If you haven’t heard of the The Ready Set yet, where have you been? The Ready Set is an indie electro pop band formed by Jordan Witzigreuter back in 2007. Best known for his successful hit “Love Like Woe,” and being on big tours like Vans Warped Tour, this was the band that everyone was talking about in the 00’s. Now, The Ready Set is back with their new EP, V2, which will be available on August 10th!
We got the chance to speak to Jordan and talk about his new EP V2, fans, hair dye, Nekokat, and more. Check out our chat below.
What made you call this EP V2? Does it personally connect with your most recent EP, V1, in any way for you? If so, how?
Jordan: It does connect! V1 was a little more bright, in my opinion. This one feels more open and honest to me, maybe a little moodier, or something. Honestly I had some other ideas to name these EP’s, but I like the idea that V1 and V2 don’t really paint the songs in any certain way conceptually. It just sounds like a working title.
When you released V1, you mentioned that you didn’t really plan a specific direction for it. Was that the same with V2?
Jordan: This one was a little more planned. I had a lot more super pop-leaning songs that I could have put on this, but they didn’t feel right. I didn’t overly think about what other people would take away from this one, it’s by far the most personal to me and proudest I’ve been of TRS stuff.
We’ve been a fan since “Love Like Woe,” we’ve always been curious, why did you go with the name The Ready Set, rather than your own name?
Jordan: I didn’t want to be onstage alone; I wanted a band. at the time, in the music scene i was in, it was all rock bands, and I loved that energy. The name was a way for me to make electronic pop stuff while still getting to make it this live entity when i wanted to. Looking back, I think a certain level of insecurity went hand in hand with that decision, almost like a fear of over committing to something. I wanted to be able to transform into whatever I felt like.
We’re loving your latest single, “Stitch”! It has such a cool electro-pop/hip-hop/EDM vibe to it, and we love how it’s all about mentally getting better, with lyrics like, “If I fix this / Maybe we can stay in on the weekends / Do the things you wanted that I couldn’t / ‘Cause I was too distracted getting faded with some actresses and running from my past.”
Jordan: Thank you so much! glad you like it. “Getting faded with some actresses” is a line I actually thought was kind of funny. I’m not actually being literal about actresses per-say, more so I’m referring to a type of person that I was probably spending too much time around a couple years back. Someone wearing a facade, or not being genuine I guess.
What advice would you give someone trying to get over a bad experience (present or past), or someone who’s simply trying to figure out how to feel confident about themselves in a world that can sometimes be so cruel?
Jordan: I think that your life is shaped by the perception you have of it. External things, people’s judgements, thoughts, opinions, realistically don’t ever need to have an effect on you if you don’t want them to. It sounds overly simple, and maybe a bit vague, but if you can stay centered and focused on your own reality, happiness, and well being, the rest of the negative stuff will eventually weigh less on you. It’s easier said than done, of course.
“Taking Pictures” was another one of our favorites! What was the meaning behind this song for you? Our favorite line is, “I’m not acting high and mighty / I’m just high and I’m sad / But you another picture because the lighting bad.” It was completely unexpected and made us smile. It showed a silly side of your personality.
Jordan: Thanks! It’s mostly about getting burned out on party culture in LA. I’ve recently gotten pretty anxious about social events, maybe as a result of not touring as much lately and spending most of my time in the studio essentially alone. When I go out to things I sometimes feel very disconnected, which then makes me wonder why I place value on being certain places and doing things, and where I could better direct my attention to.. if that makes sense.
You recently tweeted, “v2 lyrics are my favorite.” Why is that? And do you have one favorite lyric from the whole EP? If so, why that song?
Jordan: Honestly, that line from taking pictures is one of my favorites. It just feels honest to me.
v2 lyrics are my favorite
— the ready set (@thereadyset) July 4, 2018
Speaking of Twitter, we need to know. What’s the meaning behind your duck profile photo? It made us LOL! Did we miss something?
Jordan: I was sitting at this park I live by, and the duck walked up to me so i took a picture of it. The ducks get really close to people there. I don’t remember exactly why I made that my profile picture. I’ll probably change it once I have something better, but so far nothing is really as good.
What made you want to create your other band, Nekokat? Do you see yourself continuing to pursue both? We think both of your projects are awesome. Especially with this new project having such a powerful duo, Jess Bowen (from The Summer Set) and Cameron Walker.
Jordan: Nekokat was sort of this outlet for me that was something different, without any sort of confines. no over-thinking, just having fun making cool stuff. It ultimately really re-inspired me to take TRS in a different direction. It definitely re-lit a spark for me. We definitely do plan on doing both! we just released a Nekokat EP called Pleasure Beach not too long ago!
We’re obsessed with the fact you’ve been dying your hair different colors now, such as the pink and blue. Do you dye them specific colors depending on your mood? Do you know what color you’ll be doing next?
Jordan: Not really, I just sort of think about what I haven’t done before, and if it will look ok on me. I’m a big fan of the blueish vibe, I’ll probably stick with this for a while I think!
We love how you creatively called the last song on your EP “The Witching Hour,” because it refers to midnight, perfectly aligning with the lyric, “I’m wide in the witching hour.” The phrase is also associated with the supernatural or belief that witches are active, and that magic takes place at that time. Do you believe in either? Or was this just a fun play on words? Either way, we love the creativity behind this song title.
Jordan: There was a time period where every day for week or so I was unintentionally waking up at exactly 4:30 AM, fully wide awake, and couldn’t go back to sleep. I would go downstairs and just start working on unfinished stuff for this EP, and ended up coming up with some of my favorite elements of it, like there was some part of my mind that was a little more open and receptive to cool ideas. I used to write a lot of music really late at night when I first started, so maybe there is something behind creativity being heightened at certain times. The witching hour is basically just referring to that weird week. I was able to work out a lot of stuff during that time.
What are some of the most rewarding things a fan has told you when it came to your music? (If any, or multiple fans)
Jordan: I’ve been told a lot of really awesome things, seen lots of tattoos of lyrics and stuff, and been given tons of very sweet gifts, but I’ve found that the most rewarding thing isn’t so much in a single thing someone says, but in the passion they have for the music. Just seeing someone take something away from my songs is rewarding, especially when it’s something completely different than what i was intending.
I love the idea of people interpreting the music and making it their own. I’ve never been great at taking compliments about my songs because sometimes i have a hard time believing that what I make could effect somebody in a major way. to me, the best proof that what I do means something to someone is seeing excitement and energy at a show.
Check out The Ready Set’s newest single, “Stitch”, below:
Do you love The Ready Set’s new single for “Stitch” as much as we do? Let us know your thoughts on our Twitter and/or Facebook!
Connect with The Ready Set:
Facebook // Twitter // Instagram
ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo7nIsWWcp51ksrmvy66qoq6VYravwMSrraKdp2LBqbGMq5yanKliwKbAjK2YpaOjYq6ju9StZK9qXZa7pXnMqKmeZw%3D%3D