Freak Mythology is a blues, rock n’ roll band from right here in Cincinnati comprised of Brad Wehlitz, Travis Hanna, Ryan Shephard, and Caroline Joseph. They take music seriously and have been hard at work for five years on their self-titled release set to debut on April 7th at Yesterday’s in Mt. Adams! They recently released a single off of the album entitled, “Headed out.” According to Ryan Shephard, the single, “Tells a story about dealing with the struggles of everyday life, and getting up and doing something about it, synonymous with the concept of the album as a whole.”
We jumped at the chance to get to know Freak Mythology prior to the album release at Yesterday’s!
Give us some background on Freak Mythology…
Brad Wehlitz, Travis Hanna, and Ryan Shephard have known each other since elementary school, and in junior high we all became interested in starting a musical collaboration. We played music with other classmates before, but really formed a bond through the musical chemistry they found with each other. In 2012, we started calling ourselves a band, but it was really just experimental tracks recorded in Brad’s basement. We started with a heavy psychedelic rock sound; something really groovy that made us enjoy playing together. As we got older, the band became a progressively more serious commitment, playing gigs whenever we had the chance, with mostly originals and some covers tastefully sprinkled in. Last year, things really started moving fast for Freak Mythology when we finally perfected our songs and what we wanted to do with their music. We started the professional recording process and added the current bass player, Caroline Joseph, who has been a fantastic new addition to the band. In the process of doing this, we have caught much more attention from their peers as we continued to impress their fellow college student audience.
Tell us about the debut album!
We’ve been working on the material in this album for almost five years now. We wrote the first song in 2012, and made the rest of the songs periodically as the years went by, slowly tweaking, adding, and taking away, until we thought they were ready to record. All of these songs tell a story. We’d like to think of it as a concept album, because it really captures our personal teenage experiences. From feeling tied down and wanting to escape, to finally feeling truly free, and all the experiences in between. We think this album speaks to anyone and everyone, and we really hope that people can relate to it. After a lot of planning during 2016, we sat down with a fantastic music producer, Rick Brantley from All These Sounds, and recorded our full album through a live soundboard. Afterwards we headed to his studio and put in the finishing touches, and just this past week Rick finished mixing and mastering the album. We are more than excited to release our music out into the world, and hope it brings someone, somewhere, something positive.
What can one expect at a live show?
When we play live, not only do we try to have fun, but we aim to bring people together with our music. We want the audience to feel what we were feeling when we wrote the songs, and enjoy listening to our music as much as we enjoy playing it. We want to expand people’s horizons of music knowledge and interest, so we tend to write songs with classic vibes and a modern twist; bluesy vocals, explosive rhythm, intricate drumming, ambient and melodic guitar, and driving bass keep listeners interested and engaged. Bottom line, when people come to our shows, we think they see something different than what they expect, and have a good time because of that.
What is next for Freak Mythology?
After our album release, we’re going to spend our time playing as many shows as possible to keep things moving. This summer, we’d like to begin writing new material for a second album, and expand our live shows from the Cincinnati area to the entire Midwest, continuing to put our message out there.
