Getting to Know… Sounds Escape | Interview

In the 498^th Q&A in our Getting to Know… series, we get the inside scoop from Auckland-based multi-instrumentalist Logan Wedgwood regarding his instrumental project, Sounds Escape. 

Intriguing, Logan Wedgwood.  The Auckland-based multi-instrumentalist is the brainchild of the instrumental project, Sounds Escape! In response to our first burning question, Wedgewood adds, “There is no singer telling you what to think or feel – the music is just vibes and feeling, and many people find themselves falling into the music without realizing it.” We get the inside scoop on Sound Escape’s genesis, goals, musical influences, and current and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into Getting to Know… Sounds Escape: Interview No. 498!

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For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes you distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

My (Logan Wedgewood’s) musical project is unique because it makes you feel something – with just instruments. And classic rock instruments no less. There is no singer telling you what to think or feel – the music is just vibes and feeling, and many people find themselves falling into the music without realizing it.

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Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did Sounds Escape begin, and what were some of your goals or visions early?

The truth is I had no goals, and I fell into the project. I had not been a musician for about 10 years. I had kids and a business, and life just changed. Touring didn’t fit anymore. Then COVID happened, and I started playing guitar (I was a drummer previously). I wrote “The adventure” on my first EP, Voices. My wife heard it and paid for me to record a song for my birthday. Then I discovered I could make my own music, not just play drums for others, and I haven’t looked back. The music just keeps coming out, and I keep recording it. My dream (not a goal) is to have someone discover my music and use it in a key moment in their film. Fingers crossed it reaches the right person.

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Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or perspectives changed since you first started? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

I will just keep making the music I want to make, and if people like it, great. I am lucky that I have a setup at home where I can make music easily until the point when I need to record it for release. As long as I enjoy writing and making it, I will keep making it. Commercial success doesn’t matter to me.

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Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences, and how are they influential?

It changes by instrument, genre, and mood. But John Frusciante, Nirvana, John Mayer, Chad Smith, Gene Krupa, Rage against the Machine, Tool, Third Eye Blind, The Rolling Stones, Cannons. I just really like music that has guitar.

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Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

When I was in my teenage years, I was playing the drums on a tour, and one of the shows was a show in support of anti-bullying campaigns in schools. This particular school was an all-girls school, and it had more than 1000 students. When we finished the show, they stormed the stage, stole bits of my drums, sticks, tore half our clothes off (Shoes, wrist bands, shirts, etc.) and we had to be protected by security and escorted off the school grounds safely. We couldn’t get our gear back until well after school finished. I didn’t know teenage girls could be so dangerous!

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To this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

That’s a tough call. My favorite first one is “The Adventure” off my EP, Voices. “Lullaby for the Lost” off my first album, Midnight Drive, would be my favorite from that one, and my favorite song on Electric Love would be “Almost Sexy”, or “The Dark Side of Melody”. They are both really musical, have a lot going on in them, and I just had to work really hard on them to get them right. The dark horse is a track called “Shimmer”, which is just one take on one guitar, then two dueling pianos (I played one, and my producer, Danny, played one), and there is just something about it – I don’t think anyone has ever written a song like it. But it isn’t to everyone’s taste.

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Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left-of-center we should know about Sounds Escape? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

I am a business owner, an athlete, a surfer, and a father. I’m not great at anything, but my friends hate me because they say I am good at anything I try, but never the best. So, I am kind of an unskilled broad generalist that isn’t memorable for anything 😊.

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What is ‘Sounds Escape’ currently working on or promoting that you can share? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

My new album, Electric Love, is my latest release. I have a track that I recorded in those sessions that didn’t get finished for the record. I don’t know what to do with it – I think it might be amazing. Or people really won’t like it. I need to decide what to do with it, and I could send you a sneak peek.

Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward.

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Getting to Know… Sounds Escape: Interview No. 498 [📷: Sounds Escape]

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