THE UGLY ARCHITECT

Half of  Ugly Architect is two beers into a work day, sprawled out on my living room couches as a springtime snowstorm approaches.

LW: Who is in The Ugly Architect?

UA: We are a ragtag group of desperate men with literally no other marketable skills other than making music.

In reality, The Ugly Architect is comprised of four young men, who are working various side jobs to be able to support their passions of performing music.

LW: How did this project come together?

UA: The Ugly Architect started as the solo project of WIll Knudsen and has evolved into the current lineup that includes Thomas Wentz on the lead violin, Robert Shipton playing bass, and Matt Brown, the drummer virtuoso or the boy genius behind the drums, whichever one fits.

Not trying to follow a traditional interview format, I wanted to break the ice. In the past year, The Ugly Architect has garnered an almost cult following in Colorado whilst preparing to release Neon Lights (their first single in two years) and launch a Kickstarter to fund hiring a publicist.

LW: What kind of music were you listening in the past year while writing these new songs?

UA: (William) The past year, I’ve been trying to get back to the roots of my folk music love with artists like John Prine and Townes Van Zandt. The songs I write are very much acoustic sketches that I bring to Thomas, Matt, and Bob for them to give the person the song deserves.

 

 

LW: How much time do you really have to explore new music?

UA:(Thomas) Last year, when William was writing Neon Lights and our other new songs, I had been listening to Andrew Bird and these other virtuoso violinists that my punk-rock past had always kept me from listening to. Learning to associate my instrument with indie rock was a re-writing of my previous ideas. Andrew (Bird) in particular fascinates me because he can write such simple, complimentary lines that are so controlled and fit perfectly into whatever song is playing. Bridging the gap between the strange, avant-garde genres and the brilliant simplicity of some modern music has been the primary goal for me. After 17 years of watching people’s fingers and dissecting their strategy, I am learning to add the meat to the skeleton of William’s songs.

LW: How much of your time is spent working day jobs and how much time is allocated to The Ugly Architect?

UA: As of now, we are unsuccessful musicians. I work full time at a bar. Robert can be found in crawl spaces working construction. Thomas washes dishes and Matt teaches the next generation of musicians how to play. The current music landscape is not yet conducive to making a sustainable living at this level. So we hustle. That said, for all the work that we do at our day jobs, at least equal time is spent writing, practicing, sending emails, and trying to match ambition with financial return. We balance our passion for music with a small-business owner mindset. This is our calling and our start-up, in equal measure.

LW: You are trying to find success in maybe the most crowded industry. In a world full of indie rock musicians, what sets you apart? What is your end goal?

UA: There are musicians I have seen that have blown me away. I’ve seen musicians that made me want to be a better writer, heard songs so good that made me want to quit writing forever. The industry is crowded and ambition is not enough to bring success. I would like to think that the difference is in the way we interact with each other as a band. Our love for the craft, for each other, for playing on stage is not unique but it is special. We aren’t any better than our peers. Some days, we are out of tune and dirty. But we believe that what we can bring to the world is worth listening to and we won’t stop until the fat lady sings. And then we’ll invite her on stage.

Donate To Their Kickstarter : https://kck.st/2HvGKJh

BAND INFORMATION: theuglyarchitect.weebly.com

EMAIL: theuglyarchitect@gmail.com