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As a 20-year-old in Indiana, Jordan Witzigreuter's musical career began with some "shows" that consisted of performing in front of a few people in somebody's basement.
A short year and a half later, he was on the bill at various radio festivals under the stage name The Ready Set, playing his increasingly popular electro-pop tunes in front of audiences of 10,000 or more.
Now a few years more down the road, Witzigreuter has been there and done that, but is hardly willing to behave as though he's made it. The Ready Set's third studio album, "The Bad & The Better," debuted in May, and, fresh off a summer stint on the Warped Tour, Witzigreuter is now set to kick off a fall headlining tour (featuring fellow pop act Metro Station) on Tuesday at In the Venue.
Witzigreuter called from Los Angeles to discuss his rapid rise, his multi-instrumentalist abilities, and his hopes to have something crazy happen in Salt Lake City.
You've said that, in a year and a half, you went from playing for a couple people in someone's basement to radio festivals with 10,000 people. How did that happen?
It just really kind of grew, and got more recognized. … It seems like it was really a rapid thing to happen, but to me it feels like it took kind of awhile, just because I was going out there touring and playing all the time.
How did such a big transformation affect you on a personal level?
Not really so much, I think. It was just exciting. … Just being able to be around people and connect to them. I guess I try not to attach myself to things like that, because those types of things can be very fleeting. It's a very particular kind of up and down, being in the music world. So I'm just enjoying it day by day.
So is it just you playing everything on your albums? What instruments do you play?
The only thing I didn't play on the album was guitar — I'm not very good at guitar. My first instrument was drums. Growing up, I just started playing drums in bands, like metal bands and stuff. After that, I got into stuff with electronics, playing keys and all that. And a little bit of bass. I guess I'm proficient enough to make those things happen. But whenever I play shows, I have a really awesome live band, and kind of re-imagine the whole vibe, which is really fun.
While being a one-man show means never having to argue with anyone about creative differences, does it also create extra pressure in that, whatever happens with your records, it's all on your shoulders?
A little bit. I think, for me, it's more positive than negative. I do like doing things on my own, but at the same time I do like to send my stuff around, get people's opinions on things. … I think the best part about it is I can put as much group effort into it as I want, but … in the end, I don't have to make any compromises.
Obviously, you use a backing band on the road; have you ever considered making The Ready Set a full-time multi-member band?
I've thought about it. I've definitely considered it, but it's gone well for me so far the way it is. It just seems like it's more beneficial for me to do it this way. I probably won't ever do that, but who knows? Maybe I'll change my mind.
How would you define your style of music?
Everything's pretty rooted in pop, I guess overall. But I always wanted to make music that doesn't come across as just a stereotype of a pop singer. I don't really try to go in and define it before I start writing it. I just write whatever and let it be whatever. I never want it to sound like I put out the same thing twice. For me, it's just constantly evolving. Whatever comes out of my head that day is what I get.
I was surprised to find you had some contributions on various "Punk Goes Pop" albums; do you feel like there's a punk element to your music?
Not at all. I think they use that term pretty loosely. … It's an interesting thing, cuz I think I have a lot of fans who come from that whole pop-punk world a little bit, who bring that Warped Tour-vibe, so I guess there's maybe a little overlap. But my stuff is definitely not punk. [Laughs] I grew up listening to that sort of stuff throughout my whole childhood.
Who are some of your musical influences? Who did you grow up listening to?
That's a hard question. I try not to listen to anything with the intention of "this is what I want to sound like." I've found that the coolest influences are the things you don't expect to influence you. Like I could listen to some song from the '60s and subconsciously apply that song to a melody and never even realize I was doing it. I like when things like that seem to happen naturally. That's just an impossible question for me to answer, for some reason. I've never been able to come out and say "here are my influences."
"The Bad & The Better" is your third full-length album; how have you evolved as a musician since your debut?
I feel like I've really learned how to write songs. I spent so long writing every single day — I feel like I've taught myself a lot about it just by doing that. I got to work with a ton of really talented people over the last couple years. I was able to learn from them and apply the things that they showed me to my own stuff, which is really cool. I haven't really changed what I do — I just feel a lot more focused and consistent in what I do.
Tell me about making "The Bad & The Better." What were you trying to say with it?
I don't know that there was one overall thing that I was trying to say, so much as it's a collection of what I was thinking and feeling at the time. And I just went through the process of writing it. I had like probably 70 songs that were just looking for a place to go. I ended up using a few of them and I ended up writing half of the album within a one-month timeframe. It had been awhile since I had put out an album, so I was trying to be really fast about it. Which is good — I almost feel like it's better to go in and run through it all in one fell swoop instead of overthinking everything.
How was it being out on The Warped Tour this summer?
It was awesome. It was the second tim I've done it — I also did it in 2011 — and it was really, really cool. The reactions were better than I was expecting. The crowds were great everyday. It was just a lot of fun.
Now you're set to tour with Metro Station, among others; what are your expectations for those shows?
You know, I'm not really sure. I haven't headlined in awhile, so I'm really excited. There's a lot of positive stuff around it. It's my first tour supporting the new album, aside from the Warped Tour, so it's gonna be awesome. There's some cool stuff in store. I'll be playing a ton of songs — it'll probably be the longest sets I've ever done. Tons of old stuff and new stuff. I think it'll be awesome and a really good time.
Had any interesting or memorable experiences in previous visits to Salt Lake City?
I've played in Salt Lake City a bunch of times — probably like six or seven times altogether. I'm trying to think if anything crazy has happened. I don't think there ever has been anything. Obviously nothing bad has ever happened; I've never had anything other than a good time. Maybe this is the time something weird happens. Hopefully. I'm trying to make something crazy happen. It's the first show of the tour and that would be a cool way to kick it off. I've always liked playing in Salt Lake.
How is it different playing the first show of the tour versus, say, the 20th?
The first is usually like … I'd say it would have to be 50 percent of a disaster. Nobody really knows what they're doing the first day and everyone's trying to figure out how to make the show run smoothly. All the technical stuff is kind of up in the air. I don't know — it's really fun. We've had really good first shows and really bad first shows. It's kind of fun to have things be all messy.
What can fans who show up for your set at In The Venue next week expect?
Craziness. Just energy. Pretty much just an hour of constant music without any sort of downtime. It's gonna be fun. We're gonna do things we've never done before, show a different side of us. We're gonna play some songs we've never played before. I just want to make it so that the people who saw us play on the last tour are getting a whole new experience. This'll be one of the coolest live shows we've done.
Twitter: @esotericwalden —
With Metro Station
When • Tuesday, Oct. 21; doors open at 6 p.m.
Where • In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $20 advance, $22 day of; Smith's Tix