Conversations with Will Newsome

Today we’d like to introduce you to Will Newsome.

Hi Will, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
There was always music in the house growing up. Dad was a lifer in the Army, a music lover, and would occasionally strum some chords his military buddies had shown him on an acoustic guitar that would sit in the corner. Mom would sing to my brother Ken and I all day while dad was at work, or while dad was away on week long military exercise drills. She would sing along to every Loretta Lynn record she owned, as well as some of her gospel records. Mom acquired a natural gift early on, losing her mom when she was only 17 years old she used music as a means of therapy (unknowingly). Years later I would learn all too well how to do this for myself.

Life as military brats found us moving every 3 years. Born in Junction City, KS (Ft Riley), heading to Schweinfurt Germany, Ft Hood TX, Frankfurt Germany, and finally moving to Columbus, OH in 1984 when dad retired from the military. In a nutshell dad was an alcoholic drill SGT, abusive towards mom in many ways, and the older I got the more I realized just how much. Mom was a churchgoer, had us reciting Bible verses and in church multiple times weekly. Looking back, this was my literal Yin Yang.

I grew up as the fat (husky) kid, my brother Ken was always skinny. Early on I had an affinity for Elvis movies, The Bee Gee’s, Chuck Berry, Motown, The Beach Boys, Wolfman Jack, Star Wars, and had a huge crush on Olivia Newton John. We had a rose bush out front of our place in Texas, that feeling of an innocent crush on a girl at elementary school and taking her roses was everything.

Music was always a given in my life, picking up the acoustic guitar and learning what mom and dad knew, then getting a cheap organ for Christmas one year, and then a cheap set of drums (the type with the paper heads) the next year when I turned 7. Ken (now 5 years old) ended up beating on the drums, which made him happy, so I paid more attention to the guitar. When I was 9 years I had my first guitar lesson with a teenager who lived across the street in Germany. Thinking back he was probably 15-16 years old, and re-introduced me to KISS records as he was teaching me the riff to “Pretty Woman” and a basic beginner bar chord version of “Smoke On the Water”.

Once in Columbus, OH I was spending time learning guitar by ear. My musical tastes were all over the place for being so young, to this day thanking my folks for that. Run DMC, Marvin Gaye, Bryan Adams, Prince, MJ, Bruce Springsteen, Tears For Fears, KISS, Chuck Berry, Motley Crue, Twisted Sister, Eddie and the Cruisers soundtrack, James Brown, The Beach Boys, and Van Halen!!!

Fast forward a couple of years and I’m spending hours a day playing the guitar. I would go on to take a handful of formal lessons with Jerry Loos and Rob Johnson, while continuing to learn by ear and watching live concert footage. Another year later and I needed a drummer!! Thankfully it was close to Ken’s birthday so I begged mom and dad to get him a set of drums. He had shown some interest in trying the drums on a serious level after playing the snare in school, and so the seed was planted.

By the time I was 16 (and 14 respectively) we had recruited some school friends and were playing backyard parties, playing as much as possible and rehearsing after school. A neighbor heard us rehearsing one weekend in the garage during the summer and was surprised at how good we were at such young ages. That turned into us performing at a school function and then a couple of bars. We thought we had made it!! We made plans to buy a van and as soon as we graduated high school we were heading to Los Angeles, CA!!

Our father was diagnosed with Cancer in January of 1991, and life as we knew it took a drastic turn. I quit high school to take care of him while mom worked and Ken went to school. Life for the next 9 months was like a fever dream. Ken and I booked rehearsal time on his birthday a month or so in advance, with our father passing away on October 2nd. The funeral fell on October 5th…Ken’s 16th birthday. After the funeral he and I went to the studio and let it all out while playing music together and bonding closer than ever.

The next couple of years found us rehearsing but struggling to find other people our age that were dedicated and that fit musically and personality wise. Ken got the opportunity to join another band, so he gave that a go for a while as I went down the path of instrumental guitar and giving guitar lessons at a local music store. Ken was then asked to join another up and coming band that had just moved to Columbus, with a promising outlook ahead for them. During the next several years Ken’s band ‘Victim’ started doing really well and garnering national attention from bands and labels. I was still unable to find something I fit into, so ended up playing bass in a band called ‘Binge’. Within a month we had a whole new set of songs written and started performing shows with ‘Victim’. It was during these next couple of years that we would share the stage while in different bands, but opening for bands such as Stuck Mojo, Sevendust, Machine Head, and Life of Agony, to name a few. Playing venues such as The Alrosa Villa and The Newport was definitely next level, and only made me want to find my voice even more.

