Picture this. You get a call. Bonnaroo wants
you. You're about to play one of the biggest
festivals in the country. There's one problem.
You have exactly three original songs. What do
you do? Panic? Decline? Call your mom? If you're
Winya from Georgetown and Pawleys Island, South
Carolina, you lock yourself in a warehouse, crash
on couches, and write an entire album. in six
weeks. Welcome to Shecky's Jam Bands. I'm your
host, and today we're diving into a story of
a band that went from beach town dreamers to
touring with some of the biggest names in indie
rock. And they did it with the kind of hustle
that would make your high school guidance counselor
weep tears of joy. All right, let's talk geography
for a second. Wenya Bay, ever heard of it? If
you haven't, You're not alone. Unless you're
from South Carolina Lowcountry. In which case,
welcome to the show, cousin. Winyah Bay is a
historic waterway where five rivers converge.
The Black, the Pee Dee, the Waccamaw, the Samet,
and the Little Pee Dee. And yes, I did say Pee
Dee twice on a podcast about jam bands. We're
classy here. But here's the beautiful part all
five members of this band Thomas Rowland on vocals
Steve Steve O Russell on bass Luke Butters Gordon
on lead guitar Jake on drums and Rob on keys
They all grew up around this bay their music
reflects those five rivers converging Which is
a poetic way of saying they bring different influences
together and somehow make it work without turning
it into sonic mud. The band made themselves,
after their home, simple, honest, way better
than calling themselves the Wet Guitars, or something
equally terrible that I would have suggested.
Now, before they became Wynia the band, these
guys had actual jobs. I know, shocking. Steven
was working in finance in Charlotte, living that
corporate life. Meanwhile, Luke, nicknamed Butters
by a group of Australians who saw his bleached
hair and southern drawl, was a professional surfer.
Yes, a professional surfer. This man was getting
paid to stand on water while the rest of us struggled
to stand on dry land after two beers. But music
kept calling. And when Thomas spearheaded the
move to Nashville, These guys knew it was time
to either commit or forever wander. What if?
Enter Bonnaroo 2024. They got the call, the opportunity
of a lifetime, and they had three songs. Not
three albums, not three EPs, three songs. So,
what did they do? They locked themselves in a
warehouse in Columbia, South Carolina, crashing
on couches, writing and recording enough material
to fill an entire set in just a month and a half.
That music became the foundation of their debut
album, Lot To Learn. And let me tell you, that
album title, not ironic, they learned a lot fast.
Okay, time for the meat and potatoes. Or, if
you're vegan, the, I don't know, chickpeas and
sweet potatoes. Whatever. Point is, Let's talk
about which songs you need to hear if you are
new to Wynia. First up, Feel It All Again. This
is their debut single and it's become a crowd
favorite, proving their songs resonate far beyond
South Carolina. When they play this live, and
I mean live, in those sweaty, intimate venues
where you can see the whites of the drummer's
eyes, this song transforms. It's got that nostalgic,
ache, that makes you think about your hometown
even if you've never left it. The guitars build,
the vocals soar, and by the end everyone in the
room is either singing along or crying into the
overpriced craft beer. Why should you listen
to this? Because it's the perfect entry point.
It's got hooks for days, the production is clean
but not sterile, and it shows you exactly what
the band does well. introspective storytelling
with melodies that burrow into your brain and
refuse to leave. The second song you should listen
to, Lot To Learn. Lot To Learn embodies their
journey written during those warehouse songwriting
sessions when they were literally learning how
to become a band under pressure. This one's got
more jam potential. The live versions stretch
out, especially in the guitar work. Butters lets
loose. and you can hear the influence of all
that time he spent surfing. There's a flow to
his solos that feels less like shredding and
more like, well, riding waves. Concert attendees
have been known to request this one specifically,
and when they do, the band delivers. It's raw,
it's honest, and it's the kind of song that makes
you want to roll down the windows and drive until
you hit water. Let me hit you with some facts
that'll make you either inspired or deeply jealous.
Your call. Fact number one. Within a week of
Bonnaroo, Winyah landed a deal with Atlas Touring.
A week. Most bands spend years trying to get
someone to return their emails. These guys played
one festival and boom, touring deal. Fact number
two. Their genre -bending sound has let them
open for wildly Different acts. One weekend they're
opening for an alt -rock band like Stoplight
Observations, the next you're supporting an indie
folk act like Evan Hohner. They fit everywhere
because they're not trying to fit anywhere. Very
smart. Fact number three. They're part of Cloverdale,
a tight -knit collective of Nashville artists,
including Evan Hohner, Low Gap, and Julia DeGrazia.
This isn't just a band, it's a movement. They're
building something bigger than themselves, which
is refreshing in an industry that usually encourages
artists to claw each other's eyes out for a Spotify
stream. And here's my personal favorite fact.
They once played for three people at Greenville
County Music Fest, while Bailey Zimmerman rocked
the main stage. They brought the same energy
that they bring to pack clubs in brooklyn that's
a mark of real musicians folks you don't phone
it in just because the crowd is small you play
like your life depends on it every single time
so where do they go from here well they've already
proven that they can write under pressure tour
relentlessly and win over crowds that have never
never heard of them they're currently on their
we need a van tour which honestly best tour name
ever and they're playing festivals like Okeechobee
music and arts alongside Lumineers. Not bad for
a bunch of guys who name their band after a bae.
Here's what I love about Wynia. They didn't just
wait for permission, they didn't wait for the
right moment or the perfect plan, they got the
call, locked themselves in a warehouse, and made
it happen. That's the kind of DIY spirit that
built rock and roll in the first place. If you
haven't checked them out yet, Do yourself a favor,
start with feel it all again, move on to lot
to learn, and then just let the algorithm take
you wherever it wants. You won't regret it unless
you hate good music, in which case I can't help
you. That's it for today's episode of Shecky's
Jam Bands. Remember, life is too short to listen
to boring music, and it's definitely too short
to wait for permission to chase your dreams.
Watch Wynia on tour if you can. And if you see
a guy with bleached hair who looks like he just
stepped off of a surfboard, that's Butters. Tell
him Shecky says, what's up? Until next time,
keep jamming.