Waves Apart: Making A Splash On The Scene
- Ann Schlottman
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
This is yet another story about how I found a band through a friend. This seems to be a regular thing. I guess the saying “great minds think alike” definitely fits when it comes to fans of rock and metal. In this case, my friend Josh told me to check out “the homies” Waves Apart. This was back in March when they had just released their song “Novocaine”. Josh was trying to get support for the band and the song, and since we have very similar music tastes I guess he figured I would be a good one to share them with. He was right! I love this band and their music! I have also enjoyed getting to know them for this story, because they're really nice people, too.
Waves Apart is an example of what happens when two talented musicians who knew each other from touring with previous bands decide they want to create incredible music together. Based in Nashville Tennessee, Waves Apart is: Ryan Johnson (vocals/guitar/bass) and Chris Vest (drums). They will have additional members for live shows, but will keep their core group the two of them.
The band officially launched with their debut single, “Nightmare”, in September 2024. Chris and Ryan had both toured together in separate bands back in 2012-2014. Their previous bands were Framing Hanley and the Chuck Shaffer Picture Show. They remained close friends throughout that time and began playing in another side project around the 2020 timeframe. That was the first time either of them had written music in a while. It felt amazing, and that’s when the ball really got rolling.
Just the two of them began writing sometime in late 2022 or 2023. It started purely for passion, but then they eventually decided to actually release the project into the world. Just to show how truly talented they are, the first song they released, “Nightmare”, was on Sirius XM Octane’s Test Drive, and was later added to the rotation. The Sound 228 is spinning “Novocaine”. Other radio stations have both “Novocaine” and “Ready To Go” in rotation.
The band name Waves Apart definitely has significance for these two men. Ryan moved down to Florida in late 2021, so he and Chris started this project remotely. Ryan would send song ideas to Chris and they'd develop them back and forth, then take trips up to Nashville to fully pull everything together. So the name was born out of how they started creating the music: “sending soundwaves while being apart”. They thought it had a nice ring to it, and it also meant something to both of them in terms of how the music and the project came together.
There are a couple professionals who work behind the scenes with Ryan and Chris on their music: Evan Coffman (producing and mixing) and Troy Glessner (mastering). The overall songwriting process is primarily Ryan and Chris. They explained it to me.
Ryan will typically kick the process off and has a studio at home to build ideas out. He typically does at least 80% of the lyrics, sometimes more, but melodies are pretty collaborative once an initial idea is thrown out. There will be back and forth feedback until they land on "the one". Ryan writes the guitar and bass parts as well, but if Chris has feedback or an idea, they'll modify or tweak parts until they land on the right one.
Chris is the captain when it comes to drums. Ryan will try to program some basic parts to get a feel established in the studio, but as a non-drummer, he might have created something that isn't even playable in real life. Chris brings the feel and vibe that only a true drummer can bring to the table.
Their producer, Evan, has been hands-on in helping them craft their initial draft songs. His contributions range from changes to arrangement, lyrics, melodies, or just general production like synths and beats. Ryan and Chris definitely consider his ear and input highly valuable in fully bringing their ideas to life.
What do I think of Waves Apart’s music? It makes me want to throw cake in someone’s face. (This is a joke. Check out the band’s fun promos on their socials for their newest released song, “Pity Party”. You’ll understand. There’s a link under this paragraph.) But for real, I would describe their music as fun and upbeat, but with relatable topics that anyone can relate to. The songs are about a mix of things either Ryan or Chris or both have been through, or have seen other people go through.
Specifically, Ryan and Chris shared with me that “Nightmare” and “Novocaine” are both really personal - diving into mental health issues that they both experienced. They try their best to treat music as therapy for themselves, sharing their point of view and what they went through. They want people to understand what they felt in that moment, both through the lyrics and the way the music hits. They hope that people can relate and that it provides the same comfort and outlet that it did for them when they wrote the songs. At the end of the day, everyone has been through something, and it can be really impactful for someone to hear that they aren't alone in that.
Musically, the songs are all unique and interesting. The way they are structured is superb. There’s no doubt that Chris and Ryan are experienced, skilled musicians who know how to write songs and piece them together perfectly. You can also tell that they get along and work really well together, which makes them the perfect team for this project. Ryan’s vocals are tremendous, and his range is stellar. Simply put, Waves Apart’s music makes me happy. When my friend Josh suggested that I listen to “Novocaine”, I knew right away that Waves Apart was something special. I have all of their songs on multiple playlists. This is also one of the bands I tell people about when they ask, “What have you been listening to lately?”
As a two-man project that is really just getting started, Waves Apart is very do-it-yourself. Chris does the vast majority of their social media. A lot of what they’ve been doing has been gathering sections of songs and chopping it up for short form content. They would love to make a full music video for a future song, especially if there's a cool concept with it. They have also chatted about getting their debut live show filmed and possibly using that content towards a future video. I give Chris and Ryan a lot of credit on their social media, especially Instagram and TikTok. They are very interactive and are doing a great job putting their music out there for everyone to discover.
Regarding future new music, Ryan and Chris are writing all the time, so, there will eventually be an album's worth of songs. They do acknowledge that it seems like due to most people's attention spans, it might be better to just keep on releasing singles every 6-to-8 weeks or so until they have a full album. For newer fans, they'll say wow, a new band and full album! For fans from the start, they will have the pleasure of never getting bored throughout the course of the year. They have also been toying around with the idea of some remixes (whether that's acoustic or electronic versions) to keep things fresh for those that have been on board since Day One.
Of course fans of this dynamic duo want to know if they’ll be planning any shows in the future. Ryan and Chris told me the goal is to debut live in Nashville sometime in the back half of the year. The primary focus so far has been to continue putting out music. As long as people are listening, they want to keep creating!
Written by: Annie Schlottman
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