Interview: The Homeless Couple, Triumph of the Wild

Triumph of the Wild. Christy (left) Ryan (right)

A couple weeks back I was introduced to an interesting duo by the name of Triumph of the Wild.

The remind me of itinerant blues musicians that just crawl across the United States playing anywhere they can for a dollar, or less.

Music for the sake of music is one of the greatest things in the world to me. 

Even as I age, I still dream of what it would be like playing for different people every night, getting out the maps, and just charging forward and seeing what the USA has...

An exciting life I'm sure, but a hard one....

Glacially Musical: How did you two meet and what sparked the band relationship?

Triumph of the Wild, Christy: Ryan's roommate was a friend of mine, and my friends and I would go hang out at their house often. 

There were usually drinks involved, and I use to like to sing very loudly when drinking. Ryan heard me singing, and came out of his room, and the rest is history.

GM: What were you doing in those five months in San Diego?

TW, Christy: I went through about 5 different jobs in San Diego, and Ryan worked his job from home. We wrote our new album and played as many shows as we could. 

GM: What did your high school guidance counselor tell you that you should do for a living?

TW, Christy: I think I was told to be a teacher. Which is weird, because I'm kind of bad with kids. 

My sister, Heather (who has 2 awesome kids) fears the day that I have one.

GM: Speaking of Education, how did you learn to play such a diverse array of music and instruments?

TW: Christy: Well Ryan is a super hero he made me try the drums, and oh dear it is always a struggle. 

Lets just say I've gotten a million times better then when I started, but I naturally have no rhythm. 

GM: I have a funny story from the night before my wedding regarding kazoos. 

It's how my friends knew to cut me off that night actually, but what made you decide to put a kazoo on some tracks?

TW, Christy: When we went to Memphis, Tennessee we found ourselves in this cool toy store called A. Schwab. 

There was a golden Kazoo in there and I wanted to add an instrument to my collection to compete with Ryan. I figured a Kazoo was my best bet.

GM: What are your tour plans and how do you travel? Hopefully there's a chance you make it as far east as St. Louis...

TW, Christy: Last time we traveled it was by VW Westfalia. 

This year we are in our Revy. A 1972 Revcon motor home, that my Dad, Ryan, and I worked our butts off to get road ready before we hit the road. 

We have a little different style of touring..it's just more like living. We usually stay in the city were playing for a week, gives us a chance to promote, busk, and get to know the local musicians. 

Plus exploring the national parks on our free time is awesome.  Last year we really wanted to make our way through the southern states, mostly because it was winter and they had that crazy freeze in the north. 

This time we want to make our way to the North East and everything in between, including St. Louis, but as of right now the closest we have booked to St Louis would be Columbia, MO. All our dates are on our website and Bands in Town, shows are added every week.

GM: What do you bring with you to pass the time on the long rides?

TW, Christy: I have a journal that I write something in every day. 

We have books, a record player, a little dog named Moose, a recordio and the radio. And of course while traveling, we gain so much new inspiration for writing new music. 

GM: What are your thoughts on the current state of the music industry?

TW: Christy: It is fast, reminds me of bubble gum. Chew, spit, grab a new piece. 

There's a lot of opportunity out there for musicians it just takes the artist to be a marketer, booker, video editor, photographer, social media specialist, recording engineer, salesman, and an artist which can get a little overbearing once in a while.

GM: How are you faring as an indie artist?

TW: I want to say were on the right path. Our awesome fans helped us raise the money needed to get the new album out and even vinyls made. 

We feel momentum and that plus the people we meet keeps us happily going.  

GM: What should we know about Triumph of the Wild?

TW: Our friends call us the homeless couple.