Interview by Levi Yager with the members of the band SEKOYAH.

It was great seeing you guys at The Royal Grove the other weekend. Super fun show. I noticed there were a few songs in the setlist that aren’t included on your EP. Does that mean a new release is currently in the works?

SEKOYAH is definitely working towards writing an album. For the time being, however, a goal of ours is to release a single or two in the near future that showcases the new direction we are taking our music. A goal that we’re working towards is getting signed, as that would put us in a much better position to release an album.

Something I noticed while listening to Creating the Distance is the prominence of bass guitar; it seemed pretty high up in the mix, and it gives you guys a distinguishable sound. So I was wondering, what was the inspiration behind the heavy focus on bass?

Our bass player has some truly God-given talent, and we want listeners to hear that. Bass prominence is also something that isn’t very common in modern rock, and that is definitely a big part of what sets our music apart from others. Since we only have one guitarist and a bassist, it is only natural that the bass stands out more, but we’re also not wanting to dim the bass or the dope licks that our bassist writes.

A lot of people nowadays would say that rock and roll is dead. Do you agree or disagree with that statement? And what are your thoughts in general on the current state of rock in the modern music landscape? Does that have any significant implications for a hard rock band like SEKOYAH?

Even though rock music isn’t as mainstream as it used to be in the past, we do not believe that it is dead. The thing we love about modern rock is that our sound and lyrics mean a lot and come from our hearts. We feel that the content is raw and holds more significant meaning.

You guys have been playing some shows in your home state recently. Overall, how have those gone?

We have loved playing in Lincoln and Omaha so far. The crowds have been super receptive and appreciative of our music. Not all of us are from the Midwest, so we have been pleasantly surprised with how active and supportive the music scene here has been.

Are there any plans in the making for concerts outside of Nebraska in the near future, or are you focusing more on the hometown scene for now?

We would definitely be down to play more shows outside of Nebraska. Especially some shows in Kansas. With Caleb, our singer, currently living in Denver, we’re hoping that will give us a chance to network with more people and bands and provide us with opportunities to set up more shows outside of Nebraska. Any opportunity to expand our following and spread our music are steps in the right direction that we want to take, so we are certainly not opposed to playing in less “corny” states.

What are a few currently active bands that you’d love to tour with – and why?

We’ve had chances to play with some awesome bands. Two of those being Rivals and Makari. Not only do we love their music, we like them. We share similarities in sound, and they’re also really cool people that we would definitely be OK with going on tour with. Other bands that we collectively listen to and draw inspiration from are Movements and Too Close To Touch. Love these bands, and would love for the opportunity to play with them someday.

Where does the name – and spelling for – SEKOYAH come from? What’s the idea behind that?

We got the name “Sekoyah” from the insanely large (largest in the world, in fact) sequoia tree. All of us, with the exception of our bass player Brett, are from the Pacific Northwest. We all grew up being inspired and enriched by nature. We wanted a name that paid homage to our roots, and we changed the spelling because we do what we want!

Here’s a fun question that I like to ask artists I interview. For each of you, what’s one album that you’ve been listening to a lot recently – and why?

Caleb, our singer, has been listening to a band called Roseburg because they, like himself, are from Oregon. Brett, the bass wiz, has been listening to Boston Manor because he fell in love with their energy and sound at a concert he recently attended. Kyle, the guitarist, has been listening to the latest release from I See Stars because he likes the modern feel and slower, but intense feeling the songs have. And last, but certainly not least, Spencer, our drummer, has been listening to Gojira because their drummer is a brilliant maniac, and their latest album is incredibly unique and heavy.

Is there anything that you want to add?

Honestly, we had a lot of fun answering these questions and just want to thank you for coming out to a show and giving us this opportunity. Go check us out on iTunes, Spotify and other platforms, and give us a “Hoyah!” if you like SEKOYAH!