Wesley David has a crazy life story, but he hasn’t let that get in the way of his path to success.
In fact, he uses his life’s ups and downs to shape his unique sounds and ideas. And while that may sound similar to most other artists, as being inspired by your personal life is nothing new- David has a difference. Something that makes him stand out from the crowd.
He is the survivor of a cult.
Channeling his past trauma and lifetime of questions surrounding existence, religion, and fears of the future into a beautifully cohesive and thought provoking album, David is only just beginning his path to success and creating music that will pull at your heartstrings, make you smile, and so much more.
We were fortunate enough to be able to chat with David last week about his new album Never Late Than Better, which officially released this week, and find out what inspired him to keep the music alive, and what he’s spending his time doing during the current quarantine.
You can read our full interview below, and be sure to stream Never Late Than Better, out now.
Second Society Report: First off, how are you doing during this wild year? I know 2020 has taken a toll on all of us so I like to start off by checking in!
Wesley David: YO! Hello SSR and thanks for having me here in online fashion 😀 My tech etiquette might be behind the times, not sure if Emojis are well-tolerated in written interviews. I digress!
I’m doing great, and it’s been one for the ages. We’re going to have to tell future generations there was a year where we shut down the world, they’ll read about it in history books / iPads / their Brainchips but might not believe it. It’s probably amplified all my best and worst tendencies; I can be a little OCD, competitive, workaholic when I get going. But I’m very passionate, and I almost do better when I’m hyper focused, so having the suddenly unexpected time off gave me an opportunity I knew I’d never have again.
SSR: Now I know you’re just a week away from releasing your debut album “Never Late than Better,” on the 22nd. How are you feeling about that being finally available to the public?
WD: I am overwhelmed ! I’m very excited and a bit exhausted, but incredibly grateful for the help I’ve gotten from friends and family through this whole process, and ready to get into the performance stage, even if that’s just live streaming for now.
SSR: What has been the biggest struggle you’ve faced while writing and recording the album entirely during the pandemic?
WD: Loneliness. And it’s something a lot of people don’t like to talk about, and even guys still, there is the masculinity thing where it’s tough to reach out. The album and Netflix got me through it, but it was still a difficult stretch. My only sport is basketball, and the courts were all closed, the parks were closed, the walking paths were closed due to Covid. My sister moved in early summer and the rest of my family is elsewhere, so in a way the recording process was also a way of taking my mind off how lonely I was feeling.
SSR: I know that you have a very unique background- having grown up surrounded by a doomsday cult? How do you feel that experience has impacted your career as a musician?
WD: Well it’s certainly given me a lifetime of lyrical inspiration! In all seriousness, I am grateful every day because once I started to psychologically get through the trauma of leaving the group and losing friendships, I was shot out of a cannon for music. I can be very competitive! I battled a lot of depression growing up thinking I’d never have a chance to follow my dreams; leaving the cult finally paved the way for the life I fantasized about as a kid.
SSR: I’m assuming a lot of music you write is based on that life experience, but if not, what is the biggest source of inspiration for you when writing?
WD: It is certainly one of the biggest sources, and funny enough, before this album I had only touched on it in some songs, albeit a few of my personal favorites. I’d say the other biggest source of lyrical inspiration is the search for identity. I just find it so fascinating. We come into the world, we grow up, we search for ‘who’ we are, we try to hold onto something to make that secure – what if the Buddhists are right? What if it’s really just this ephemeral thing, it’s always changing, it’s just a perception to begin with? That all has been amplified in leaving the cult, so it’s definitely been something I’ve returned to again and again.
SSR: I know that each song off of “Never Late than Better” has a special place in your heart, but which track do you feel the deepest connection to? Why?
WD: It’s a tie between “Beach Day” and “Dusk.” “Beach Day” is a song I wrote, tearfully emotional to the point of almost no return, after a painful experience which turned out to be just another life change, and not so bad after all – but when you’ve been traumatized, sometimes you know you’re being irrational and just repeating an old emotion. I’ve dealt with a lot of abandonment issues, it came out as a way to coach myself through it.
“Dusk” is a precious song to me, I wrote it in Arizona nearly 8 years ago when I was still living there. The time immediately after leaving the cult was bizarre; I was sleeping 10-14 hours a day and going through just crazy states of fear, feeling like God was going to punish me, amnesia, terrible stuff. I met someone who gave me unbelievable advice to go to college, which I wasn’t planning on doing, and to see the world. So eventually I was able to visit London with someone I met, and even go see Oasis in Manchester. I got super sick, ha, but it was an amazing experience and I felt I was able to move onto the next chapter of my life when I got back.
SSR: Which track was the most difficult to write? Why?
WD: Tough one! These are great questions. It was probably “Better Late Than Never” (the title track of the album, reverse happy hour, if ya like). I knew what I had when the chorus melody came out, just the rhythm of it, and the chord structure to the song including the main riff. But it grew to like 7 different parts with some tempo changes, and the latter half of the lyrics took a while to finalize. I couldn’t find a line I liked to tie in with the idea of sleeping, dreaming, and psychedelic experience (topic for another day) – until on one of my ‘pandemic walks’ (every day!), it finally came to me: ‘Dreaming take me sliding past the Ego boundaries somnambulance’
SSR: When writing, what usually comes first for you- the music or the lyrics?
WD: The music. Almost always. I’m a sucker for a great, epic melody and hook. It’s the funniest part to me of the album, that it retains (I hope!) the positive sense of joy in a moving chorus, even while a lot of the lyrics are somewhat deep and dark at times.
SSR: What would you like listeners to take away from your music?
WD: I would be overjoyed if listeners took the same…almost courageous, life-affirming vibe I always got from my favorite bands growing up as a kid, from Oasis to U2 to the Beatles. I take as a point of pride that my songs are a bit 90s-throwback in terms of the writing; I think bands are often shying away from anthemic choruses, and for what reason? You can combine a great chorus hook with deep lyrics, wasn’t that what Rock pioneered in the mid 60s and beyond?
SSR: I know in addition to making music you also own and operate a piano bar. What made you want to pursue that?
WD: The need for money thanks to college debt! Not a Piano bar per se, but a group of musicians who perform traveling shows for parties and events. We actually pioneered taking Dueling Pianos to many bars throughout Arizona, because no one was doing it – we were like the Punk rock, DIY Piano band. It took off and years later, we’re still one of the most popular in the Southwest region. The travel gets exhausting, but, it’s been really fun having a mini-career as a touring musician.
SSR: Where do you hope to see yourself and your career in 5 years from now?
WD: Does on a beach, sipping a Margarita with Instagram models count ? …..Ha, no, I am loving this experience, it was a long, long time in coming, I am actually looking at this as the start. I’d like to do more albums and touring, and eventually songwriting for other artists in LA as well; I was fortunate enough to win a couple of (very) minor Billboard songwriting awards many years ago, I feel confident I could churn out a Pop anthem or two. I actually have my sights set, long term, on a band with an exciting old-school rock ‘n’ roll front person where I could just play guitar and write a lot of the tunes. Not that I’m not exciting, of course. 😀
SSR: Is there anything that we haven’t asked that you’d like to share?
WD: Thanks for the phenomenal questions and the chance to tell my story! The music video for “Ball of Yarn” is out now – it features me dancing in a cow costume (yes, you read that right). Tell your friends/nemesis… Never Late Than Better was a lifetime in the making, I hope people get a chance to check it out and enjoy it.
SSR: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! We look forward to hearing the new album.
You can listen to David’s debut album Never Late Than Better, out now wherever you stream music, and be sure to connect with David via his social media accounts linked below.
YouTube / Twitter / Instagram / Website
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