In the late 90’s both of our bands were offered the chance to go on various tours, but neither band wanted to take the chance. It was then that Ken and I decided it was time to once again be in a band together and take our time finding our sound. After almost a year and still not being able to find a vocalist we felt fit I decided to take on vocal duties. Months of vocal lessons taught me proper technique, but the psychological aspects of growing up in an abusive home had me hating the sound of my own voice. By May of 2000 we had the band together, had the songs, and it was the first time I would take the stage as “frontman” of the band. I was overweight, depressed, and insecure, but really good at putting up a front. Back then we would videotape shows and watch them like NFL footage to critique our performance…I was mortified at what I looked like!! The very next day I called the closest gym and joined, and within less than 2 months started working out with a world class personal trainer. Mike Davies and World’s Gym changed my life!! Within a year I lost over 100 pounds and several years later became a personal trainer myself.

From 2001-2010 Ken and I lived out our dreams of writing, recording, and performing together. Local shows turned regional, supporting national acts once again and then showcasing for major labels in New York and Los Angeles, all while playing shows across the country wherever we could get booked. These years offered up high stress, high stakes, and lots of carrot dangling by the powers that be within the industry. ‘This Day Forever’ found its stride between 2008-2010 as we started getting more interest with the help of UVT Entertainment in Los Angeles. Every 3-4 months we would plan a 30-40 day fully independent tour cycle, with the anchor gigs being the showcases in NY and LA. We’d all put our lives on hold, pitch in $3,400 to cover fuel charges, load up on packaged foods, baby wipes and disinfectant spray, spending hours in the van driving to the next gig, then retiring to the van to sleep each night. After the fifth or six time you’ve showcased for labels, all telling you that they’re interested, that you’ll be the next big thing but they just don’t know how to push you since you don’t sound like what’s trending….it’s fucking DEFEATING. But remember, don’t quit, keep going. As if we were pulling cash from a money tree at home and weren’t going back to threatening notices of car repossessions or just a missed payment away from eviction. This was reality for many years, and then we struck a production deal with a Grammy producer late 2010.

We ended up working with producer Malcolm Springer (Faith Hill, Matchbox 20, etc) on a production deal which was setup to be beneficial for all involved, but within less than a week of getting to his studio our 10 year “Overnight Sensation” run had come to an abrupt ending due to substance abuse and inflated egos.

Ken and I decided TDF would be best served if put in an indefinite hiatus, and he and I started a side project which had a good run for a couple of years. Ken had a son in 2004, and spent a good share of the formative years being away. As he was making up for lost time with his son I found myself working as a personal fitness trainer, performing in several bands, as well as back to doing some touring. Having the opportunity to play alongside Tommy Caradonna in his band was an honor. Tommy had formerly played bass for Lita Ford, Alice Cooper, and White Lion, so getting that gig was another highlight. In 2013 I worked with producer Jim Wirt on some ideas I had been working on, considering them demos as Ken was going through knee rehab with plans to track his drums at a later date. In 2014 I hit the road playing guitar for Erica Blinn, which found me back out on the road for a month at a time across the country over the next two years.

In Jan of 2019 I went to track some new ideas with producer Brett Hestla in Tennessee, with Brett and I playing all instruments and editing the drums to make it sound and feel like it was Ken playing on the songs. This was a part of the plan. I drove home after the session and at 6am Ken and I sat in the car as we listened to the songs. He smiled and said, “That sounds like me playing”…exactly. We now had a plan for the Fall, had a few songs recorded, and were excited for the future!

