Written by K.L Graham
The band “Yesteryear” is nominated for Best Indie Music Video of the year for
their song “Permanent.”
I got to speak with Kelsey Wells of “Yesteryear” and got her take on permanence,
performance, and even about some of the other videos in the band’s catalog.
On permanence Kelsey says, “Permanent to me, especially while writing this song
really just stemmed from a length of time it takes to get over someone. Somebody
that is "permanent" is someone that will forever be there in some way. Good or
bad, they are permanent.”
The video is full of angst and awesomeness, but there is one image with a red light
rope that is really unique.
“That was all my videographer, Cody Edger. I didn't want to use it at first and
thought it was going to look weird but he insisted. I ended up loving the shots of
the light wire wrapped around me. I think with our "red" based outlook in that
video, it really showed a different way of being "trapped" in a relationship if you
will.”
Speaking of trapped, Kelsey doesn’t want to be trapped in the Hayley Williams
image, but she says:
“I'd be lying if I said Hayley Williams wasn't an influence to me, because she
definitely was. I ran around my living room with a hair brush at 15 head banging to
"Misery Business" so obviously she made some type of impact on my stage
presence at least. In honesty though, it all started with Avril Lavigne. When
"complicated" came on the radio when I was only 8 years old, that was the day I
wanted to be a rock star. Now that I'm 23 my influences change everyday. I study
Ellie Goulding and Purity Ring like it's nobody's business. Although our music is
nothing like those artists, I really look up to them as women in general.”
Kelsey however influenced by other female front woman from her unique tattoos,
(She has a matching tattoo with her mom) to her definition of a front woman:
“It makes me feel important even though there's no difference in being a front
woman or a front man. We are all just human beings singing with a band behind
us. Being a "front" anything to me just means being the singer…. If a lady is
singing in any type of band anywhere in the world then I'm automatically looking
up to them. They are all badass to me, no matter what.”
“Yesteryear” though, is more than just a front woman. With Matt Barnes on
guitar, Chris Barnes on drums and Wyatt Urban on bass, the members create a
synchronized indie sound, that works across the board.
“The writing process is what brings us closer as a team. Creating something,
listening to it and realizing that you created it is a very amazing feeling.”
As for the nominated video, Kelsey says:
“The idea sprung in my head one day while I was driving. I brought the idea to my
videographer and we bounced back and forth on ways to make it "Yesteryear". I
wanted the video to be simple and not too much. I wanted people to understand it
and be drawn to the love vs. hate of it. I know plenty of people have gone through
a relationship that I portray in the video, I wanted what I was thinking in my mind
while writing the song, to come alive. I think me and Cody accomplished that.”
Yesteryear has been together for almost 3 years and according to Kelsey “Saying
that out loud is kinda crazy.”
To see more of Yesteryear’s music videos including their nominated video
“Permanent,” and the gorgeous wolf dogs in their video “Coyote” you can check
them out at www.facebook.com/yesteryearmusic. You can also catch their page at
https://yesteryearmusic.bandcamp.com and on twitter @yesteryear_
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