Sean Skyler

August 2010 - Artist of the Week:
“I have a soft spot for singer songwriters coming from the Chicago scene. Partly because I know how difficult it is to establish yourself in a market that has built its name on fast, aggressive music. Earlier artists of the week have included Kevin Prchal and Ryan Powers. Continuing along those lines, this week’s Artist of the Week is Sean Skyler.

Usually, when I am researching what to say about an artist who is being featured I go to their biography to get the background. In a continuing trend of musicians becoming tired of the trumped up biography, Sean’s bio consisted of one line: ‘Sean Skyler is pop rock act out of Chicago’. This could mean one of two things. It could mean he is just lazy or he would prefer to let his music speak for itself. Lucky for him, it is the latter.

Sean has been plying his craft for a couple years in the scene, and the results are starting to show in the number of fans he is acquiring. He crafts excellent pop songs, which can be heard at his myspace page. My personal favorite is ‘I Thought You Should Know’.”
– Scott Sweeney Editor In Chief
- Chicago Indie Insider

On April 13th I met up with Singer/Songwriter Sean Skyler at Quigley's in Oak Lawn to find out how things have come along since we first met over a year ago. Sean has a very creative writing style that seems to attract listeners from all over the world, including 300,000 visits to his myspace page. Sean's releasing an EP later this year, lets see what he's been up to.
Wassup Magazine: How long have you been playing and when did you begin to write?
Sean Skyler: When I was 15. I really had no idea what I was doing. I just had melodies popping in my head all the time. But it wasn't until college that I actively started to study song structure and voice.
W: You seem to have an excellent fan base, what is it about your style of music that seems to capture and audience?
SS: I really don't know to be honest, but I'm beside myself with gratitude that people seem to like what I'm building.
W: Your song Patiently Waiting is my favorite and it has over 20K plays, tell us about it?
SS: Thank you, yea It's certainly not the most cheerful thing in the catalog. (laughs) I had someone close to me attempt to take their own life and it really made me think. I wrote it in the vein of an old French poetic realism film, that feeling of a hopeless journey. I guess we can all empathize with that sometimes.
W: Who are your musical influences?
SS: Most obvious is probably The Beatles. I'm also influenced by Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Gin Blossoms, and newer artists like Jimmy Eat World and The Old 97's.
W: Explain your passion for music?
SS: Throughout college, I tried many different career paths, none that I found to hold my interest or nearly as fulfilling as song writing. I know this is what I'm supposed to do with my life. At this point making music is like breathing for me. I don't think I have much of a choice but to see where it leads. Right now, it's music or bust!
- Michael Branigan
- Wassup! Magazine