From the very beginning, Watch Me Breathe has been all about honesty and authenticity. The band is really an experiment that says: “what would I write if nobody else was listening?”

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band:

Jake Aaron Ward: Songwriter, Guitars, Vocals

Ryan Green: Bassist

Carl Ward: Drums

For starters, what band or bands were you guys a part of prior to Watch Me Breathe? How long has the band been around?

Jake: Ryan and I were both in a band called Urban Theory for a couple of years before this. It’s pretty much how we got to know each other and be such good friends. Funny enough, our roles were switched at the time; I was playing bass/singing backup vocals and he was writing the songs, playing guitar and singing. As for Watch Me Breathe, I started the band in late 2017, initially as kind of a solo side-project, and it just grew from there.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

Jake: Well, originally it was just called “Jake Ward” because I was writing songs as part of a solo project, but two things happened. The first was that I kept getting confused with a country artist of the same name, which, in the social media world of tagging, hashtags, etc., can be very confusing and problematic. I also am not a natural self-promoter, and so the second thing that happened was I decided I’d much rather release the music under a band name than under my own. I got the name from a John Cleese (Monty Python) interview I saw where the audience starts applauding after he says that he just turned 70-something, and he makes fun of them for it. “Oh, yes, yes, watch me breathe. Watch me breathe!” I thought it was funny and just kind of an interesting thing to say, and it stuck. 

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

Jake: I write all the songs, and I’d say one of my core philosophies as a songwriter is to never choose a theme. I don’t want to ascribe a personality type or a set perspective to myself as an artist, and then make a concerted effort to confine myself to those boundaries creatively. To me, it’s all about creating the best art that you can, and I believe good art has to be authentic and honest. I just write what I feel, what I think, what I believe, and what I really want to say.

No matter how many would-be mentors or industry veterans insist that I have to choose my audience and give them what I think they want, nor how beneficial doing that could be to my bank account, I won’t do it. Target customers are for people at desks. I write what I mean, and I’ll do it even if nobody listens. That’s my theme, and I will never change it. My music will change and grow only as I do as a human being. 

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

Jake: Hard question! Different bands are inspiring for different reasons. I have melody writing heroes like Fall Out Boy and The Goo Goo Dolls. I have lyrical heroes like Switchfoot, Tool, and John Mayer. I have production/visionary heroes like Peter Gabriel and Imogen Heap. I also have a shortlist of artists who I view as contemporaries and musical soulmates, which The 1975 would almost certainly be at the top of. All of these things influence me and inspire me to work harder and create more.

But you know what? The artists who inspire me the most are the vapid, insincere characters who dominate the Billboard charts and pollute our culture with small-minded, unambitious art that only serves to reinforce the dominant paradigm and increase the size of their royalty checks. Contrary to popular wisdom, data shows that in fact, more people than ever are listening to music nowadays (how much they pay for it is another matter). What an irresponsible waste so many popular artists make of this powerful medium and platform. We need tough questions, not easy-to-swallow answers, and it is those questions, more than anything else, that inspire me as a musician. 

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

Jake: Not to start a band, per se. That’s something that I’ve just always wanted to do. But I can tell you the most inspiring concert I’ve ever been to was in 2016 when I saw Sting and Peter Gabriel at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. It was unquestionably the most sonically impressive performance I’ve ever witnessed, and it was profoundly exciting for me to see two...shall we say...men who have had long careers...? It was moving to see how successful, active, and important they both still are as world-class songwriters and performers. It’s proof to me that there is such a thing as timeless music, and it helped to clarify for me what timeless music is, and what it is not.

I also heard perhaps the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard in my life, called “Love Can Heal” by Peter Gabriel. I could write a whole essay about it, but suffice it say I recommend you look up a clip of him performing it. It’s never been released as far as I know, but there are several performance clips that you can find that should more than convey how powerful and wonderful it was. Gabriel is a big-time inspiration for me (no pun intended). 

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …

Jake: I can only really speak for myself, but all I really do is make sure that I’ve eaten and that I’ve had plenty of water. The clear-piss rule helps a lot with vocal longevity on stage, and just having the energy in general. I don’t have any sort of exercise or warm-up routine, but I’m also 23, so I can, unfortunately, imagine that it won’t be too many more years before things, like stretching and warming up, will become really important. 

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Jake: We just played a massively successful show at my favorite local venue, The Crepe Place in Santa Cruz, California. That was a total blast. It felt great to organize the whole event, work so hard to put it all together, and see it all pay off with the huge turnout we had. That would be my pick for a highlight so far, but I anticipate many more!

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Jake: I might pick The 1975. I love their music, their stage show, their crowds, and I think we’d fit the bill well. We’re a little more rock/heavy than they are, but ultimately I see their audience as our audience, to some extent. Another band I might pick is 30 Seconds to Mars and for all the same reasons.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

For those who want to hear our music or learn more about us can do so at https://www.watchmebreathe.com/  

Thank you so much!