We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bryce Couch. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bryce below.

Hi Bryce, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My musical journey started with playing percussion in the 5th grade band, as well as playing guitar for fun. I was super into classic rock at the time and I would learn every Zeppelin, The Who, and Creedence song I could. It was a lot of looking up tabs and fumbling through songs, but a lot of it came from listening.

I was fortunate enough to have some phenomenal musical mentors in my life, Mr. Arnold being the biggest influence. JR, as we called him, taught me a lot about theory and how to apply it to the music I liked the most. I have a solid foundation of theory knowledge and technical skills that i’ve worked hard to polish, but at the end of the day I keep a pretty simple philosophy. If it sounds good, it sounds good. I’m a big believer in playing what feels/sounds right, and then doing the math afterwards.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born and raised in Cincinnati, and I’ve been playing and writing music my entire life. My first *real* band was a project I started in high school, we were called “With the Friends”. That was my first real introduction into playing shows, working to book gigs, writing/recording, and all the other things that come with being in your first band.

After graduating high school I attended the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota on a football scholarship. Despite being an athlete and working towards an eventual master’s degree, I was still active as a performer and songwriter. I started a group called “Ghostricks” in South Dakota and that was when I feel like I took the biggest step as a writer. After graduating college, I moved to Grand Rapids, MI where I have been living for about a year now.

I started “Pretty Sure” with some of the OG members of “With The Friends” and we cut our first EP and had released it on all platforms on 02/12/23. Playing in Pretty Sure has been the most fun I’ve ever had as an artist. I can hear and feel the growth i’ve made as a person, player, and writer; but the sense of raw, optimistic, passion that I had when I first started has been restored.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The two biggest emotional pillars I lean on with my art are honesty and passion. As an artist it’s easy to get overwhelmed, burnt out, and lose motivation when you’re constantly wearing your heart on your sleeve. When that sensation starts to creep in, you have to remind yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing, and who you’re doing it for. Music is a release and I want to remain as honest and passionate in my approach as I can be.

I try to put all of my energy into my work, and if I tried to fake it, I would be exhausted all of the time. Sometimes the hardest thing to be is yourself, and if you can learn to embrace the challenge of finding who you are it can be extremely rewarding.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

It all starts with artists supporting each other. There are many different mediums, but there is a lot of overlap in most areas. For example, instead of outsourcing logo/album art design to a third party that i’ll never meet, I had my boy Ian help me out with it. Instead of getting your merch made from a random website, find someone in town to help you meet your needs. Go to the shows, buy the merch, tell people about your favorite bands, tip your bartenders, tell people your like their art, etc. I’ll get off my soapbox now, but you catch my drift.

The best way to build community is from within. In Grand Rapids we have an awesome community of creatives that are equally as passionate about supporting their peers as they are about their own work. There are so many hard working artists in this city that it’s impossible to be uninspired. There’s always someone to meet, something to learn, and art to enjoy. All you gotta do is open your eyes.

Contact Info:

• Website: bit.ly/m/prettysure
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prettysureband/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prettysureband/
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6AQ9DTWW09w6mjsW2LQtRH?si=cvk6wJefQC-giuapQD30tg
• Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/pretty-sure/1669392138
• Bandcamp: https://prettysure.bandcamp.com/album/pretty-sure
• Booking Inquiries: prettysureband2022@gmail.com

Image Credits
@upcoastphotography @fortitudeimagery