Wilmette: interview with bassist Ben Emricson
By Abby Paquet
Wilmette is a pop punk band from the suburbs of Chicago. They recently released a new single “Playing Dead“ which will soon be followed by their debut album, due out later this year. Ben Emricson, Wilmette’s bassist, agreed to answer a few questions for us.
MSM: Could you tell us a little bit about yourself ? How was the band formed and where does the name come from ?
Ben: We’re a bunch of guys from the suburbs that love making music. We were all friends who had jammed before Wilmette and loved each others’ ideas and style. The name comes from the town Wilmette, IL, but we are working out a proposal to have the town change its name so there is no confusion.
MSM: Who inspired you to become musicians ?
Ben: We all grew up going to shows, seeing our favorite local bands grow in the scene, especially the hard hitting Chicago based bands like Real Friends, and Knuckle Puck.
MSM: Are there any artists you would like to collaborate with ?
Ben: We recently toured with our friends in the band Chief State, and that was so much fun. We would love the chance to get to play together with them again.
MSM: Where would your dream venue and/or country to play live be and why ?
Ben: The Caverns in Tennessee looks like it would be a really cool place to play.
MSM: How would you convince people who don’t know you to listen to your music ?
Ben: I would tell them about the hidden kitten sounds in our music that I bet you’ll never find.
MSM: What can people expect from your shows ?
Ben: A great time with great people. Our fans are really amazing and they make our shows fun for everyone.
MSM: How do you feel regarding the release of your new single and album ?
Ben: We’re super excited to share what we’ve been working on ! We’ve put a lot of time into making these tracks reflect where our sound and inspiration has been developing.
MSM: Are there questions you wish journalists would ask you but never or rarely do ?
Ben: “Are any of you guys from Wilmette?” No, we’re not.
Abby: What was the first concert you went to ?
MSM: For me, I was 12 years old. I was at the skatepark and a band called Rotten Mouth was playing, people were skating around while the band was playing and it was so much fun. That was when I knew I wanted to play in a band when I got older.
MSM: What is your worst moment on stage ?
Ben: One show, we had an amp break right before our set that set us back like 30 minutes.
MSM: What is the craziest rumour you have ever heard about yourselves ?
Ben: A few people have been saying I look like the bass player from Dance Gavin Dance. I don’t see it.
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PHOTO BY ALEX ZAREK