by Kenneth Morton

The Ready Set is the solo project of 19-year-old Jordan Witzigreuter, a talented young musician from Indiana who is beginning to make a big name for himself due to terrific tunes such as Stays Four The Same, Giants, and Soular Flares. One of the most promising acts in the current crop of one-man pop bands, Jordan possesses a knack for the perfect pop song performing all the instruments on his various releases – and audiences have taken notice. Currently on tour with a full band, which also includes Boys Like Girls and Never Shout Never, we spoke with Jordan after his set at the Knitting Factory main stage in Hollywood. …

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in The Ready Set, and how long you’ve been doing this project.
My name is Jordan Witzigreuter and I do everything in The Ready Set. It’s like a solo project kind of thing. I write, record, sing, play all the instruments – and I’ve been doing this for about a year and a half.

What city are you from and what is your local music scene like out there?
I’m from Fort Wayne, Indiana. The scene was pretty big for hardcore for a while, but it’s kind of died down since. There’s not too much going on. There’s like a local kind of bar scene, but as far as pop music or rock – when we come around the shows are cool. There’s local shows there’s often like 40-50 kids, but there’s not too much going on there right now. We kind of got out of it pretty quickly and started touring.

How has this tour been going and what have been some of the highlights so far?
It’s been awesome! Almost all of the shows have been sold out. We’ve played to some huge crowds. We played at a Six Flags the other day in front of 6,000 people, and that’s the biggest thing we’ve ever done. Everyone has been reacting really well. It’s been perfect – all the shows have been great and the turnouts have been awesome.

Do you ever get nervous when you go out in front of 6,000 people?
I get more nervous going out to like 15 people. A big group of people, everyone is like having fun. But when there’s a small crowd, everyone is just standing right in front of you. Tiny little stages with people right there are way more nerve wracking than big stages. We played in January here in the Tiny Room (the Alterknit Lounge at the Knitting Factory), and there were like 50 kids there. And that was more intense than the show we just played in there with like 600.

Up next is a tour with Ryan Cabrera. How did that come about, and are you a fan of his music?
All that I’ve ready heard of his music are a couple of singles that he’s had on the radio. They are good – super catchy stuff. We got it because my manager basically got that offered to him. He asked if I wanted to do some of it, and I said, “Sure.” It kind of connects into what we’re doing right after. So we’re home for a bit after this and then we’ll be gone for like two months. It’s kind of like all mixed together, but it’ll be fun.

How difficult is it to record everything on your own, and would you ever want to work with a band when you record?
It’s actually a lot easier for me, because I’m in control of everything. I don’t have to worry much about different ideas conflicting. I kind of got a little bit of a taste for that whole thing – when I recorded my last album which hasn’t come out yet – I worked with a producer so he gave creative input too – so it was a lot more of a group thing then it ever has been before. But I like doing the while solo thing a lot more than in bands because I’ve been in bands since I was real young.

Tell me about the new single Stays Four The Same and where you came up with the ideas for the lyrics?
It’s kind of about fear of change. At the time, I wanted to switch up the style of my music a little bit – make it kind of more how that song is. It’s kind of about having to worry about what other people are going to think and worry about if it’s going to be good enough for older fans to listen to who listened to your music before. It’s really about having someone there to help you see that what you’re doing is good, and having that kind of support. It’s very relevant to everything right now that’s going on with me.

What did you think of Hollywood when you showed up here for the first time? Was it everything you thought it would be?
It’s very, very busy here – a lot of stuff’s going on. Like all the people in the street and the costumes and stuff. It’s exactly what I expected it to be – fun and colorful and it’s a good time. Last time we were here, we spent a few hours walking around Sunset Blvd. It’s fun. There’s a lot going on.

Did you get to buy a Michael Jackson shirt today?
No, but I kind of want to.

What do you think about Michael Jackson’s passing away?
Obviously he’s the King Of Pop and all. For someone making pop music, it’s kind of a bummer. I was never a huge fan or anything, but I knew a bunch of his songs – I think everybody did. For the music world, it’s definitely a huge loss.

Are you currently signed to a record label now?
Not right now. We’re still doing everything independent. We’re still trying to figure out what we’re going to do with the record that I just recorded. We might sign – we might release it on our own – we’re still kind of waiting to see what comes up.

To you, what has been the best and worst part about touring and being on the road?
The worst part is that I get sick every tour. My throat always gets messed up. I don’t get a lot of sleep because we’re still touring in a van. That’s no good. Whenever one of us gets sick, we all get sick – so it’s no good when it happens. But the good part is the shows and meeting a bunch of new people. I usually hang out at the merch table after we play and meet everybody who comes up and talk to them. That’s the most fun part I think. I didn’t expect to have that many people who knew us on this tour. There’s like a good hundred at every show who’ve been real stoked on it and knew me before. The shows have been awesome and playing is the best part.

What’s the best advice you could give someone who is just starting to make music on their own?
If you want to do it seriously, devote all of your time and everything you have into it. When I started, I would spend up to 7-8 hours a day on MySpace just doing everything I could. And I would write so much. Just spend all of your time doing it. I went to college for a semester and spent most of my time on their computers doing just MySpace stuff, like promoting. So it’s really just that first. If you want to have a career in music, then you need to work really hard for it. Just don’t worry about what people say if they don’t like it. If you like it and you’re getting some good feedback, then keep doing it – because if someone likes it, a bunch of other people probably will too.

Do you have any messages for your fans out here in the Los Angeles area?
Yeah! Thank you anyone who came to the show. It was an awesome time! The crowd was super fun. Thanks for coming. And if you haven’t heard my music, check it out – it’s myspace.com/thereadyset – and if you ever see me here again playing a show, come out and say hi – have fun and thanks!

The Ready Set links

The Ready Set on Myspace: The Official Myspace Page for The Ready Set!
The Highwire Daze Home Page: Return to the Main Page!

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