We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ivan Wentzel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ivan below.
Ivan, appreciate you joining us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?
March 31st, 2023 was one of the most interesting days in Wentzel Brothers Band history. We had booked a show at Hank’s Honky Tonk in Murfreesboro, TN on that fateful Saturday night. We would soon find out that the night would contain crazy chaos that increased as the hours went on. We played a 3-hour set and had a wonderful show that night. Some people volunteered to help us tear down our equipment and pack it up in our band trailer. Here’s where the first lesson was learned: don’t let hammered people that you barely know help pack up your equipment. We didn’t realize someone had stolen our equipment at the time, but the next show we had. Following this gig at Hanks was about 2 and a half hours away in Jackson, TN. We arrived at the venue and realized that our microphones have not been seen since that night at Hank’s Honky Tonk. But that is just the tip of the iceberg for that night at Hank’s!
We left Hank’s in separate vehicles to return home from the show. I was driving my truck with our band trailer attached to the back, and Issac was heading back home to Chapel Hill, in his own car. We both had about a 50 minute drive ahead of us. As we left, we noticed air was still, but we never really thought twice about it. Issac got a phone call on the way home from our dad. He calmly asked “Are you about to drive through Eagleville?”, to which Issac replied: “Yeah, why?”. Our dad continued to explain that a tornado had touched down for over 90 miles, starting in West Tennessee and was heading straight towards Eagleville. Issac called me and explained, and we decided that we weren’t going to worry too much, just keep an eye out and continue heading in that direction. Next thing we knew the rain began beating down heavily, and continued getting heavier to the point where our windshield wipers were absolutely no help and it basically looked like we were underwater from inside our vehicles. Issac pulled his car between two massive trees that were on both sides of the road and the trees bent over and were laying on his car because the wind was so strong. Issac, in fear of losing his life, called the people he loved and started telling them that he was on the edge of the tornado and he don’t know if he is gonna make it. After several minutes of struggle, the tornado passed and the rain lightened. Jacob, the Wentzel Brothers bass player, was called and he never had any issues with the tornado.
We continued on the road home. I was casually driving on the highway and hit a tree in the road that had fallen from the tornado and kept driving over it with the trailer and all going about 60mph. Issac went down another road and the power lines were dragging on the top of his car. He couldn’t see the lines, he could only hear them. Realizing the intensity of the storm, he got out of his car to evaluate the damage. It was completely obliterated everywhere that tornado hit. All the trees were gone, and houses were cleared. I seemed to find a way past the obliterated line, so Issac decided to take the path I took to avoid trees in the road. Issac came by my house as I pulled in my driveway, and he poked his head out the window to ask me if he needed to come get the band trailer tomorrow from my house. This is when it got even crazier!
We thought we were in the clear, since I was home and Issac was a short drive away, with clear weather in our home town. But, as Issac and I began to discuss tomorrow’s plans, a driver came in between Issac’s car and me as I was standing near the end of my driveway. The driver lost control and hit a tree and two road signs, barely missing us both, and totaling his car. A man got out of the vehicle and was slurring his words very badly. Issac parked, and we ran over to go help the man who just crashed. It was horrible. I took him and his dog back to his friends house, he was very drunk and belligerent. The car was towed from my house later that morning.
We thank The Good Lord everyday that none of us died that day. No matter how safe you think you are, there is always the element of surprise, that can take a calm, fun night and turn it upside down. We learned many lessons that night: 1. do not to let drunks load up your stuff or you might lose something, 2. check the weather online when you hear that there might be storms coming in the night, and 3. better safe than sorry, and I’m sure your loved ones will agree.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
The Wentzel Brothers Band was founded in 2016 by Ivan Wentzel, and co-founded by Jacob Newcomb, after Ivan obtained a serious back injury while wrestling. The band was formed as a way to jam and play Southern Rock in our free time after school. It quickly became evident that we wanted more people to play with so Ivan convinced his brother Issac Wentzel to join as a lead guitarist and lead vocalist. It didn’t take long before we realized we had a certain musical chemistry and a knack for songwriting. With our lineup complete the Wentzel Brothers have become a force to reckon with.
One of the unique things about the Wentzel Brothers is that we are great at adapting to all types of situations. Because of our experience starting our giging journey in rural Chapel Hill, Tennessee, we have played every type of event imaginable. Everything from fully equipped stages with state of the art lighting and sound, to field parties with nothing but grass. It’s taken us years of investing to buy and stock a trailer with all the pa and lighting gear that we need to do a show at a moments notice. We have done sets from 3 hours of covers to sets of 2 hours of only original music.
The Wentzel Brothers never fail to bring both energy and professionalism to the stage and the studio. We draw heavily in sound and style from so many great rock bands over the years. Anything that totally rocks from the 60’s 70’s and 90’s is nothing new to the band. The Band has also converted our rehearsal space into a fully functioning recording studio. This allows us to keep feeding our hungry fans with that sweet and driven southern rock and roll.
We are most proud of the fact that we have made it this far. Just being able to stay together in a band is a great achievement but we have been able to consistently make progress. Every week we get contacted by new venues and the fans say that every show is getting better. we are also thankful for all the great people that we have met along the way.
We don’t do this for money, but we have been blessed to be able to make enough to keep doing what we love.
How’d you meet your business partner?
I met Jacob Newcomb in school. We had been good friends since middle school. Jacob played clarinet in the school band, so I knew he had musical talent. After my back injury, I decided I wanted to play music to kill some time. I asked Jacob if he wanted to learn the bass, and loaned him a bass that my dad had purchased for my brother, but had never been played. Jacob learned the bass fast and it wasn’t long before he was in the band room jamming with me on drums. I took up the guitar for a while because we thought it would be easier to find a drummer, but eventually we convinced Issac to learn guitar and our band was completed.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
We were always willing to say yes to gigs in the beginning. We have learned since then that that isn’t the best way to do things, but it helped us get our foot in the industry door. We always showed up for the shows we booked. At first, any gig, even small, was an excuse to practice and get more experience. We starting giging directly after we formed the band, so it forced us to learn and get tight very quickly. We always take responsibility for any mistakes that we make.
Our parents, Carly and Elton, were also played a very big role in getting us a good reputation. They were able to go to bar and venues we weren’t allowed in, since we were under 21, and tell them about the band.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thewentzelbrothers.com/home
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thewentzelbrothers?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
- Facebook: facebook.com/thewentzelbrothersband
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@TheWentzelBrothers
Image Credits
Will Jordan Photographer