
Will (breakwood): It’s just such a refreshing take on indie rock that had me excited to work on it as soon as I heard Everything is Forever on their bandcamp page. It’s also the first release we’re putting on cassette, and it’s the perfect album for it. I just got a test copy of it, and it sounds straight out of the 70s.
trtlz: You're so right. I can't even tell you how much I love that album. Well, I guess I kind of just did.
Will (breakwood): So glad to hear you love it as much as we do
trtlz: And I absolutely agree that is the perfect choice for cassette. I almost died when I first heard that was a possibility haha
Will (breakwood): Can’t wait for them to come in!
trtlz: Ya I listen to it just about every day whether it's a portion I've added to a playlist or the actual whole album
trtlz: I could geek out about it for hours. But he had his interview haha
trtlz: Are you currently working on any new projects? Is that something you can talk about at all right now?
Will (breakwood): Well he [PopCulturePirates] has an EP in the works!!
Will (breakwood): It’s currently being written and recorded, so don’t have a release date yet. And then there’s my album, that definitely doesn’t have a release date hahah
trtlz: Aww haha. Well the goal is sometime in the fall for yours, right?
Will (breakwood): Hopefully! But I’ll be releasing 4 cover songs in about a month or two
trtlz: Oh nice! Can't wait to hear those!
trtlz: Do you have any plans to add anything else to the breakwoods collection? Such as events, cool promos, or unique merch ideas?
Will (breakwood): We’re hoping to do more shows, and then we’d like to do a series of YouTube live performances, similar to a Tiny Desk Concert kinda thing.
trtlz: That would be such a cool thing, the YouTube live performances. I'd love to see that!
Will (breakwood): Hopefully it’ll be up and running soon!
trtlz: What do you love most about breakwood records? Are there any challenges that come with it as well?
Will (breakwood): I just love all the directions we can take it, but that also gives us the challenge of prioritizing those directions accordingly so that they’re done well and timely. And inevitably, funds for any kind of independent grassroots label are hard to come by, but with a lot of dedication we’re hoping to change that, so that no new idea is limited by that.
trtlz: For sure. But so far you all seem to be doing an amazing job with it!
trtlz: Are you currently looking to grow? I mean, by adding any additional artists? If so, how does that usually work. Do you tend to seek out artists or do they usually submit something to you?
Will (breakwood): Definitely! We tend to seek them out mostly through bandcamp and just keeping an eye on the local scene, but we’re always welcome to submissions!
trtlz: What about as a team in general? Is the goal to get bigger or do you like where you're at now?
Will (breakwood): We’re definitely looking for a bigger team, the more hands the better. We’re hoping to grow as our funds do. Especially in a creative environment it’s hard to ask talented people to work for pay that doesn’t represent their talents, so we hope to grow enough to be able to pay that kind of wage.
trtlz: Seriously, that's awesome you even think that way. Like so many people feel like just the offer is considered to be a privilege for someone to work for them and don't care about paying something that represents their talent. But for sure I hope to see you grow as well!
trtlz: Again, thank you so much for doing this! I personally found this super interesting so hopefully others, especially some artists out there will feel the same! Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Will (breakwood): I should be thanking you!! You’re a fantastic writer and I can’t wait to see what you do next!
Will (breakwood): Just to stay on the lookout for everything we have coming up, and that we’re always looking for new people to work with!
That's Will with .breakwood records. Be sure to check them out at breakwoods.com and also on Soundcloud https://tinyurl.com/y3bcnyk.