Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zack Baumgartner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Zack, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
As we’ve been in the Chicago scene for around five years, some of our most meaningful projects are the hometown shows that we throw to help bring community through our music. We often do sponsored events for mental health and suicide awareness as well, which is also something so extremely rewarding for us to be able to start the conversation through our music.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
When The Sun Sets is a Chicago + Nashville based pop-punk outfit aiming to make an impact on mental health through music. Since forming in 2018, the band has partnered with Hope For The Day, a Chicago-based mental health awareness organization to help spread the word at all of their shows.
Their music brings nostalgic vibes to old pop-punk lovers, while bringing some new flavors to the table for the ones who like to keep it fresh. The band has release 3 EPs, and countless standalone singles including their most recent record, “You + Me 4 Never”. The band has yielded millions of plays across platforms and won’t stop until they’ve made their mark on music and mental health.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
The best way to support an artist is to go to their live performances and pick up merchandise. If everybody who listens to a band goes to their show when they are in town and brings just a single friend, you’ve now doubled your crowd. It’s about being open minded and always exposing yourself and others to new music while also supporting artists directly.
Times are tough and all artists understand that. If you don’t have anything to spend, a follow and shares on social media do WONDERS for smaller bands like ourselves. Sharing a band with your friends spreads the word and helps get us the exposure we need to play a city near you as many of us play only larger cities.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect is getting to hear what our songs have done for people. As a mental health driven band, we always aim to make our listeners feel like they aren’t alone in anything that they are going through. Getting to see that in a live setting, watching people sing the lyrics and hear what it means to them is the most rewarding experience I’ve ever felt.
If we can help just one person through a tough time with our songs, then we are doing our job. The growth involved with some of our new friends that have come to see us several times is something we can’t quite get over either. Seeing people come out of a hard time in their life is something to be so proud of, and having any hand in it is a blessing to us. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://whenthesunsetsband.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/whenthesunsetsil
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/whenthesunsetsil
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/wtssil
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/whenthesunsetsil
- Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whenthesunsetsil?_t=8d6XWvPvhkp&_r=1
- Merch: https://whenthesunsetsil.myshopify.com/
Image Credits
Ed Kost / ChopsEye Photography