An Interview With The Orlando-Based Progressive Rock Group, LETTERS TO PART!

Get to know the Orlando progressive post-rock group Letters To Part that showcase vulnerable moments through diverse lyrical content and an atmospheric sound.

Last year, the band – consisting of Y’shua Ortiz-Escobedo (Singer/ Guitar), Hunter Gelsen (Guitar), Dustyn Murphy (Drums) and Chris Ramos (Bass) – released their debut full-length album, A Human Curse via Wilhelm Records. From the album comes “Richard Scarry,” a track about evaluating life and how regardless of the obstacles faced, in the end everything was worth it. You can check out the video here: https://bit.ly/2qMoFfP.

Learn more about Letters To Part in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time, Letters To Part!

No, Thank you!

So how has 2018 been treating you all? What is one musical goal that you have had for this year and how close are you to reaching it?

2018 has been a journey for us, on a personal level. We got a new member in the band, (Austin Allison), to take over some guitar duties. He’s been an excellent addition to the group. We started writing new material, some of us moved to a different city, and some of us started new jobs, etc. So although it’s been a journey we’re trying to be as busy as ever. Our goal for this year was to get some more exposure, promote our record, and play some festivals/more tours. It slowly, but surely, has been coming along well! We plan to get very busy by the years’ end.

How difficult was it to come up with your band name? What other names were you considering?

Originally the name of the band was supposed to be “Letters to Marina,” but changed it to “Part” because I didn’t want it affiliated with a name or have fans think we were writing about a specific person.

How do you think your hometown of Orlando has influenced the sound and how you all carry yourselves in this group? If you don’t think that it has, why is that? 

We all originally lived down in South Florida. Growing up, we all had a passion for music and playing shows. The local scene down there had its ups and downs, but the constant was the love and support from friends and locals. A lot of those people moved to Orlando and brought that same culture with them.

Let’s talk about your debut full-length album, “A Human Curse,” that you released last year. What was it like putting that collection together? Do you think that if you went into the studio today to create an album that it would sound like this one?

A Human Curse was a huge success for all of us. We spent a lot of time perfecting our writing and creating specific sounds that would define our tone/genre as a band. With that being said if we went back in the studio today I don’t think we would create the same sound, but something more mature and evolved.

While it’s difficult, can you pick out a few of your favorite songs on the album and talk about the inspiration behind them and how they got to be on this collection?

A few of my personal favorites are “Olde English”, “Altered Ego” and “Peace”. A lot of these songs touch on old memories or instances where the outside world really took it’s toll on us. We needed some form of release and ways to overcome these problems and we found a way to do that through writing these songs.

Where do you think you are all happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere?

We love being in the studio but when we get on the open road and can escape the world and daily stresses we can find out true inner peace. When we step out onto that stage, that’s where we feel at home.

Do you have any upcoming tour dates this summer that you would like to tell our readers about?

We are currently holding off on tour until next year while we focus on writing more.

How do you think being musicians and in this band gives you all the most joy in life today?

We all know the feeling of the everyday struggle. Work, bills, money, etc. So being able to get 5 of us in a room to play songs we love and writing new music, will never get old or boring. It’s an escape for us, we are thankful to be able to do what we love with the people we love.

We are currently living through a very trying and politically charged time right now so I am curious to know how your own music is reflecting this time period? If you don’t think it is, why is that? Would you say that other musicians are making music that has been influenced by this climate? 

I don’t think we are a very political band, obviously we all have our views and beliefs, but we try not to mix business with personal ideals.

How important do you think social media has been to this band? Do all you help to maintain all your sites or is one of you more into it all? Or do you rely on your PR/management team to handle it?

Social media has been very important for promoting the band. Each member has a specific role on each different social media platform so we can stay active with fans on all outlets.

Who would you love to work with in the future? Who are some of your favorite artists right now? What do you think would be a dream collaboration for this group?

Someone we would love to work with in the future is producer and sound engineer William Yip who has released some incredible music from bands such as la dispute, piano becomes the teeth, and circa survive. Some of our favorite artists right now are thrice & civilian, we listen to them pretty habitually. Our dream collaboration would be to team up with Tides of Man. 

If you guys were all going to be stranded on a deserted island, what musical item would you want to take with you and why?

Probably a drum set so we can burn it and keep warm. 

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

Our message is simple, to acknowledge and have self love. To know you’re not alone, and have the strength to carry on. To speak up when you feel alone. The world is always listening. So stay strong and humble. Never build an ego.

Where can our readers connect with this group?

–Spotify, Facebook, Instagram, twitter, and basically any social media platforms.