Up-and-coming local Austin indie pop band The Canvas People are a four piece band with breathtaking sounds woven with amazing beautiful harmonies and dreamy melodies. They answered a few questions for us in this delightful interview. Be sure to check them out during the fest!
Will you introduce the members of The Canvas People and what part you play?
Kyle Taylor: Lead vocal/ rhythm guitar
Wes Maxwell: Whaddup, it’s Wes. I play lead guitar and sing harmony.
Luke Williams: Bass/harmony
Pat Epley: I play the drums
Do you have an “elevator pitch” on how awesome your music is and what we should expect at a show?
Kyle Taylor: Polished indie rock, big harmonies, catchy hooks.
Wes Maxwell: We like to describe ourselves as a modern indie rock band that specializes in 3-part harmonies. As far as live shows go, we’re a bit edgier than our recordings make us out to be I think, which makes live shows a pretty cool blend of rich vocal harmony and energetic, moody indie rock grooves.
Luke Williams: Do you have Dog’s Blood?
Pat Epley: You can expect to have a great time at a Canvas People show, like a really great time!!
Since y’all are local what is something outside of the big fest that people should check out?
Kyle Taylor: Music video release at the Mohawk! In June…
Wes Maxwell: We’re planning a big video release party for our new music video at Mohawk in early june that will definitely be worth checking out.
Luke Williams: Definitely a show at the Mohawk.
Pat Epley: The bats man! Go see the bats! Or maybe go float the San Marcos river, get away from it all for a day.
How many time have you seen the bats at the Congress St bridge?
Kyle Taylor: 97 times… Not totally sure, but I can see them fly by from where I work (shout out to Alta’s Cafe!).
Wes Maxwell: Not once, not never.
Luke Williams: Maybe 10
Pat Epley: once, and unfortunately it was just a few bats.
Who are your musical influences and are there any new artists that inspire y’all?
Kyle Taylor: Jeff Buckley, Pavement, Wilco, Grizzly Bear, Radiohead, Fleet Foxes, The Roots, Conor Oberst, Dawes, My Morning Jacket and many more. As far as new(ish) artists go… Big Thief, Car Seat Headrest, Mistki, Whitney, Temples, Lemon Twigs, Julien Baker and probably a lot more.
Wes Maxwell: As far as musical influences, I’d have to say Jimmy Page is numero uno. After that, I’d go with Foals, Kings of Leon, Death Cab For Cutie, Wilco, and Minus The Bear. New artists that I’ve been super into recently are El Vy, Benjamin Booker, and Car Seat Headrest.
Luke Williams: John Paul Jones, Sting, Jim James, Thunder Cat, Sam Cooke, Amy Winehouse, Cake, and my parents.
Pat Epley: my influences are all over the place. I’ve been listening to a lot of car seat headrest and twin peaks lately.
Any artist at the fest that you are going to try to see?
Kyle Taylor: Questlove’s DJ set!
Wes Maxwell: Spoon at the old Emo’s forsure.
Luke Williams: I like to just walk around and discover new artists or maybe catch one I know.
Pat Epley: none specifically, probably wander aimlessly amongst the madness.
How did y’all meet?
Kyle Taylor: Known Wes since elementary in Delaware. Met Luke in San Marcos when he and Wes were gigging in a country band together. Met Pat at Luke’s dad’s house party in Spicewood! I may or may not have fallen asleep on him…
Wes Maxwell: Me and Kyle grew up together back on the east coast, and then moved to Texas after high school, and met Luke and Pat playing around in local country bands. Luckily, they both were looking to step away from country and join a rockier project, plus they both shared the same passionate addiction to bleacher report NFL updates as Kyle and I do.
Luke Williams: Kyle stole us all from country bands.
Pat Epley: I played drums in Luke’s sisters band, met Luke through her, quit her band and joined Canvas People.
Who would y’all love to open for or have open for you?
Kyle Taylor: Would love to open for Magna Carda, Marmalakes, The Deer, Calliope Musicals
Wes Maxwell: As far as locals go, it’d be rad to open for Calliope Musicals, Leopold & His Fiction, The Deer, or Walker Lukens. In terms of dream shows, I would absolutely shit my pants if we ever opened for Foals, My Morning Jacket, or Kings Of Leon.
Luke Williams: My Morning Jacket, Foals, Death Cab for Cutie, or Dawes.
Pat Epley: I would love to open for Radiohead, wouldn’t mind talking shop with those dudes.
Where are the best tacos in Austin?
Kyle Taylor: Pueblo Viejo
Wes Maxwell: Granny’s on E. 7th and Navasota
Luke Williams: Pelon’s
Pat Epley: Ñoños Tacos
Where is the best BBQ?
Kyle Taylor: Valentina’s
Wes Maxwell: La BBQ fasho, they give you free beer, plus the BBQ is bomb.
Luke Williams: Sam’s
Pat Epley: Valentina’s
How many times have you played the festival?
Kyle Taylor: 4 probably
Wes Maxwell: We’ve never been an official artist, but we’ve played unofficial stuff I think four years now.
Luke Williams: 4 times now?
Pat Epley: every year for the last 5 years.
What’s your wildest SXSW story?
Kyle Taylor: Peanutbutter Wolf last year at Empire was a trip. Also, saw Jim James perform his first solo record 3 or 4 years ago, which was unreal. The sax melted me.
Wes Maxwell: A few years back, Damon Albarn from the Gorillaz was putting on a secret official show on a rooftop somewhere downtown. Luke and I happened to be drunk at a show a few blocks away on street level, and heard Gorillaz music playing from the sky, and immediately left the show we were at, and went on a drunken tirade trying to find where the Gorillaz were playing. We found ourselves standing outside on the ground floor of an office building trying to barter with a doorman to let us in to see the set going on above us. To no surprise, our wish was not granted.
Luke Williams: Skyy vodka’s VIP section, Gorillaz, and Cold War Kids.
Pat Epley: I don’t really like to talk about my wild sxsw stories : )
Is there anything else you’d like people to know about The Canvas People?
Kyle Taylor: We are all ENORMOUS Philadelphia Eagles fans. Go birds!
Wes Maxwell: We all have a pretty intense obsession with the NFL.
Luke Williams: Caution: Exposure to Canvas People may cause sudden outbursts of joy, happiness, creativity, awareness, and spontaneous healing. Handle at your own risk.
Pat Epley: We’re really interesting guys, feel free to come chat with any of us after a show or if you see us hanging out
[bbit bandname=”TheCanvasPeople”]