Today, we’d like to introduce you to English Budgies.
Hi Joe, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Jena and I (Joe) met in high school jazz band and became good friends. Eventually, we got married and moved from Oregon to Utah for school. We both dropped out pretty quickly and started focusing our efforts on music. It took us a long time to hone in on something we felt made sense, but the hard work paid off in 2019, and English Budgies were formed.
The early songs were just Jen and I doing everything. We both sang, Jen played bass, and I played guitar. We had a lot of drummers come and go, but we were never deterred. Two years ago, we found Sam Tucker (drums) and Matthew Minich (Guitar, backing vocals), and things started to pick up from there.
We’ve released about 15 singles, but we never felt like calling them an album. Between lineup changes, producer changes, and so many different styles and genres, none of it felt like a collection of songs until we started working with Sam and Matt. We’re now gearing up to release our debut album after being a band for five years.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
With Jen and I being transplanted from Oregon, it was hard for us to start a band, not knowing another soul in Utah. It would be hard to play shows when we didn’t have a group of friends to cheer us on. I’m sure venues weren’t too happy with that, either.
On top of various lineup changes, we just started before the pandemic. We’d been in a band for 2-3 years, and people would see us live and ask, “Are you not from around here? How have I not heard of you before?” Getting our name out has been a real challenge that way!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
English Budgies are Utah’s rowdiest alt-rock band. We’ve borrowed elements from Indie, Electronic, and Punk music to try and bring a unique voice to what we do. We’re 100% DIY. Our music has been almost entirely recorded from our makeshift home studio, our t-shirts are handprinted, and all our album art has also been made by us. Not knowing how to do something has never stopped us.
The proudest moment for me is when someone tells me unprovoked that one of our songs made a difference to them. Nothing means more to me than that. Winning a crowd over in a town we’ve never played in is a close second, but anytime someone takes the time to let me know a song or a lyric helped them, I feel I’ve already won. I couldn’t ask for more than that.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
If you want to be a professional musician, you have to make professional music.
As a kid, I thought you had to be discovered or have a record label or something, but I had the epiphany that no one would do this for me. The longer I do this, the more I realize nothing is out of reach. You just have to be willing to do it yourself.
Contact Info:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3iokGJkvqXeARdkndKZbuR?si=DZqDMojzSXGRAhhkfVOfXw
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/englishbudgies
- Facebook: www.tiktok.com/@englishbudgies
Image Credits
Amanda Shupe (Amanda Shupe Photography), Nick Miller (Wasatch Gumby Photos), Tabitha Foster (Foster’s Home for Art), @wynter_watkins, and Ashley Christenson Photography
