Pepperwood – Worth the Mess

The key question behind Worth the Mess from Pepperwood is exactly the same one I asked myself when I created headphonik. I personally do not know any artist, in any discipline, who did not ask themself the following question at least once in their artistic lifetime: is it worth it? You simply must have doubts when you do things with passion, that’s it guys, accept it and you’d feel better. There is only one undoubtable thing in the world, and that is clicking on this link when you want to hear a great piece of indie rock! So put your headphones on and start cleaning up your mess!

Do you really think Edvard Munch never asked his friends “Guys? Are you sure it’s not too emoji-like?” when he painted The Scream? Of course he did! Come on…
What do you think John’s reaction was when Paul made him listen to Blackbird after composing it?
He said, “What? Another song in G major?”. To which Paul simply replied, “Are we guitarists or what?”.
We all have doubts. Even guitarists.

Pepperwood said to headphonik about Worth the Mess: “[this song] explores that moment you realise that it’s not going to work out but you’re in deep and want to see it through to the bitter end. What started off as a very specific moment in one of their relationships quickly became an overarching metaphor for the band as they experienced the struggle of artistry. Through goodbyes and line up changes, hiccups in the recording process, and long drives out of state to net negative gigs, they found themselves stretched thin. But every time they take the stage they’re reminded that the whole ordeal is worth the mess.”

How true is that? Sorry if I crushed a myth here, but, let’s be honest guys, we probably won’t perform at the next Super Bowl half-time… ever. However, I don’t know about you, but on my side, as a musician, I prefer to feel that synergy with the audience playing a song live, rather than pretend I’m flying on huge dominos.

The little sound-engineered trick at the start of Worth the Mess really made me think I was there, in the same bar Pepperwood was performing. If I had closed my eyes, I could have heard myself scream at the end of the song, “Zach, next beer on me!”
Seriously, I love this song.
I mean, structurally, it’s perfect. Driven by a great Alan Bonk on drums and an awesome Tyler Owens on bass, the rhythm is a pure delight, constantly evolving between syncopation, rock or even jazz for a short period of time at 2:33! The guitars’ sections of Zach Wyatt and Andrew Cantrell are also so complementary (in sound and play), setting a special atmosphere in every part of the track.
I even like the few notes on the keyboard which are supporting the melodic line in the first verse!
If you add to that another great performance of Zach on vocals (and amazing backup singers, well done guys!) and an incredible mixing and mastering of the single, you soon realise Pepperwood delivered a prodigious piece of indie rock with Worth the Mess.

I’m telling you, stay tuned and keep an ear out because that Pepperwood band is reaching great heights! We have already published, on headphonik, their songs San Francisco and Cup of Tea but I’m sure there will be more to come!
Oh and… good news! Their new EP called Not Anymore is to be released on March 24th!

Since Worth the Mess has been recorded, Pepperwood has changed its line up though: Zach and Tyler are now accompanied by Caleb Elder on lead guitars and Hunter Curry on drums.
If you are in Nashville – Tennessee (USA) this Wednesday March 8th, you must go to the Cobra and watch Pepperwood performing live!

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More information

🎧 Released in 2023.

🎧 More from Pepperwood: https://spoti.fi/3tRe5oz
❤ Follow Pepperwood on https://www.instagram.com/pepperwoodband

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📷 Background image: Photo by Erik Mclean (thank you!)
https://unsplash.com/fr/photos/munBJq3Bpg0

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About headphonik

We are musicians and to help unknown or “less” known artists to promote their art, we became curators, so we curate and explore the web to find what’s really good and probably underrated in independent music.
Enjoy and take care.

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