Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Miles
Hi Josh, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
West Union originally was formed in 2019 as a three piece band under the original name of Buzzard Roost. Liam Whyte [Vocals, Guitar], Eric Treinen [Bass] and Sam Mushaben [Lead Guitar] were all childhood friends that began writing songs with eachother.
After a little while of writing together, and one show (with just Liam and Sam) they’d eventually drift away from music and art as well.
In 2023 Josh Miles [Drums] began playing Dungeons and Dragons with the other three gentlemen. Eventually being told that they had all been in a band many years ago, and that they never had a drummer.
So the band ended up sending Josh some demos, then coming over to jam on those old 2019 tunes, and eventually finishing an album together called “On The Run” with the help of their good friend Jack Otten [Guitar, Songwriting].
Recently West Union has just finished recording their second studio release, an EP called “Buzzardroost” which releases Friday February 28th 2025. They are also playing as many live shows in the Cincinnati/Dayton/Newport Area as they possibly can over the next few months.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Josh: Personally, I don’t really think it has been a very rocky road for us. I can’t really speak to what the rest of the band went through before I joined the band, however, I don’t feel like we have really had that many issues together. Obviously, we had our struggles figuring out how to record, produce, and present our brand etc. But those all in all feel like mostly just growing pains in my opinion. The toughest part of the road, was getting the first release out, which can really be a big mental block for some artists
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?
Josh: We specialize in Eclectic Electronic Folk-Rock Music. At least, that is the best way to describe it. We don’t really want to confine ourselves to one particular genre, but that is really the best way to describe our sound. I think we are known for being very efficient and kind. We are all really hard workers, and it shows by how quickly we just want to continue putting music out, and we want to be the most supportive band in the Cincinnati Music Scene. We don’t get to where we are today without the help of countless other people supporting us, so we should be giving it back.
I think we are really just mostly proud of the fact that people listen to our music. It’s a huge honor that people have really connected with anything that we release.
The thing that sets us apart from other bands is that I think we are less focused on a particular sound or genre than most. We would probably be willing to do anything with our music in terms of genre. I think we also use a lot more vocal effects, and weird and gross synths than most bands in the scene? I’m not really sure. I think Cincinnati has such a beautifully diverse music scene with a touch of everything so it’s difficult to say really.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
If you are just starting to play live shows, do not be afraid to email people a million times. Just email venues once a week until they respond.
Get involved in your local music scene. You are not going to be able to book any shows without knowing other musicians, and even if you aren’t trying to book shows, the underground music scene needs support.
If you are trying to release music on Spotify or Streaming, then sign up with an Aggregator, download a free music software, get cheap equipment, record yourself until you are happy with how it sounds, release it. The key is really not to overthink it. Creatives all want everything to be perfect, and it just never will be. (You can also pay for studio time if you want to, there’s tons of great studios in Cincinnati (Monigold Studios, Three Feather Records, etc.))
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/westunionband
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westunionband
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WestUnionBand/featured
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/west-union-102637985