On Feb 4th I spent my birthday visiting with mom, Ken and Landen, with Ken seeming like he was getting a cold. Days later on the morning of Sunday Feb 9th I got a call from my mom…Ken was having trouble breathing and they had called an ambulance. I rushed to the ER to find him on oxygen in the waiting room and gasping for air. I hugged him with everything I had in me as he repeated that he didn’t want to die. Tears poured down my face as we held hands and said we loved each other. I told him to stay strong and that he’d be okay. Later that evening I got the call from the hospital, his lungs were functioning at 30 percent. He was diagnosed with COPD from smoking, and he unknowingly caught pneumonia. The only option they had was to induce a coma to allow his body to calm down and hopefully allow his lungs to recover with the help of a respirator. Eight days later I lost my brother and a huge part of myself.

My mom was 17 when she lost her mother, I was 17 when losing our father, buried on Ken’s 16th birthday, and now Landen losing his father at 15. I never had a child of my own but my nephew and I bonded quickly, becoming the son I never had.

In October of 2019 I finished an album with longtime friend Joe Viers (engineer/producer) and the help of some close friends, releasing it in Ken’s honor. Still unsure I could ever perform original music without Ken I continued to write as a means of therapy over the next year. In 2020-21 I returned to Tennessee to record more songs with Brett Hestla, coming away with what would be my most personal work to date, “When Only the Devil We Know Can Save Us”. Those sessions served as therapy, a cathartic exploration of me hitting my lowest depths and struggling to find my way out, and to find myself again.

Sitting on the recording for a bit and only sharing it with a few closest to me, I found myself wanting to try to perform these songs live, even if just once. A celebration of Ken and to tell the story. I managed to get these feelings onto a recording, but still needed to get them out in a live communal setting. Months later and with the support of longtime friends/bandmates we did just that.

To date TDF is back performing shows as well as continually writing new music, with plans to record a new EP later this year.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One guarantee for anyone that decides to pursue a career within music, it’s a long and winding road with tons of pitfalls along the way. Not to say there aren’t lessons learned from the disappointments and failures, also from the perception of accomplishments and accolades, but you will undoubtedly face life choices the further you get into your career which become the fight or flight moments where some decide it’s time to throw in the proverbial towel, while others fully go all in even further to face the unknown.

Every meaningful part of life will find you at a crossroads at any given time. You have to be willing to invest a huge amount of time and effort, and that’s in addition to working a full time job until things take off and you’re able to transition into music on a more full time basis (if it ever gets that far). Financially be prepared for an absolute nightmare, especially if you’re trying to compete on a larger scale. I’m still paying off debt today that I acquired while touring and performing industry showcases as far back as 2010. Make peace with the idea that most labels never recoup 98% of artists they ever signed, so you’re not alone.

Relationships, friendships, and business partnerships will all suffer, but these moments can offer growth and a better sense of self for those aware. In 2010 I was 3 years into a relationship, and my then girlfriend was at the point of wanting to have a child. She didn’t want to wait another year so two to plan things out, so while 3,000 miles apart we had this conversation by phone. I didn’t want to not be present due to traveling, didn’t want to be ill prepared financially, so I was faced with this life altering choice. I can now happily say that she ended up having a little girl a couple of years later. I never had children, I’m 14 years into a relationship and deeply in love, and I still have a career in music.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Music is quite literally my oxygen. For whatever reason I felt this “magic” as far back as I can remember, an unspoken constant within my life. Over my many years I’ve learned the balance of roles I’m blessed to play. When I’m performing with the cover band, ‘The Martini Affair’, I’m fully the entertainer. My goal when sharing the stage with four other bandmates is simply having an amazing time, in turn allowing the audience to forget about the stresses of life for a few hours at a time. When I’m creating music as ‘This Day Forever’, I’m the altar and the offering, expressing deeply personal parts of my life to the point of becoming fully vulnerable. This confessional style of writing has become a form of therapy in hopes of connecting with as many as possible and hopefully making life a little better in the process.

How do you think about happiness?
Being close to my mom and nephew, both literally and figuratively. They mean the world to me and I’m blessed that we’re all still together.

Being in a 14 year (and counting) relationship with Maggie, whom I love deeply. We’ve been through so much together and I couldn’t imagine life without her. Also our fur babies (our kids), that just seem to have a way of making life that much better!!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thisdayforever.biz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HJDw4UkPg/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Other: https://thisdayforever.bandcamp.com/album/when-only-the-devil-we-know-can-save-us