Wayland ready to play Bluebird

The Bluebird Nightclub welcomes home Wayland’s frontman Mitch Arnold Friday as the band returns for a show in Bloomington.

A graduate of Edgewood High School, Arnold said he was always surrounded by Bloomington’s music scene when he was younger. However, he said becoming a musician would have been inevitable despite his upbringing.    

“My parents were always supportive by taking me to see John Mellencamp and other shows in Bloomington growing up,” Arnold said. “But I think I would have been drawn to a piano or guitar regardless.”

Arnold said at the time, his parents didn’t realize the amount of trouble they were getting themselves into by having a son in a band.
Now, as a touring musician, Arnold said he wouldn’t have it any other way, and though Bloomington wasn’t what made him a musician, it’s still one of his favorite places to play.

“It’s cool because a lot of my family and friends get to see me play, and it gives it that kind of intimate feeling,” Arnold said. “The Bluebird is a very special place to me. The IU crowd really gives me an out-of-body experience on stage.”

Arnold said he always enjoyed coming back home and playing acoustic sets at the Bluebird during winter break, so when the band members were planning their Midwest tour, Wayland knew they’d have to stop in Bloomington.
“Last December was our first show here, and since, it’s been our favorite place to play,” Wayland lead guitarist Phillip Vilenski said. “Crowds like Bloomington’s make eating gas station food all
worth it.”

Vilenski said Bloomington is full of rock ’n’ roll enthusiasts, and he couldn’t be more honored to play for them at the Bluebird, where musicians like Mellencamp started out. However, Wayland isn’t the only one who is happy for their return to Bloomington.

Bloomington resident Kim Scott said she went to high school with Arnold and has always been impressed with his talent and she wouldn’t miss the band’s upcoming show.

“I heard that they have some new songs, and if they are anything like the first album, everyone is in for a treat,” Scott said.

Arnold said they plan to play all of the songs off of their new album, which was recorded last fall with Can-Am Studios. Famous for recording such artists as Guns N’ Roses, Pearl Jam and Aerosmith, the studio is also located in Los Angeles, the same city where Arnold first met Vilenski after high school 10 years ago.

Vilenksi said recording there really impacted their music, and Arnold agreed.
“We decided to go with a little bit different sound with the new album that we hope people will like,” Arnold said. “Our producer and engineer really pushed us to our potential, and the new sound kind of came naturally through that.”

As the band became a little more melodic while maintaining the Southern rock influence, Arnold said it also wanted a fresh start in another aspect. So, upon the album’s release, the band changed its name to Wayland from their former title, Whiskey Circus.

With a new identity, a new sound and a new album, the only thing the band will be keeping is its love for playing in Bloomington.

“I’m sure it will be a packed place full of people having a great time,” Scott said. “We are all so proud of their success.”