MONDAY MORNING MUSICAL MAYHEM - featuring Wes Hoffman
Updated: Apr 15, 2021
New interviews from people in the music scene every Monday, every week, every month!
Welcome to Monday Morning Musical Mayhem: a brand new series that will focus on musicians, bands, artists, and whoever else in the musical industry that reaches out to us! The goal is help spread the word about people doing rad stuff in the music world? Are you doing rad stuff? Email us at brutalrealitydigest@gmail.com to be featured! xoxoxo
Is it Monday again? Shitty deal but wait! There is salvation! Another rendition of Monday Morning Musical Mayhem is here to save your mood! This week, we spoke with Wes Hoffman - a melodic punk rocker from St. Louis, Missouri: Home of the Blues and the Tkachuk brothers! He has just dropped a brand new single and is back making a ruckus much to the enjoyment of earholes around the globe! BRD caught up with him to hear about his new single, his thoughts on the music scene in St. Louis, and keeping up that PMA!
BRUTAL REALITY DIGEST: Introduce yourself, your band, and your weapon of choice!
WES HOFFMAN: My name is Wes Hoffman! My band consists of me, and my friends, Justin Unterseh, Jacob Boyd, and Johnny Wehner. We’re called “Wes Hoffman and Friends.” I mainly write the music and we come together to play live. My weapon of choice, hmmm... Nunchucks like
Michelangelo!
BRD: What’s the punk scene like in St. Louis?
WH: In my opinion, the punk scene in St. Louis is in revival. Right before the pandemic it seemed like there were a lot of shows and little fests happening. We’ve been lucky enough to play with some good touring bands, and I’m hopeful the punk scene will gain steam once we’re able to play again.
BRD: I've interviewed plenty of Chicago bands, and as Blackhawks fans, they seem to have some choice words for St. Louis and the Blues. Is the feeling mutual or do you not care about
sports?
WH: I do care about St. Louis sports, I’m a big Blues and Cardinals fan. I love the rivalries, but I tend to think it’s all in good fun! I’ve been very lucky to see a Super Bowl, 2 World Series Titles, and a Stanley Cup in my lifetime! I couldn’t ask for more!
BRD: Did you grow up in St. Louis and if so, who were some of your influences as a kid getting
into the music scene?
WH: Yes! I grew up around this area. One band that I really liked was a band from my hometown called Kick In Emergency. They were punk, but emo as well, they had catchy melodies, energetic live show, and incredible guitar work. I always looked up to the legendary bands from here too like Ultraman and Mu330.
BRD: "What's Left Of Me" is your newest single. Can you tell us a bit about the song and what it means to you?
WH: Absolutely! I worked so hard on this song. I wrote it while going through a major transition in my life. I wanted to convey that my past life is no longer for me, and it was time to move forward. I needed to stop and ask myself “where am I? what’s left? where do I go from here?” Musically, I wanted it to hit hard from the start, have a catchy chorus, and a fun breakdown with a somewhat technical punk riff in the middle. I’m really happy with how it turned out and I hope everyone who listens loves it as well.
BRD: The song has a very "Mid-western" punk vibe to it. (in a good way) Any bands in your area you find particularly inspiring right now?
WH: At the time of writing it, I was really into this band called Signals Midwest from Cleveland, and that may have had some influence. But - I’m a born and bred Midwesterner and that’s just how I write. I grew up listening to the bands from around here, specifically The Get Up Kids, and that’s always stuck with me.
BRD: You also spend your time hosting podcasts. How did you get into that and how would you explain your shows to potential new fans?
WH: I started podcasting in 2014 with a few friends. We just loved having long, deep conversations about life, what we want to do with our lives, our hopes, dreams, what motivates us, etc. I’ve always been a deep thinker and love sharing those conversations with others. That’s basically what my podcast “Wes Hoffman with Friends,” is, me talking to bands and friends about what motivates them, drives them or how they stay mindful, present, and practice spirituality.
BRD: You're frequently described online as a "positive punk" How important is PMA for you and how do you plan to spread that outlook to your fellow humans?
WH: Haha! Yes! I’m really big on positivity and PMA. It’s something I live by. I just always try to have a growth mindset, look for the positive in any situation, and look for the lesson. I went through some dark times over the last few years, but two things kept me going: 1. realizing it was temporary, and sooner or later, things would get better and 2. that there were some big lessons to be learned in the midst of all that, even if we can’t see them or don’t know what they are at the time. Having a positive mental attitude is something I strive to practice everyday and want to help others with as well.
BRD: What was the best TV series or movie you watched during quarantine?
WH: So, I had never seen The Sopranos all the way through, so I binge watched the whole series over a couple of months. It was so good! I was in high school/early 20’s when it was released and remember how popular it was, I just never watched it back then because I was too busy, but it’s so good! I also watched The Witcher and really enjoyed that as well as Disney/Pixar’s Soul.
BRD: What are you most excited about as we keep powering through 2021?
WH: I’m really excited about releasing some new music! I’ve worked so hard on these new songs, I can’t wait to share them with the world. I’m planning on going back into the studio to record a few more this Spring/Summer as well. I’m also looking forward to a little traveling/hiking/adventuring with my lady and staying connected with my friends.