Name: We Are the Willows
Nationality: American
Members: Peter Miller (Drums, Synths, Loops, Vocals), Hilary James (Cello, Loops, Vocals), Travis Collins (Bass), Jeremiah Satterthwaite (Keys, Guitars), Adelyn Strei (Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute), Josh McKay (drums)
Interviewee: Peter Miller
Current release: We Are the Willows's IV is out August 29th 2024 via Youngbloods.
Recommendations: Look at Travis Collin’s artwork; Listen to Bathtub Cig

If you enjoyed this We Are the Willows interview and would like to know more about the band and their music, visit their official homepage. The group are also on Instagram, and twitter.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

Hmmm … I’m not sure as a listener. I think in textures maybe?

This new record of ours is a flower arrangement. At least, that’s what I see.

Entering/creating new worlds through music has always exerted a strong pull on me. What do you think you are drawn to most when it comes to listening to and creating music?

I’m absolutely chasing after world building. It’s one of the best things about making art. It’s generative. It goes somewhere.

As a listener, I love being able to reside in an artist’s world for a bit.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music mean to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

That was a very formative period of time for me! I was playing drums in my church’s youth group band. I was in bands with friends. I was introduced to David Bazan’s music. I was skateboarding all the time. I was experimenting with songwriting.

There’s a lot from that time period that remains with me.

Tell me about one or two of your early pieces that you're still proud of (or satisfied with) – and why you're content with them.

I have a lot of gratitude for a song of mine called, “A Funeral Dressed As A Birthday”. It has connected me to folks who’ve lost people and I’ve learned that it has helped them. It did something for them.



I am currently trying to figure out how to rearrange this song. Wish me luck.

What is your current your studio or workspace like? What instruments, tools, equipment, and space do you need to make music?

It’s the basement in my house. I’ve been making music in this basement for 15 years. I love it.

It’s also a total mess right now. It’s constantly being disassembled and reassembled. I’m trying to build a work desk but can’t find the time. Whew. It’s not a space where I can be making songs. But it will be soon.

From the earliest sketches to the finished piece, tell me about the creative process for your current release, please.

When we’re all in the same room, working on something new, the best and most meaningful entry point has been improvisation.

The process on this record was improvisational in its infancy and oddly utilitarian as time went on. I have a very particular window of time to work with my band (Hilary James, Travis Collins, Josh McKay & Jeremiah Satterthwaite) and we wanted this to be a band record. So time was precious.

Josh, who usually plays drums, mixed the record. Hilary, co-wrote and co-produced it with me. Travis wrote and tracked his parts in like 2 hours and I think if you listen to the record, you’ll think, “that’s sick.”


Peter Miller of We Are the Willows Interview Image (c) the artist

What role and importance do rituals have for you, both as an artist and a listener?

I’m not sure. I used to be a deeply religious person and now I’m not. So I have a difficult relationship with ritual.

I suppose the act of writing and performing music is in itself probably my most cherished ritual?

Late producer SOPHIE said: “You have the possibility [...] to generate any texture, and any sound. So why would any musician want to limit themselves?” What's your take on that?

Sounds reasonable to me! At least, that kind of thinking is what excites me. That’s what I’m chasing.

Sometimes I fail to see that there’s also something powerful to writing with the tools of those who came before ya. It feels good to commune.

Do you feel that your music or your work as an artist needs to have a societal purpose or a responsibility to anyone but yourself?

I think music and art have a societal purpose inherently. The act of making it IS its value.

Because that’s the case, I think I have a responsibility to everyone. I’m not exactly sure what that looks like though. I’m figuring that out.

Once a piece is done and released, do you find it important that listeners understand it in a specific way? How do you deal with “misunderstandings?”

I want to be understood but I cherish people having their own relationships to my songs. The song becomes theirs in a way.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

I’m in love with the sound of the wind blowing through the zinnias in my yard. It doesn’t feel musical but it has the same magic.

As a producer, I love sampling “non-musical” sound. It has music in it.

We can surround us with sound every second of the day. The great pianist Glenn Gould even considered this the ultimate delight. How do you see that yourself and what importance does silence hold?

Oh, the best spots are in the breaks. The breath.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I think so. Or yes and no? Apples & oranges kinda thing?

I dunno. We’re hurtling through space time on this strange earth. Anything is possible.

What is a music related question that you would like to ask yourself – and what's your answer to it?

Do you love music?

YES!