by Chandler Christopher
September 30th, 2022
8BIT WIZRD is the 90s rock-influenced, country-flaired, indie rock project of 22-year-old Reece Myers. Currently based in Austin, Texas, it was in his hometown of Aledo, Texas that Reece grew up playing music and finding his first music scene. Originally finding his roots for his future passion in Garageband, Reece eventually got a drum kit and guitar in middle school and began to teach himself to play. Once he was old enough to drive, he started playing house shows in Denton with the indie acts he looked up to like Dead Sullivan and Crisman.
One of the biggest things I took away from my conversation with Reece was how subtly confident he was in himself and who he is. And I don’t mean in a cocky way at all– I mean in the way he has proven his drive towards playing his music and the music that deeply resonates with him. To explain: It was in 2019 that Reece was touring with indie pop star, Dayglow, around the U.S. and United Kingdom. Shortly after returning from this tour, Reece made the bold decision to step away from playing with the group, an act that was exponentially growing in popularity around the world. Despite Dayglow’s soaring success, Reece stepped away because he wanted to make and play music that’s true to himself… And that’s exactly what he does today as 8BIT WIZRD!
Reece started making his own music as 8BIT WIZRD when he was 16 years old, and with each song, his sound has evolved and changed. It’s a distinctive characteristic of Reece’s music that every song is going to sound (specifically album/mixtape) drastically different. On his upcoming record, titled Snakes In The Grass, you can hear how Reece, who has self-produced and mixed all of his music, has really begun to hone in on his skills. This collection of tracks is amongst his most clean sounding yet. Expect to hear hints of Alex G while also getting some of that indie, country twang that raised 8BIT WIZRD. Check out our full Q&A below and make sure to listen to the first single off 8BIT WIZRD’s new record, titled Sunshine, released today, September 30th, 2022. Find all links to Reece’s socials below as well!
Q: How’d you first get into playing shows in the Denton scene?
8BIT WIZRD: I went to a really small private school in high school. My older brother Will and his friends, specifically his friend Nick, knew I was playing music and he really liked it. He made me a playlist with some people like Alex G – he helped me set up my original band and got me into playing shows with those guys I had looked up to in Denton.
Q: So I know you played and went on tour with Dayglow, can you tell me a little bit about that experience?
8BIT WIZRD: Sloan Struble and I met my senior year and we became really close. Through that, I got an opportunity with Dayglow. After our freshman year, he came to me and said we need a bassist for tour. So through that, I moved to Austin and made some friends and enjoyed it. My first touring experience with Dayglow was when we did a U.S. tour opening up for COIN. We went to the UK and did some shows, it was a great experience.
Q: What was it like when you left Dayglow?
8BIT WIZRD: So, I had been making music under 8BIT WIZRD since I was 16. Once I left, I was ready to get going on my own stuff. I was getting a lot of Dayglow fans checking out my music, and I felt like I was being forced into making more pop-type music. The pop stuff just isn’t as indicative of what is true to me. It was hard to step away from it because it was everything I wanted to do, but I knew it wasn’t for me and I wanted to do something else with my music.
Q: Tell me about your relationship with Do Nothing Records…
8BIT WIZRD: Right around the time I put Mood Killer out, I was reached out to Truman Boyes from Do Nothing Records. Punty is on Do Nothing as well, along with Ronda Spectacular. We work together on merch and tapes and he helps a lot with tracklisting. I have someone who helps me with the finances as well. But having Truman from Do Nothing supporting me and in my corner is something I really value and appreciate.
Q: Describe your perspective on the Austin music scene…
8BIT WIZRD: Sometimes it can be the best thing ever, and other times it feels like, in my experience at least, it feels like it can be a little bit cutthroat. It’s been cool and I like it a lot and everyone’s been super kind to us. It feels like sometimes the scene isn’t as united as it could be. I really like the co-op shows, every time it’s a packed house and people go nuts and mosh and party. That’s the dream scenario for a show in Austin. It feels exclusive in a lot of ways – Austin has this mystique to it where it’s like Austin is the place you need to be, and I’m not sure it’s always completely genuine. It’s really hard to sustain yourself as a musician in Austin.
Q: Are there any songs on the upcoming album that you’re especially excited about?
8BIT WIZRD: Farm is one that, right now, it’s one of my favorites on the album. I don’t want to get too much into the song’s story, but it might be lyrically my favorite song I’ve ever done. Musically, I’m really proud of all of the songs and I tried to push myself in terms of production. I think it’s my best album yet. The album itself as a whole focuses on bad things happening to good people. It’s a pretty dark album in terms of content but the music kind of changes in between the songs.
