Interview: Getting Vulnerable With 8BIT WIZRD

Independent Austin musician 8BIT WIZRD talks about the inner workings of his complex songwriting and production, as well as his experience in the music industry.

Written by Heather Stewart

Photographed by Matt Lewis

Reece Myers, known as 8BIT WIZRD.

With two albums and an EP out this year, solo artist Reece Myers, better known as 8BIT WIZRD, has not shied away from putting in the work and passion it takes to make it in the music industry as a musician who writes and produces his own art. His passion for music came forth when he taught himself how to play the drums in high school — guitar, piano, singing, and songwriting followed shortly after. From touring with Dayglow to establishing a solo music career, Myers has done it all.

Afterglow had the opportunity to sit down with Myers to talk about the meanings, inspirations, and experiences behind the music of 8BIT WIZRD and how he has managed to cultivate his own unique sound and presence in the world of music. 

Afterglow: You used to be a member of Dayglow. What made you want to pursue a solely independent music career? 

Reece: Since before Dayglow, I had been making my own music. I left because touring was pretty exhausting when you’re just a band member. I did learn a lot from being in Dayglow and Sloane (Struble)’s a really amazing producer and songwriter … He’s one of my close friends. I got to see a lot of his work process and learned a lot from that. By the time I was done with Dayglow, I had learned a good deal. 

What’s been your experience with fans as a part of Dayglow and 8BIT WIZRD? 

Reece: The experience of Dayglow has been really good and sometimes annoying. It’s good because there are a lot of fans from Dayglow that still listen to my music, and truthfully, because I was in Dayglow is why they listen to my music. It’s also a little annoying – not that I get annoyed getting recognized as the “Dayglow guy” – but it can be a little disheartening when I’m on a livestream and I have 10 questions coming at me about Sloane or something. I totally get why, and if I was in their shoes I’d probably do the same thing, but it can be a little disheartening. But mainly it’s a good thing, reaching other audiences. 

Reece Myers, known as 8BIT WIZRD.

How did your hometown influence you as a musician? 

Reece: I grew up in a small town just west of Fort Worth called Aledo, TX. It’s a big football town, and there’s not many songwriters. I definitely, as a kid, liked being different, and somewhat still do now. I guess that influenced me — trying to do something different than what my friends were doing. So I got more into the arts. But it’s not a cool music town or anything so there wasn’t a whole lot of influence from Aledo. 

Are there any music artists in particular that inspire your music? If so, how does that show up in your work?

Reece: The three that come to mind: Elliot Smith, Alex G, and an Austin band called Howdy. All those three different artists influence probably every song I do. I used to definitely rip off all of them at one point, but I’m coming into my own now. I’m influenced but I’m not stealing their stuff.

(As far as how this shows up in my work … ) From listening to Elliot Smith: I’d double all of my guitar tracks and vocal tracks. From listening to those other two, Alex G and Howdy: their hooks are usually so catchy, so something I learned from listening to them is you can experiment with sound and stuff while still having a catchy song. Not that my songs are super catchy, but like, trying to do that … Write a good hook. Don’t focus on doing crazy stuff with your guitar or making a ton of noise, you know? The melodies are the biggest thing for me. I’ll know that I wrote a song that people are gonna like if I turn off my laptop and I’m still humming the tune. I want people to listen to (my music) and kind of have it be an earworm. 

Myers portrays his personality through unique poses.

How has 8BIT WIZRD’s sound evolved since your first album release, Pink Eye? 

Reece: It’s changed a lot. I used to pitch affect my voice to make it lower or super high. I’ve gotten better at production. The biggest thing is I focus most of my time when I’m recording or writing a song on getting every little thing to sound how I want. Sometimes it doesn’t take long, but it can take long. I feel like I have a better ear now for what, like, an acoustic guitar should sound like or how loud the drums should be. I’ve kind of changed genres a little bit. I’m not as experimental as I used to be. More than anything I’ve started to hone in on my production style and setting my songs apart from others through my production style. 

How would you describe your songwriting process? 

Reece: Usually, I write the music before I write the lyrics. A lot of the time I’ll be strumming on the guitar and I’ll find a chord progression I like so I’ll just go downstairs to my studio and start recording. Once I lay down the drums, the guitar, and the bass, I’ll write different parts as I record. And usually by the time I’m finished doing that I’ll have the melody in mind and then I’ll just write the lyrics. However long that takes is different every time. But yeah, I like to write as I record a lot. 

Can you elaborate on how you incorporate your personal experiences into your music? 

Reece: I definitely didn’t used to (do it) as much. I used to like writing about stories or made up people, but as it got harder to do that — because I was maturing as an artist, I’m still maturing, but —  I would kind of realize, “Well, that’s not a good song.” The best songs usually come from real experiences. Recently, with the past few albums, I started writing about my experiences with love, friendships, successes … all of it. It’s therapeutic. If you’re feeling something, put it down on a paper, and maybe you can sing it. It’s really nice to have an outlet where you can do that and also have people relate to whatever you’re saying. 

Myers portrays his personality through unique poses.

All of your tracks carry a lot of depth and feel very nostalgic. What feeling and/or message do you want to leave your listeners with? 

Reece: Each album has its own thing about it. Like for Wake Up, I wanted it to feel kind of introspective. There were mainly songs about me. And then for this album, Mood Killer, I was writing a lot about friendships, either good or bad ones. I just kind of wanted every song, even the happy ones, to kind of have a heartbreak quality to them, if that makes sense. I wanted the music to really break your heart, as sad as that sounds — not in a bad way per se. I just wanted every song to kind of hit home when you listen to it. The messages and feelings I’m going for changes with each album. I try my best to make (each album) sound cohesive. 

What is the most meaningful song for you off of Mood Killer? 

Reece: Probably a song called "It’s Nothing." That or the last song on the album. It’s called "Mantra." "It’s Nothing" is about my admiration for a certain friend. It was a time when I wasn’t really getting along with them when I wrote it so it was very meaningful to be able to say something nice through my music even if I wasn’t feeling it at the time. And then "Mantra" is another song about me and it was cool, again, to write what I was feeling … things I wouldn’t necessarily just tell people. Those two songs definitely mean the most to me — at least lyrically. 

What feeling were you trying to convey in "Mantra"? 

Reece: It’s a song about how sometimes I feel like I’m wasting my time doing music because I get frustrated when I work so hard for something and don’t see anything come from it. The idea of mantras are really interesting to me, and I think they are to a lot of musicians; just a chant or a phrase, or for my song, a string of lyrics, but just something repeated and eventually you think about it more. And for me, the more I thought about those lyrics, the more I felt at peace. That was the feeling, and that was the motive behind writing the song. 

Reece Myers, known as 8BIT WIZRD.

What challenges have you faced as an independent music artist?

Reece: I think the main thing is getting people to listen to your music. That’s the hardest thing. Especially when you don’t have a label or management. Paying money to get your stuff advertised — that’s easily the hardest thing. Trying to get people’s attention long enough to get them to listen to an album. 

What keeps you inspired to pursue and create music? 

Reece: I honestly don’t know. I just love doing it. I don’t know logically why I still do it, but I just like making songs and really love playing shows for people. That’s something that’s fun. It’s nerve wracking and fun at the same time. I don’t know why I keep doing it, but for some reason I do. 

Anything else you’d like for Afterglow readers to know about you or your music? 

Reece: I’m a fun guy, I’m very approachable. And my music is pretty good sometimes, not that I’d let people know. 

Interview has been minimally edited for clarity and length. 

Listen to 8BIT WIZRD on Spotify.