Rising Stars: Meet Antlerhead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Antlerhead. 

Hi Antlerhead, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
At 21 I was recruited by a band to be their touring guitarist by a mutual friend who introduced us. That mutual friend, Neff, actually plays in Antlered now. Anyway, I began a career touring all over with that band and though I didn’t officially have any responsibilities with them other than to show up and know the songs, I observed a lot of the business side of how that band did a really great job running things at the time. When I stepped away from that group after a few years I decided to start my own band – Antlerhead. I had no money, no following, no “cool points” that followed me after I left that group. All I had was everything I’d learned from those years on the road. 

There’s obviously so many details I could go into but basically, I started this band, it was hard, it sucked. Personnel came and went but I just simply didn’t give up. It took a LOT of time. The right people eventually found me and we have a really positive vibe between all of us. The biggest thing our band lives by is trying to treat everyone with respect and dignity. It’s literally the least you can do for most people. It makes you likable and people invite you back to things or keep up with your music simply because they remember that you were pleasant to be around. The relationships we’ve built in our travels and how we treat others is, in my opinion, a big reason we’ve cultivated such a loyal following – most of whom we’ve become close friends with. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No way has the road been smooth haha. Building anything takes time. We’ve had a lot of member turnover with Antlerhead over the years but if you just keep going and believe in yourself, you will ALWAYS attract the energy you’re manifesting. So no, it has not been smooth. I went from playing huge clubs, theaters, and festivals in my old band to opening as the solo acoustic act in my hometown where hardly anyone would book me and everyone talked loudly during my set. It was depressing trying to get people to take me seriously. Especially at the very beginning when I had virtually nothing to show. Though I can sing and play guitar well, you have to find a way to first get people’s attention, make them care, and then KEEP their attention once you have it. It was an invaluable lesson I learned very quickly. 

Like I mentioned, people come and go. That’s just a fact of life and it can definitely make it hard to build your dream. I got really good at learning to do as much as I can on my own until I met the wonderful band we have now. The entire band were “fans” of Antlerhead before I knew some of them. Our guitarist, Billy, reached out to me bc his friend Kyle (who became our drummer) showed him an Antlerhead music video. Turned out Billy recognized me because 7 years prior our old bands had played a show together in New York. So, he reached out to me, we became friends, and honestly, the rest is history. 

For every D.I.Y. band, money is always a struggle. Everything is expensive but it makes you get really crafty and creative. We’re all adults with regular lives and running a band as a full-time business is hard and takes commitment but we’re all very much in it and have learned to find a way no matter what. We don’t have any sort of funding. We don’t have any representation of any kind. We learn as we go and it’s hard as hell but we kinda live by a “no one’s gonna come save us” work ethic that really opens your perspective and teaches you to work hard for what matters to you. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are an indie rock band based out of Indianapolis, IN, and other than being fun math rock with catchy choruses, I’d say we sorta found our niche with the ex-religious crowds. It’s not something we ever aimed for. It was just something that kinda happened. They say write about what you know and what I know is how it felt to get divorced and then leave the Church. So, I wrote a whole record about that a few years ago, purely as my own personal therapy, and then started doing small tours where I realized divorcees and/or ex-church folk were becoming our main following. At first, I thought it was sad and weird how many people out there were hurt enough to relate to these songs I wrote at the shittiest time in my life. Then the messages and DM’s and general conversations around these topics started flooding in and I realized how wonderfully united our following had become. Maybe it sounds corny or cliche to put it this way but I can’t tell you the amount of comments, conversations, messages we get from people thanking us for our lyrics and how we articulated something that a LOT of people feel so deeply but don’t always know how to verbally express it. It’s honestly kinda bonkers! 

I think our band, talents, writing, performing, etc… all of that is way better now than in 2018 when I wrote our 1st EP called ‘Am I Dreaming’ and I used to feel so insecure about it, but it’s such a wonderful point of pride for me now. And I think for the whole band as well. Releasing that EP really helped launch us into the beginning of this whole thing and we are truly so grateful to the community of fans. 

I don’t think our message is new. I think it’s just so specific and it’s in *our* voice and *our* style in a way that captures people differently than if we were to just scream in a heavy band about how mad we are. No shade on heavy music though. 

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I can’t say that as a band we’ve really had any sort of mentors. Just a large circle of people who believe in us enough to occasionally help connect our network. Networking really is the name of the game in music. It’s cliche but true that it’s “all about who you know” a lot of times. Something that’s worked well for us is social media. It can feel corny but something as simple as replying to someone’s Instagram story or commenting a fire emoji to celebrate someone else’s post is an easy way to casually maintain relationships. We connect with artists, producers, venue staff, fans who share our stuff with others, etc… all the time and those relationships become invaluable. Whether or not you’ve developed a close relationship with those you wish to begin or keep a working with, small BUT GENUINE casual interactions on social media can help build report. Lastly, never be afraid to send an email and shoot your shot. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.antlerheadmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antlerheadmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antlerheadmusic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AntlerheadMusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbE5IBhVa3tLlnwefCt8eEg
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-190209488 

Image Credits
Kristi Swango
Nathan Schwery
Chandler Moyer