Will Simpkins tried everything he could to get away from his pop punk roots. No matter how hard he tried, though, he always wound up back where he started. Eventually, Will established his presence in the scene, alongside a talented backing band and with production support from Dave Douglas (Relient K), under the the name Will & The Prodigal Sun. Since 2012, Will and his band have released two full length albums and a handful of singles, including All That I Want, which hit streams just last month. The sound is upbeat and fun, reminiscent of scene favorites like Simple Plan, Blink-182, and Yellowcard. Will’s songs approach meaningful, emotional themes, through honest, poetic lyrics and melodies that demand you sing along. Pop punk fans have plenty to look forward to, with a new record coming soon, along with music videos and a sprinkling of local show dates.
Keep scrolling to check out my lightning round interview with Will & The Prodigal Sun; be sure to follow along on socials (@willandtheprodigalsun on Instagram and Tiktok) and tune in to Spotify and Apple Music. Don’t forget to save the Under Exposed playlist on Spotify to listen to my favorites from Will & The Prodigal Sun, and the rest of the Under Exposed lineup!
Interview
Cameron Conrad sits down with Will, Adam, Daniel, Patrick, and Logan
What’s your dream venue, the place that will feel like you’ve “made it” once you've played there?
Probably any House of Blues! Those were legendary in my book growing up.
If you could pick any band or artist, past or present, to tour with, who would it be?
No question it'd be blink. Would be a dream come true. Would also love to rip a tour with Turnstile or The Story So Far.
If each of you was a Disney character, who would you be?
Buzz Lightyear!
Ham from Toy Story
Sully from Monsters Inc
Bowler hat guy from Meet the Robinsons
What’s the craziest, cringiest thing you’ve done for the sake of your music?
In high school me and Adam in our band we had together called "Out Of Shame" (What a great band name... haha) played at a school assembly for our high school and I went to jump off of the drum riser and my guitar strap came undone and my guitar hit the floor of the stage and the audience all bursted out in laughter. Much deserved honestly. I look back at that now and I'm like man that's tough.
If we gave out high-school superlatives today, what would each of you win?
Daniel would win Class Clown or Class Favorite I think.
Adam would maybe win Best Watches or Most Likely to Succeed.
Patrick maybe would be Most Liked by Parents or Best Personality.
Mine (Will) would be like Most likely to drop his/her phone in the toilet.
Logan might be something like Most Upbeat Attitude?
Any new music or upcoming tours we should know about? Anything brewing behind the scenes you can give a hint about?
Yes! We have a new record coming out this summer called MIND WARS. You are the first people we've told this officially too, actually! 6 new songs. Very excited about how it's turned out. We are looking at playing some shows in Nashville with some buddy bands of ours. Of course more shows in the general vicinity of Alabama where we all live. Going to be doing a few videos for the new songs as well.