Today we’d like to introduce you to Bailey Pyritz.
Hi Bailey, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been singing since I was little, pretty much ever since I could talk. I never was a casual music listener either, I remember some of the songs I would hear in my dad’s car as a kid just spoke to my soul on a different level. I also loved to act and I got into the theater in my hometown when I was about nine. It exposed me to musical theater which is when I started taking voice lessons for the musicals I auditioned for. I’ve been exposed to heavier rock music since I was born, but the older I got the more I started to prefer it. I got into metal and punk in my early teen years and realized I wanted to focus on music more than theater, and so my parents signed me up for guitar lessons and vocal lessons for heavier music. I was in my first band in high school, we were a punk band and it was a great way to express myself at that time. In my teen years I faced a lot of mental health struggles and the constant in my life was music, specifically punk. My favorite bands and the thought of living my dreams as a touring musician are what kept me going. Kylo Gun as a project initially started as just a diary. I wrote solo songs on my acoustic guitar as a way to talk about personal things that were negatively affecting me. I never intended to release them but after a year or more of having these songs I started to feel more proud of them, so I recorded and released them. A lot of the singers of punk bands I loved had acoustic solo projects, so that definitely influenced me too. I originally released them under my real name Bailey Pyritz, just on bandcamp. I experienced a huge life change in 2019 when I hit rock bottom with my mental health and then recovered, at the same time as starting college and moving to a new city. I really came into myself more during that time. In November of 2019 I attended the Sidepony Express festival in Bisbee for the first time, and I fell in love with the town and its cowboy culture. After that I decided to take on a different name and pursue my solo project more, which is how Kylo Gun came about. I’ve been writing more and playing shows since then, with the exception of 2020-2022 when I took a break from playing shows due to Covid. The project is really evolving and it lets me express myself in my most authentic form.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was not at all smooth. Depression and anxiety have been issues I’ve faced during my journey and overall it’s taught me a lot of lessons. I definitely learned the hard way the consequences of not putting myself first and staying in environments that were not conducive to my wellbeing. But I think the liberation I’ve experienced from recovering from my most intense era of depression has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I wouldn’t be who or where I am today without that, which I think it shows in my art. My music is an extension of myself, and I don’t think I would have been able to write my songs if I hadn’t had my exact life and my specific experiences. I’m very grateful that people can hear my music and connect with it, and if it weren’t for my difficulties my music wouldn’t have reached the people it has.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My main art form is music, but I also do visual arts as well. I have been creating Kylo Gun music for at least six years and it has slowly become my most constant project. I create music I like to describe as cowboy folk punk because I take inspiration from both folk punk music and bluegrass or country. I don’t want to necessarily label myself as just a folk punk artist because there are a lot of cliches in that genre that I just don’t fit. And strictly calling it folk punk discounts how many other genres inspire my music. I also wouldn’t label myself as a strictly bluegrass or country artist, because that doesn’t account for my many punk influences. So instead of bluegrass or country I like to say cowboy music because that’s an aesthetic I’m very inspired by, especially having lived in Arizona my whole life. Sometimes I’ll try to write songs that I can imagine being in a western movie or that make me picture myself as a wild west cowboy. The cowboy part of my music and image is also part of my gender expression. When I first realized that I’m genderfluid, dressing like a cowboy and making music like one is what gave me gender euphoria, and still does today. I think what sets me apart is not just my many influences, but the way I combine them all into a unique sound that is my own.
I am also part of the synth punk band I Am Miss Havisham, which is a great outlet for my expression in a different way. I feel like no matter where I am in life or what I’m doing, I will always be in a punk band because it’s like my soul’s calling I feel. I love yelling and being crazy on stage and in songs, it’s really the best feeling for me and a great way to expel my frustrations with the world and use them for something good.
I also create visual art in many mediums, including painting, digital drawing, collage, weaving, and linocut printing. Examples of the different things I do can be found on kylogun.com. I’m always looking to learn a new creative skill and discover more ways to express what I feel creatively. I want my life to be about learning as many things as I can because it’s what I get true joy from.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I learned a lot from Covid. I learned that our country doesn’t care enough about disabled people to protect them from the pandemic. I learned that the most severe risk comes to those who are immunocompromised and that compassion is shown through preventative action like masking and staying home if you are sick. I learned that it is up to us as communities to protect each other, because the government just wants us to show up to work no matter the cost of health. In terms of my personal journey, I transformed into an introvert because of Covid. I love staying home and doing my little crafts or making a demo of a song in my living room.
Contact Info:
- Website: kylogun.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/kylo.gun
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bailey-pyritz/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@baileypyritz
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kylogun
- Other: instagram.com/iammisshavisham
Image Credits
Bryan Casebolt // https://www.instagram.com/bryancasebolt/ David // https://www.instagram.com/a.lump.of.dust/
