We recently connected with Ian Wheeler and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ian thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Drumming for the band Coyote Man.

I’ve been jamming with the same guys since high school. Ian Wheeler (Drums), Augie Portugal (guitar, keys) and Rene Rodriguez (Bass). We formed our band Coyote Man back in 2015 and have had some releases including an album, two EP’s and a few singles. We are a three piece instrumental band from Chicago, IL that have metal and progressive rock flair. Coyote Man are about to hit the studio in June for our upcoming second full length release.

We all grew up in high school around the early 2000’s in the Chicago burbs. I played in a punk cover band at the time in my sophomore year and entered the battle of the bands. During the end of the set I threw my drum sticks into the crowd and one of them hit Augie (guitarist) in the head. Shortly after that, I met him and Rene. We started to practice and did covers of Deftones, Nirvana, System of A Down, Linkin Park and all the alternative rock that was popular at the time. We branched out and started to write originals after high school and formed Lifedos’. We had a singer in those days and started to play backyard shows, pizza joints and mostly parties.

We broke apart around 2005 or so. Some of us moved a way and some of us had kids. We kept in touch and practiced every now and again with no singer. Then the fall of 2015 we decided to jam again and see what would happen. We owed ourselves to make an album. So for two years straight we wrote our first self titled album which was released in 2017. The rest is history and to this day we are still passionate on creating music.

At this point in our career with the band, we have almost hit the mountain top. It’s obvious the music industry isn’t what it used to be but that hasn’t stopped us from creating art. It’s extremely difficult being in an instrumental band since this genre is only catered to a certain audience. Our passion and motivation is on high at the moment. We are going to take this next release to a different level and shop around our music. Hopefully, getting on a movie or video game soundtrack would be exceptional. Anything is possible. We have also played our first two shows of 2025 in Chicago, IL and Kalamazoo, MI which went very well. The audience is feeding off of us more then ever and we feel that this next release will put us into a different playing field. Only time will tell.

Ian, 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?

My inspiration from music was because of my parents. They always had music blasting in the house including – Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Doors, Nirvana, Dead Kennedys, etc. The first time I heard Nirvana I was in first grade. I remember my dad driving me around doing his errands blasting the album “Nevermind” on cassette wherever we would go. The drumming stuck to me because it was so intense and hard hitting. It sounds cliche’ but Dave Grohl sparked my interest on drumming. In second grade, I was in the school band for a year or two and I only played the snare drum and I wanted a full kit. My parents picked me up a basic kit and I started to teach myself playing to The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Red Hot Chili Peppers. My coordination was so bad and I had a lot of trouble with the bass drum but over time I learned. I ended up taking drum lessons a few years later with a jazz drummer playing along to Whitney Houston and a lot of R&B. That really helped with my coordination moving on.

Now as a drummer, I am extremely proud of my bandmates and how far we have came. I really want our fans to enjoy themselves through our journey of sounds. People who understand it, really show appreciation and I am truly grateful for that.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

To play in front of as many people as possible. The internet is a huge platform to share any type of music but I think as a band you want to play as many shows as you can. Playing in intimate tiny room full of people is the most powerful feeling you get while being on stage. You want to reach out to the people face to face.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Creating something out of nothing. Bringing songs to life and having people listen is the most rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/coyotemanband
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/coyotemanband
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/coyotemanband
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@coyotemanband
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/coyotemanband

Image Credits

Photos by Angel Puga and Alex Castillo.