‘Not just a local band.’ Tri-Cities group grows fanbase while recording second album

There’s a difference between a bar with live music and live music at a bar. As crazy as it may sound, the two concepts have different meanings and are associated with different atmospheres.

A bar with live music is a social place first and foremost, with an added component of music in the background. It’s not the reason people show up, but it adds to the overall vibe. Live music at a bar is about the music, when an establishment serves as a venue first and foremost.

Since their creation a few years ago, indie band easyday has never been the former – always striving for audience engagement and a memorable experience for the fans at their shows. They refuse to blend into the background.

Their dedication is seen through everything the band does. The four young men with significant ties to Tri-Cities, Chase Krank, 21, Luke Vesely, 21, Griffin Durham, 20 and James Bruce, 21, have kept the band’s momentum growing from the jump, and are maintaining that streak now as they record their second album.

easyday (the name is intentionally lower-case) anticipates this album will be released around late spring or early summer. In the meantime, their newest single “Dreamweaver” comes out March 25 on music streaming platforms and can be pre-saved using the band’s website.

The band is also scheduled to perform in this year’s Get Down music festival, Tri Town Get Down, which takes place June 7-9.

easyday in the studio

For easyday’s first album, “In the Beginning,” things looked a lot different. It was recorded by Chase Krank and Luke Vesely, in Krank’s bedroom. The piano-heavy album was created entirely by the duo and released in March 2022.

By their second album, for which a name has not yet been decided, the band doubled in size, with the addition of James Bruce on drums and Griffin Durham on bass. They say there’s hardly any piano in album two, because their sound has expanded so much that it’s no longer a necessary component. The four guys create, practice and get the feel of a song in their jam space, and when ready, take it to their official Tri-Cities studio space for final recordings. The studio was built in Krank’s basement, allowing for a private easyday-only recording space, with all the equipment they need.

This additional space makes a huge difference, both in mentality and product, according to the band. Vesely says they really appreciate having both spaces, one dedicated to catching ideas and one dedicated to executing those ideas in a professional setting, creating a polished final sound.

“This album is a huge learning experience, we’re learning something every day,” Durham said during a recent interview with the band.

Krank and Vesely said it feels like an entirely new band at times, that they have a lot fewer restrictions now. They noted how different their latest songs would sound if only the duo had written them.

There are many bands attempting to make their mark, in Washington and across the country. But a willingness to learn, grow and work are not always implemented. easyday says they are one of the best bands in Tri-Cities simply because they put in the work to be the best.

They make this claim based on the audience response to their packed shows, nearly 11,000 streams on Spotify across 36 countries in 2023, continued growth and other factors.

easyday’s songwriting process

With an indie sound that implements different subgenres in each track, this album both expands on their 2022 album’s sound while showcasing how much they’ve grown since. The first two singles have different influences, one with Blink-182 inspiration and one more psychedelic and calming, but both fit nicely into the band’s repertoire.

The majority of the album is written, the band says, with only finishing touches left to perfect before recording.

Each band member writes their own part for every song. As ideas form, they’ll play through it together, tweaking their own role as they go. The band will plan a song’s general structure together, and after that, it’s up to each individual to fully form his part.

Vesely says that they each find inspiration in different ways, and it’s important to easyday to respect each band member’s creativity and allow them to create in their own way.

“It’s such a vulnerable and creative experience, you can’t stifle someone else’s work process because we all process those emotions very differently in order to play our part,” Vesely said.

In fact, Krank was much more of a perfectionist for the first album, tweaking every minor detail over and over again. But with the band’s growth, he’s been better able to accept when a song is ready for recording, believing when the other three say it’s done.

“We all contribute, and I trust them,” Krank said.

The band posits that half of them tend to think and analyze their way through songwriting, while the other half tends to rely on their body’s natural responses. Vesely and Bruce say they know they’re done writing a song when it just keeps coming out the same way, it’s never a conscious decision for them.

Bruce says this gives the band an edge, to have both dynamics coming together to write each song. As the drummer, it’s a very kinesthetic response, and he knows a song is right when his body doesn’t hesitate. When he’s playing, his mind turns off — but half of his band is the opposite, with their minds turning into high gear while they play.

All four men are lifelong musicians, with varied experiences and inspirations. There are some common threads between each of their music tastes, but it’s the individual influences coming together that really becomes the easyday sound.

Thus far, two songs are fully recorded off the upcoming 12-song album, and only a handful still need additional writing.

The process of creating an album

That said, the majority of the songwriting is done, so what’s left?

A lot. The band does demos of their fully- or mostly-written songs, then listens back to see what needs to be done before recording in studio. Studio sessions are followed with hours of mixing and producing the song. With limited options for Tri-Cities talent, the members of easyday opted for a popular alternative — building a home studio.

Beyond that, they discuss all band details at great length. They’ve had hours of discussion on the album’s song order, which singles to release and when, album and song titles and much more. Not to mention paying attention to their social media presence and public perception, constantly planning content and looking at their analytics. It all goes into the estimated 60 hours per week the foursome spends on band-related work, on top of their regular lives as employees and students.

It all comes full circle, impacting their fans, their sound, their live performances, everything. They spend time working on each minute detail because when it all comes together, it’s something the audience can pick up on. That’s why with each performance, there is a surge of listeners and fans when easyday takes the stage. The audience picks up on their energy and gives it back, without fail, at every easyday performance.

“That’s our goal,” Bruce said. “We want people to be able to connect with the four of us and see that as a cool, positive energy.”

Especially in the age of digital streaming, easyday puts extra emphasis on audience connection, whether it’s online, in their music or on stage.

“We’re trying to save band culture, basically,” Krank said.

Why put in so much time?

Putting in an estimated 60 hours per week for a band, on top of working, going to school or both is no small task. So why do it? Why put in all that extra work and dedication when it could be much more hands-off?

Bruce says they all have the ultimate goal of growing the band, growing the audience, getting to a point where they don’t have to work so hard. Whatever they have to do to make easyday the most successful, they’re going to do it.

“All we care about is taking every opportunity, and every open door that we can to continue to better our band,” Bruce said. “It’s not about where we’re playing, when we’re playing, who we’re playing for, how many people are there, how much money we’re making, none of that. All we’re trying to do is make ourselves better and bring a good time to the people who are there.”

This mentality is deeply ingrained in all four band members’ mindsets. The two goals behind every show are to grow the band, and to deliver for the audience.

As lifelong musicians, Vesely noted how each of them have become far too familiar with phrases like “turn it down,” “you’re too loud,” “time to stop,” and the like. But when they play a show, Bruce often reminds them all they’re about to play for a room full of people who want to hear every second of it, people who paid money to attend, who might have been looking forward to the show all week. This only motivates them further to put on the best show they can.

By engaging with the audience, making every show a full experience, with set lists and physical prints handed out at shows, easyday is growing its connection with its listeners. Giving people a human connection to reflect on while listening to the band’s music later on is important to these four, as it’s been a relevant factor in some of their favorite artists.

“When you treat yourself like a small band, that’s how you’re perceived by the people who listen and follow you,” said Vesely. “But you also get that same experience when you treat yourself like a large band.”

“We work so hard to culminate that public persona, as we’re not just a local band, because we don’t want to be treated like a local band,” Bruce said. “We’re not a local band. We’re a whole show. Local bands stay local.”

easyday’s music is available on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.

This story was originally published March 12, 2024 at 5:00 AM.