We were lucky to catch up with Holden Ausborn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Holden, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

yesdude! (Holden Ausborn, Milo Kenny, Wells Whitman) just released our first EP in a few years, entitled “Doodles”. It was a very special project for us, as not only was it the first batch of songs that are out to the public in a while, these were also the first songs that we wrote with our drummer Milo Kenny after he joined the band last year. I think it’s interesting to think about this new era of the band that we’re in because we hadn’t been able to play live between 2020 and 2022 because of covid. After moving to college, growing up a lot in the last few years, as well as progressing a lot musically, there had been some big changes in our lives that we were finally able to share. These songs (bar one about someone fictional,) are about our lives, heartbreak and ultimately the healing that has followed. The recording process was swift and so much fun. We were lucky enough to record at Fidelitorium Recordings in Kernersville, NC, and our engineer Ashley was super helpful and helped us carve out the exact sound that we wanted for the EP. Everything came together perfectly and it was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had.

Holden, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Wells Whitman and I met in the 6th grade, and we became inseparable after that. We always shared similar music tastes, and I had been playing guitar for a year or so before I thought about us playing music together. One day in high school, I brought my bass over with my guitar and a few amps to his house, and we just played Led Zeppelin riffs really poorly. It wasn’t anything special on the surface but it was this moment where I think both of us realized that we could play together and also start coming up with our own ideas as well. The fact that we were close friends beforehand made it come together in a pretty cohesive way. When Wells’ cousin Hunter Doucette joined us on drums in the summer of 2019, we started a band together and began to record our own songs. After covid hit, Hunter left the band and we made some recordings and a few songs here and there, but nothing that really stuck. In early 2022, Wells met Milo in an American literature class, found out he played drums, and after that we just started practicing. That summer, it coalesced into something we’d always wanted it to be. Not only were we active musically again, but playing shows and writing the songs in a way that we’d been missing for a long time, just all three of us together in a room, making things up as we went. We all sing and have pretty equal say in the writing process, (unless Wells writes an awesome riff and I can’t ignore it,) and I think it makes for a wonderful band dynamic. Everything is democratic, and since we’re all good friends who spend time together outside of a musical setting, we all have a good idea of how we’re doing, what’s going on in our lives, and how that might influence our songwriting as well.

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

I think that all three of us are trying to make music that we would want to listen to. Pushing ourselves creatively is always rewarding, but most of all, when people listen to our music and can resonate with it, find solace in it, or just enjoy it outright without a reason, that means a lot to us. Our subject matter can be about heartbreak, hard times, broken relationships and whatnot, but we also write songs about healing and how important it is to check on the people around you. yesdude! is something that all three of us are very happy to be a part of as a creative and emotional outlet. I think that’s reflected in our sound, a power-pop, emo and punk-influenced sound that is a little bit snarky, a little bit awkward, but always hard-hitting and passionate. Clawed Tracks, a local studio, described our music as feeling “like a close friend’s serenade,” which I thought was really sweet!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Boone, NC, where we’re located, is an explosive creative hub for musicians and artists alike, and I don’t think it’s your typical college-town scene. Lots of bands with very different musical genres will play together on a bill, drawing different crowds, and I think it’s awesome that they can all interact. I think that simply going out to support local artists, bands, etc. is very helpful not only for the bands but also the venues that let the bands play. I can’t speak as much for traditional visual arts, but get out there and see the art for yourself, see that band play. Even just listening to music on Spotify, sharing with your friends, and giving those people and their art a chance is very meaningful.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yesdudeband/
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77jAI0sTDyElWWFozpUYdB Linktree: https://linktr.ee/yesdudeband

Image Credits
Jake Owens, Gabriela Ramirez