islands of pear
about
islands of pear is an alternative rock trio from pearland, texas—luke kelly on guitar, tj mizell on drums, and virgil walenta on bass.
i crossed paths with luke and tj during my 2017 internship at a recording studio. needing a band for a project, a friend connected us. we clicked instantly at the studio, and to my surprise, they lacked a bassist. post-recording, we stayed in touch, and a few days later, they asked me to join as the bassist. despite my initial no, their charm won me over. i became their bassist and eventually their full-time music producer and graphic designer. we've been great friends since.
i exited the band in 2021 to focus on my design career. virgil, a mutual friend, triumphantly stepped in and made his debut in their 2022 release, releasing a weakness.
creating music with them was a blast. 2017's capturing a likeness marked my first non-personal project, a fantastic learning experience that kickstarted my journey as a well-known music producer.
for more about the band, follow them on social media or streaming platforms below!
releases
releasing a weakness was the 4th record i worked on with islands of pear, this time featuring virgil walenta on bass after my departure from the group. this release became a labor of love, as at first, most of the music wasn’t gluing together in the studio how we wanted it to. but, in time, all the pieces started falling into place, and it wound up being an eclectic embellishment of what made the band’s sound so unique in the first place.
i admittedly struggled to produce this record as i had a very clear vision in my mind of how i wanted it to sound, but wasn’t making the right moves to achieve it. eventually, it clicked, and we were all beyond happy with the sound.
these songs were a big challenge for us as i was adamant about implementing a brass section into some of them to achieve a sort of “classy” and “vintage” big band style, but we struggled to find a good balance between the already loud elements of the sound and the horns. after weeks of picking it apart, though, we finally pulled it off, and they became bombastic and theatrical representations of the band’s already well-defined sound.
the weird weight was our 3rd release, and while it was short, it moved mountains. “filter” gained so much traction with fans that it became islands of pear’s most popular song for awhile. what made that song so special is how easily it came together in the studio. we all had our instruments plugged in and were listening to luke play us the song for the first time since he’d written it, and miraculously, tj and i came in on drums and bass at the exact same moment. we all looked at each other after our playthrough in absolute awe, and quickly rushed to get it recorded while it was still fresh.
also on this release was a song luke and chancla fight club’s ashley dawson collaborated on titled “followed by your flaws”. it was a soft and simple song, featuring ashley on flute, luke on ukulele, and some bass accompaniment i added to fill out the sound.
following the success of capturing a likeness, we were itching to put out more music. it just so happened to be around the holidays, so we figured why not — let’s do some holiday music!
luke had written “holiday down south” a few years prior, which was what initially brought about talks of releasing during the holidays. we then decided to pick a classic christmas song and put our own twist on it. this was such a fun experience for me as a musician and producer because i had the chance to not only capture the charm of a well-known tune, but also align it with a sound i wasn’t entirely familiar with yet.
every year around the holidays i revisit these songs and they make the season feel even more festive. we hope they do the same for you!
capturing a likeness was the first release i worked on with islands of pear, and was essentially what set the tone for our time together. even the title of the record itself is about attaining a certain style, so it was fitting that it would lay the foundation for the band as a whole for years to come.
not only was it my first project with islands of pear, but my first time producing music that wasn’t entirely my own. i owe this record so much as it kickstarted my career as a music producer, and will always have a very special place in my heart. to this day, i still consider this to be the most successful collaborative experience i’ve ever had, and the start of a lifetime friendship with two of the most goofy and charming guys i’ve ever met.