Review Fix Exclusive: Will Powers Talks Debut EP And More

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Will Powers, who discusses his origin in music, goals for the future and debut EP.

About Will Powers:

Will Powers is the brainchild of songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer Oli Palkovits. Following his 2017 self-release, Flowers of Atacama, Powers moved to Montreal, where much of the material that would become the Will Powers’ debut EPs was written. Having since moved back to Sudbury, ON, he is currently working on several albums with members of Murder Murder and Tommy and the Commies.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Will Powers: I have this vivid memory of being on a road trip, age 4 or something, and getting annihilated by my first ever listen of “Money For Nothing”. I was floored. From there I think my body just led me unconsciously to where I am now, always chasing that feeling. I began playing guitar around 7 and then writing at 14 before starting our first band in highschool, Telecolor (still active, check them out). Our school had a specialized art program, and through that we met tons of amazing artists, some of whom I still play with now. Those times and influences provided some seminal experiences that, at least for me, cemented the trajectory. From there I was introduced to the rest of Sudbury’s beautiful, eclectic arts scene and kind of just found my spot.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Powers: I’m not sure I’ll ever pin that down. I rely a lot on impulse, I guess? Seldom does it feel controlled. I usually start by playing guitar, something comes out, I’ll follow it around to see where it wants to go, and if I like where it’s leading me, I’ll commit. If not, it goes in the 1001 voice memos folder. I write pretty slowly, and I rewrite the same parts over and over again until they’re exact. Same with the lyrics. Often need to let all that stuff simmer for a while, to let the right words and patterns reveal themselves. And then again, replay, replay, replay. A more methodical process would probably have a more reliable outcome, but that isn’t necessarily what I’m after either. I’m always trying out new approaches and most often I don’t really know what I’m doing.

Review Fix: What inspires you?

Powers: Novelty, nature, people, mortality (sounds a bit same-old but it is what it is). Everything out there has something to provide if you give it the time of day, and if you’re keen enough to inquire. Paradoxically, boredom can be just as potent, but too much of any one thing leads to staleness. It’s important for me to keep moving and exploring, maybe to a fault – my band can probably vouch for that. But variety is crucial. For better or for worse I spend a lot of time daydreaming too. Often yields surprising results.

Review Fix: What does music mean to you?

Powers: Music is strange. Something vibrates, and then you feel something. What? We can communicate with everything in the universe in this unfakeable, instinctual way via resonance. It’s an undeniable force. Two black holes can collide and make a gravitational wave. You can look it up and listen to [a sonically processed version of] that. That’s music.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Powers: An imitation of two black holes colliding? I never know how to answer that. It’s like asking, “what does x colour look like?” to someone who’s never seen it. Except it’s a colour you invented out of thin air and you yourself have a hard time seeing. Explaining music never really seems to fulfill.

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Powers: Playing live to me was terrifying for a long time and I still can’t say I’m all that comfortable up there. I love the energy of the music happening in the room at that moment, but crafting songs and producing them has always been more my thing. Working in the studio is basically just an extension of that. That being said, I wouldn’t want my live shows to sound just like the records. They’re their own thing. They have the potential of opening up an entirely different atmosphere for the audience. It can be an entirely new interaction every time, and I think treating it as such is a good way to keep that staleness at bay.

Review Fix: What inspired your latest single?

Powers: It really happened spontaneously. The riff appeared out of nowhere and I held on to it, chisling it out until it became the song it is now. I suppose the presence of a dear friend is what catalysed the whole thing (the riff came as we were jamming) and were it not for that twisted night it wouldn’t exist. So the lyrics reflect that sense of intertwined inspiration happening through and with each other. None of this could have happened on its own. I guess it’s important to note that a major theme of these records is: you aren’t necessarily what you make, and what surrounds you makes up a greater part of who you are than what you might assume. It’s not about clarity, that’s for sure.

Review Fix: What’s the Ontario music scene like?

Powers: Ontario is chock-full of talent. Call me biased, but some of the best music in the world is made here. Most people I assume aren’t all that familiar with bands outside the GTA, but there is incredible music being made up here in the boonies too. Cultural and geographical divides are narrowing now, with social media and the internet exposing us all to each other. The more remote scenes are now able to connect and influence each other in novel, immediate ways. This is huge considering the distances between separating cities here, especially up north.

Everyone used to say Sudbury was 5 years behind everyone else. Before long we’ll be 10 years ahead. Kidding. Let’s all grow together, yah?

Review Fix: What has it been like to work with Murder Murder?

Powers: Those boys are haywire. Lovely bunch. I learn a lot from them, as much what to do as what not to do. I met them in 2017 and began playing with some of them for my first release, Flowers of Atacama, which was a significant and encouraging step for me as a musician. I look up to them a lot, cause commiting to a band and to that lifestyle is daunting especially being from Sudbury where the industry isn’t as bustling as, say, erm, Toronto. They put in the work. They’re the real-deal. Since then MM have gone on hiatus, which is partly why we were able to regroup and spend more time on these songs, for which I’m really grateful. They’re a major source of inspiration and confidence when it comes to pursuing this craft and I’d be far more wayward without them. I mean, I’m still pretty damn wayward, but their company sure is nice. Thanks fellas.

Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2020?

Powers: Survive.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Powers: On to the next one!

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add? 

Powers: Just Love.