Local band turns friendship into a musical passion

If you love country music with a blend of rock ’n’ roll, Buck Wyold will get you rocking on the dance floor. Buck Wyold has five band members who are longtime friends from middle to high school. Last month, Buck Wyold performed at the Lovell Rodeo Club live and silent auction event at the Lovell Community Center held on February 8.

“I am a third-generation drummer, and funny enough, I don’t play drums with this band,” said bass player and vocalist Henry Sanchez. “The first time I ever played drums was at the Byron Bar when I was about 6 or 7 years old. My grandpa, Frank Sanchez, God bless his soul, let me go on the stage and rock out. I also learned to play drums from my uncle, Joe Sanchez, who gave me a love for music.”

According to Sanchez, he never intended to become a bass player until he picked up a bass guitar. He said there was no turning back once he learned to play the instrument.

“I had no interest in playing the bass, to be honest with you,” Sanchez said. “I wanted to kick on drums, but my buddies needed a bass player, so I was in. I had played bass before, but I had never been a bass player. I started loving playing the bass, and it’s a ton of fun. I get a lot of freedom playing the bass, because I get to dance and slap the bass. One of my biggest influences who kept me interested in playing the bass is Victor Wooten, who is an amazing solo artist.”

Sanchez said there is an interesting story about how the band got its name. He said everyone in the band wanted to come up with a name representing their state. He also said he credited his bandmate, Koty Johnson, the band’s lead vocalist and acoustic and electric guitar player, with the name Buck Wyold. 

“Some of our band members played in other bands together,” Sanchez said. “We later played metal music with the band name I The Vessel, but it fell short. About two and a half years ago we played country music, which was new to us, and it was a lot of fun.  Our band wanted to come up with a unique name, and we wanted to keep it Wyoming, so Koty came up with the name Buck Wyold. Koty was playing with words and used the first three letters of the state of Wyoming, which is how Buck Wyold was born.”

Johnson said he grew up with music at home. His mom always had music at his house, and his dad was a musician.

“Growing up, my mom always had music going on in the house,” Johnson said. “My dad was part of some semi successful bands in Seattle, Washington.” 

Johnson said that when he was a kid, he would grab a tennis racket, pretend to be country legend Chris Ledoux and get his family to watch him.

“I got my first acoustic guitar when I was 8,” Johnson said. “When I turned 12, I got my first electric guitar. I have played guitar my entire life and started singing in my mid-teen years. I always loved music and being around it.”

Some of Buck Wyold’s members started their music journey with their families or were self taught to play different instruments. RJ Flores, the band’s drummer, said his dad introduced him to the drums.

“I was born and raised around music in general,” Flores said. “I have loved music since I was a little kid and have always been attracted to drums. My dad had a drum kit; he brought it home one day and put it together.  He did not give me instructions to play drums; he just told me to sit down and figure it out myself. I had a natural feel for drums and ran with it from there.”

According to Flores, his dad’s side of the family has a deep passion for music, and he was able to follow in the family’s footsteps.

“I have musicians on my dad’s side of the family,” Flores said. “My dad plays just about every musical instrument and sings. I have two uncles who play music; one of my uncles plays drums, and the other uncle plays bass. My grandpa was also a big-time accordion player.”

Jake Price, who plays the banjo and mandolin and is one of the band’s vocalists, said he taught himself to be a musician. He said he discovered his love for music in middle school.

“I was a trumpet player in the middle and high school bands,” Price said. “I decided it was way cool to be a drummer. This is how it started for me to join my first metal band.”

Price said he joined the metal band We The Fallen. He said the band would change its name to These Shores of Safety. His current bandmate, Johnson, was also a member of his former metal band. Price also said Flores would replace him on drums when he switched to playing bass.

“Koty and I played with a smaller group, and I played the drums,” Price said. “We lost our bass player, so I picked up the bass and picked RJ as our drummer. So, at that point, I found a love for string instruments and wanted to learn how to play the guitar. I taught myself to play the guitar and earned a scholarship to play in a guitar ensemble at Northwest College.

Price said that when he became interested in bluegrass music, he became interested in learning to play the mandolin and banjo.

“Bluegrass stuck out to me,” Price said. “I became obsessed with the mandolin; I bought one and learned to play it. Then I got interested in playing the banjo, and I have been playing it for seven years.”

Jackson Booth, the band’s guitar player, said his love for music started while listening to country music and rock ’n’ roll. He said the sound of music solos interested him in becoming a guitar player.

“I grew up listening to country and then started to listen to rock music,” Booth said. “When I started listening to the cool guitar solos and all the cool things that guitars can do, it inspired me to play music.”

Booth credits his uncle, who helped him start as a guitar player. He also
said playing music with friends he has known for 10 years is fun.

“My uncle is a guitar player, and he got me started,” Booth said. “The guys in the band have been my best friends for over 10 years, and nothing is more fun than to hang out
with your best friends and play music.” 

Buck Wyold’s unofficial manager, Jeff Sawaya, said it is an honor for him to be the band’s manager and help them each time they perform.

“It is fun to see them play and sing along to all the songs I know,” Sawaya said. “I like hanging with the guys and getting to help them out.”

To find out when Buck Wyold is playing their next performance, follow them on Facebook or Instagram.