Mylo Bybee are King of the Mountain

Jason Guadalupe, Tyler Shlagenhauf, and Wes Shlagenhauf. Photo by Matthew Wordell. Courtesy of Mylo Bybee’s Facebook page.

I hesitate to reference The Little Engine that Could when writing about Mylo Bybee, however fitting it might seem. One conversation with Wes and Tyler Shlagenhauf, and you cannot help but think, “Damn right they can.” The first time we spoke with Mylo Bybee, they had just finished the second of their two-show Treefort Music Festival debut. They had also just lost their drummer. Triumph, in tandem with defeat, was a running theme through the group’s early days. With one show under their belt, they were relegated to the garage by the pandemic lockdown. Mylo Bybee took the setback in stride, honing their sound to emerge fully formed and confident in what they had to offer. Although it would take another handful of drummers before the brothers Shlagenhauf found Jason Guadalupe, the seemingly perfect drum hand for Mylo Bybee’s musical glove. With the trio complete, the band made their final chug to the top of the mountain. This past year they signed with ZMI Arcadia Recordings. Their debut self-titled EP was remastered at Abbey Road Studios and released worldwide. The band’s debut album, Master and Machine, is set to be released in June of this year. We caught up with the Boise-based trio this past October outside The Neurolux in downtown Boise, Idaho, to talk about their record deal, finding the right drummer, and being a part of the Boise music scene. You can catch Mylo Bybee on February 11th at the Knitting Factory in downtown Boise, Idaho.

Tyler Shlagenhauf performing with Mylo Bybee. Photo by April Massey

AM: The last time we spoke was at Treefort, and you had just lost your drummer.

Tyler Schlagenhauf: We lost our original drummer before we played. One of our buddies was able to fill in. We were searching for someone permanent after that. Luckily we came across this guy over here. Someone mentioned him to us. At the time, we were practicing with another drummer for a different show.

Wes Schlagenhauf: Good drummers are not a dime a dozen around here.

AM: Jason, what has the experience of joining the band been like for you?

Jason Guadalupe: I did not want to join just anyone. I listened to the lyrics and made sure they did something for me. Then I met with them and saw they come from a unique blended family, as I do. I liked the tunes, and we had fun in practice. It just worked. Wes is tough to deal with sometimes.

TS: I am glad you said something about that.

WS: I have things the way I like them, and I do not want to budge.

TS: I have been dealing with it for thirty-three years.

JG: No, that was a joke. Everyone is super easygoing.

AM: You two have a very distinct dynamic, being brothers. How has that evolved with bringing a new member into the band?

WS: It has gone well. We moved into his house. We moved our rehearsal space into his garage a few weeks into practicing together. We made it official fast. It is a testament to how quickly Jason picked up the songs. He listens to a song once and gets the gist of it.

TS: Our original drummer was our brother-in-law. Bringing someone else on was branching away from family. That made it even more important to find someone who would be a good fit. We did not even know Jason before he joined the band. We were blindly reaching out, but he ticks every box for us.

WS: Jason came to see us at Boise Music Festival. We were on our third drummer and not at our best, but he was still like, “Okay, I am down.” We are grateful that he was still willing to give us a chance.

AM: You signed to ZMI Arcadia out of Atlanta this past year. How did that come together? What has it been like for you so far?

TS: Our EP. I shared it with the masses on some platforms. Arcadia heard it and reached out. There had been two other small labels that contacted us, but they just were not the right fit. Arcadia is artist focused to an extreme. They said, “Hey, we will do whatever you need to put out an album.” We are only a couple of months in, but it has been a good partnership so far. 

Wes Shlagenhauf performing with Mylo Bybee. Photo by April Massey

AM: There is a consensus here that local bands work with local labels. What drove you to sign with a label outside the Boise scene?

TS: When we put out our EP, the labels that we were getting interest from were not based in Boise. It was a seven-month process to decide who we wanted to work with. Arcadia showed that vested interest. They have a track record of elevating artists to the next level. They really know the business. Any questions we had, they answered. But they were different from the canned answers we were getting from other labels.

AM: Jason, what was that like for you? Joining the band and a record deal. That is a lot all at once.

JG: I have learned a lot. We have been recording at a rad local studio, The Tonic Room. Everyone knows it. I have had five other musicians ask me about it. I am not a person who gets into the business side of things. But everything so far has been great. I am just along for the ride.

TS: We threw him to the wolves. He was recording before he ever played a show with us. 

AM: What do the next steps look like for you?

WS: We have a few more shows coming up, and we will be jumping in and out of the studio probably for the next few months. 

AM: Are you recording your first full-length album right now? 

TS: Yes. We are shooting for ten songs. The perk of being on a label is that they are working on a release plan while we are recording. Music videos, PR, helping us book shows, finding great artists for our cover art. They are opening doors and making connections that we would never be able to make on our own. 

AM: Are you looking at touring beyond the Pacific Northwest?

TS: We are. I am expecting a baby in January. Then, sometime after that, we are going on tour. 

AM: Are there any specific artists you are hoping to tour with?

TS: You guys go. I never know how to answer that.

WS: Anyone that will have us. Getting out and playing more is the key. There is always something exciting about bands from other towns that makes people want to engage more. The few out-of-town shows that we have played so far have been awesome. We are excited to keep that going.

TS: We have not played with any bands from out of town besides at the festivals. I feel the same. Being able to branch out, meet other bands, and play with whoever will have us.

AM: Are there any regions of the country that you are excited to play?

TS: We have talked about doing a little Pacific Northwest tour. Oregon, Washington, California. Maybe even Canada. 

WS: Canada would be cool.

TS: I am intrigued by the festival circuit. 

AM: With ZMI Arcadia in Atlanta, are you looking at playing some dates on the east coast or down south?

TS: They want to bring us to Atlanta to do some in-studio stuff and book us some dates. We definitely want to take advantage of that while we are out there and do more shows if we can. It is an open door. We will not shy away from anything as long as it works for all of us.

This article has been edited and condensed