Meet Wilson Getchell

We were lucky to catch up with Wilson Getchell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Wilson , thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
Input leads to output. Reading, listening to music, watching movies; learning songs written by others – I find that doing these tasks keeps my own creative engine running.

I also try to be cognizant of when I have a creative burst and take full advantage of it and get to work on writing.

Similarly, if I can sense that the creative juices do not seem to be flowing, I try not to force it. In such situations, I try to walk away from whatever I am doing.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
For the last several years I have fronted the Raleigh-based rock band Thirsty Curses, in which I sing and play guitar and piano.

Thirsty Curses has been active since 2017. Since then we’ve released four full-length albums, along with over a dozen music videos and a handful of stand-alone singles. We’ve also done a fair amount regional touring. Clayton Herring plays bass in the band and is our music video director. Along with myself, Clayton has been been the other mainstay of Thirsty Curses through the years. Jeremiah Rhodes joined earlier this year as our drummer, replacing Evan Miller.

There are a lot of great bands out there these days, and as a result there’s a lot of competition for people’s attention. Our approach has always been to control what we can control, e.g. making content of which we are proud. We figure that if we write and create good stuff, we can’t be ignored forever.

Fortunately, over the last couple of years, it seems like we’re breaking through a bit. So we figure we’ll just keep on keeping on and see what happens.

In July 2023, we released THROUGH THE DAZE, a best-of, vinyl-only compilation of the first four Thirsty Curses albums. The record is available via thirstycurses.com, as well as via Fake Chapter Records. Earlier this year, we also released stand alone singles “Punk Rock Ruined My Life” and “I Never Learn”, which have been warmly received by fans and critics.

We’ve got a few upcoming festival performances, including the Richmond International Film & Music Festival (“RIFF”) on September 21st and the Carrboro Music Festival on October 1st. RIFF will also be screening our music video for “A Baptist & a Rabbi” in festival, which stars celebrity psychic Gary Spivey. On November 11th, we will be performing in NYC at Otto’s Shrunken Head on November 11th as part of Fake Chapter Records anniversary show. We also have a slew of other local and regional shows in the coming months.

In October, I’ll also be releasing an EP of solo material titled This to That. I recorded these songs during a short Thirsty Curses hiatus in December 2022-January 2023. I performed all the instruments on the EP with the exception of guest appearances by Jason Froeber (saxophone), Tee Corbett (trumpet), and Lodge McCammon (cello).

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
If by my journey, we’re talking about being a songwriter, I’d say the three most important things for my development have been having a strong familiarity with rock from previous eras, many years of practice at songwriting, as well as just a strong personal desire to get better at it. I suspect all three of those things have worked in tandem over the years.

When I was a kid, my older brother provided me with an education in rock n’ roll ranging from 1950s through the 1990s. Over a series of birthdays and Christmases, he gave me loads of CDs from each decade including Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, The Who, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Police, Blondie, Bruce Springsteen, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, etc. etc.

Looking back on it, I think hearing all this stuff made me want to become a songwriter and a musician. It also gave me a strong rock n’ roll foundation with which to work. In addition, it got me into punk rock, which I think contributed to a DIY ethos that also has benefited me. Really since then, with the exception of a brief period when I thought I wanted to be an academic, all I’ve ever really wanted to be was a songwriter.

I started writing songs when I was fourteen years old, but I wasn’t any good at it when I started. But over the years I like to think that I have honed the craft a bit (at least I hope!). Also, a lot of the stuff I was writing when I was first starting out was very derivative of others’ work. I’d say it wasn’t really until my early 20s that I started to find my own voice and style, and I’ve further developed that since. A lot of that was just due to time, exposure, and practice.

Also, having made developing my songwriting into a priority, I’ve just continued to work hard at developing the skill. Either way, I think the key to be good or successful at anything is that you have to love and value it. That’s certainly the case for me.

Also, I think with any art form, it’s best to create things for yourself or for some specious force than it is to set out to make something that you think other people will like.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Haha. Yeah, we’re actually looking for a new lead guitarist. You can find our contact via our website or social media.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Leadership Development
Empathy Unlocked: Understanding how to Develop Emotional Intelligence

“Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It’s the impetus

Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Boosting Productivity Through Self-Care

When you have a never-ending to-do list it can feel irresponsible to engage in self-care,