BY KAT H. WENTZELL
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE READY SET
Let’s go back to 2010. Ke$ha is waking up with a bottle of Jack, Ludacris’ chick is bad, and Rihanna just wants someone to make her feel like the only girl in the world. You tap into your iPhone to launch fowl at green pigs in Angry Birds during the commercials of Jersey Shore. Little kids all over the world are going mental for Disney’s latest animated flick, Tangled. Life is pretty good, and there is another talented individual that can be credited for this year’s iconic status: The Ready Set.
Jordan Witzigreuter, also known as The Ready Set, is a singer, songwriter, and producer from Indiana. In March of 2010, Witzigreuter dropped his debut single, “Love Like Woe,” a catchy pop anthem that instantly became a classic. The song peaked at #1 on Billboard’s “Heatseekers” song list and #27 on Billboard’s “Hot 100.” Witzigreuter’s face and quintessentially “emo” fringe could be found in almost every form of pop culture media at the time, from advertisements on MTV to posters in J-14.
Since “Love Like Woe,” Witzigreuter has released a few more smash hits (“Young Forever,” “Life in Pink”) and was even featured on a few Pop Goes Punk records. He also started a side band and dyed his hair funky colors once or twice. There is no telling what The Ready Set will do next, but we’ve got some intuition... or maybe we’re just superstitious.
You recently signed to Hopeless Records. What was it like producing your most recent full-length record, I Will Be Nothing Without Your Love, with them?
Witzigreuter: "I was with Hopeless for about a year and it was great! I had already been working on IWBNWYL for a while before I signed, so the process [with the company] was pretty much just wrapping up the production and writing, and then handing the songs over. It was very much entirely in my hands on the creative end, which I loved. I think that opened me up to a lot more potential of what I could make TRS."
IWBNWYL comes off very raw and honest. What was the writing process like for this album? What were the driving influences of the record?
Witzigreuter: "[IWBNWYL] definitely is; that album was written during a somewhat odd transitional point in my life where I wasn’t exactly sure what I was really doing. It’s the culmination of a lot of wasted time and poor decision making, but ultimately an important step. The driving influences were fairly personal and real to me, more so than on previous records. [I was influenced by] a lot of happy tropical sounds too, which I thought were cool to offset the slightly sadder lyrical themes [of the album]."
Your debut single, “Love Like Woe,” came out eight years ago. How has The Ready Set changed and/or evolved since then?
Witzigreuter: "I think I’ve just gotten better overall at writing, producing, singing… all of it. I made that song when I really didn’t know what I was doing; I was sort of just making songs, seeing which ones people liked, and going from there. Since then, it’s all definitely become a much more calculated process, but I often find myself trying to get back into that headspace where [the process] is entirely pure and new."
What TRS song(s), whether it/they be from a past album or from the most recent one, would you recommend to someone that has never heard your music before? Why that/those song(s)?
Witzigreuter: "I think I’d recommend one of the newer ones--probably 'Life in Pink' or 'No Halos.' I think they both sum up the different ends of the project to me, lyrically, melodically, and sound-wise."
What are a few of your favorite memories as The Ready Set?
Witzigreuter: "[There are] too many to count… I think the earliest tours stand out a lot to me: cramming seven people into a hotel room, playing to tiny crowds, but feeling that something was growing, and that the potential was there. I think I’m always chasing the feeling of growing momentum, and things feeling new and on the brink. That’s the most valuable thing to really make sure you take in."
You mentioned on your Instagram that you have written and produced music for other artists (Lindsey Stirling, for example). What was that like? Do you see yourself doing more work like that in the future?
Witzigreuter: "The song with Lindsey was great! Making a Christmas song in the summer is always odd and cool. I’ve actually been doing a lot of production for other artists; it’s a good chunk of what I spend my non-TRS time doing. It’s definitely become more and more of a focus for me, while also definitely inspiring me to do more of my own stuff."
What is Nekokat? Why did you create it, and where do you see it going? Will there be any new music/live shows coming from Nekokat soon?
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE READY SET
Witzigreuter: "Nekokat is the other band I’m in with Jess Bowen (from The Summer Set) and Cameron Walker, whom I write with for tons of other projects, including TRS. We’ve been slowly putting out singles and EPs over the past couple years, but I think we’ve got some really really cool stuff coming out soon. We’d love to get on the road with that project and see what happens; we’re all super passionate about the music."
Will The Ready Set be releasing a record anytime soon? What can fans expect from TRS in the future? Are there any important upcoming dates/events that fans should know about?
Witzigreuter: "I’m not sure about a full length TRS album right now; I’m in the process of finishing up the second EP that coincides with the most recent one I put out, 'V1.' 'V2' is maybe halfway done, so once I finish that, we’ll see where my brain takes me. Most likely a full album will result!"