by Ricardy Herard
It’s been over a year since I became a member of WONC, and I’ve really been able to come out of my shell since then. One experience I would’ve never had otherwise was going to my first concert and seeing a band called Letdown live on stage. On a Thursday night in Chicago, I went to the Cobra Lounge with a few other members of WONC to see some indie bands and conduct a few interviews. I’ll admit that I was just tagging along at first, but being in the middle of such a different environment from what I’m used to allowed me to meet with and conduct a mini-interview with the lead singer of Letdown.
Letdown is a band that really started taking off in 2020. Their lead singer, Blake Codington, launched Letdown to express himself after struggling with his mental health. Most of his songs still take inspiration from such feelings to tell people they’re not alone. Letdown currently has 10 singles, a few music videos, and is soon to launch an album. You got to love a band that so quickly jumped from TikTok to the stage.
So, what was it like to meet Blake in person? It started with the group entering the Cobra Lounge and seeing Blake at the bar, having a drink and talking to fans. It wasn’t long until we got to talk to him ourselves and ask him a few questions. Already, we could tell that Blake was a down-to-earth guy. He told us about how he had a bad experience with someone he looked up to and wanted to not be an example of the phrase “Don’t meet your heroes.” Blake was just a guy that wanted to make music and have fun.
After talking with him for a bit, I asked the two main questions of my interview. First, I wanted to know what it was like to gain a following so quickly. He told me that it was surreal how fast his music career took off and he’s working to keep it going, even wanting to go on tour someday. Though, he also says that if his career ended here, he would still be satisfied with what he was able to do.
That took me to my second question: what if it didn’t end? How long would he choose to continue in music if nothing stopped him? The answer he gave me was inspiring: Blake plans to do this until he dies. After the interview, I gained a lot of respect for Blake and how he was able to take his circumstances and turn it into talent. With that, it was time for us to go see the show.
The first band we saw was one called Jagger Henry (also a great band), and then it was time to see Letdown perform. The concert felt a little more special after getting to know Blake a little, and that was reflected in the songs we heard. There were ones with high energy, low energy, and a range of emotions that really brought me into their world.
I now understand what makes Letdown so popular and I’m glad to say that they were my first concert experience. I end this by saying that Letdown is a band that’s totally worth seeing, and I have to give a big thank you to Blake for answering my questions. All members of WONC hope you have a long career ahead of you.
