Tyler Watson and Phil Avery of the Columbia based band Watson Village sit down with Danielle to talk about “show style,” hawk talon strung necklaces, and appreciating other local band members sense of style.
Where are some of your favorite places to shop or find pieces?
Tyler Watson: I like to go to Rugged Warehouse in Anderson, SC or anywhere there’s one available because they have decent clothes for cheap. I like to get Levi’s blue jeans pretty much anywhere they sell Levi’s. I like the cut and the fit of the the 511’s.  I don’t try them on I always know they’ll fit just by looking at them.
Phil Avery: I don’t go anywhere in particular. Yea, if I just happened to be out clothes shopping I’ll go to Target or some random store in the mall. I like to go thrift shopping too, that’s where I have gotten a few of my shirts. There’s this one place that used to be in Greenville called Clothes Warehouse that shut down; I got a couple shirts from there.
What’s your favorite piece in your closet right now?
TW: The suspenders. I traded up a belt for suspenders and it was a good choice.
PA: The shirt I am wearing is my favorite shirt.  It’s a cool ass flower shirt. My flower shirts are my favorite shirts. It’s thrifted and from the 1970’s. It’s from a place in Asheville, I forgot what the name of the store is.
Do you have another local band members that you look up to or appreciate style wise?
TW: I like Kelly and Patrick’s (The Mobros) style. I like the western style of clothing.
PA: Hunter from She Returns From War, she’s got it going on.
Do you think you have a “show style” or is your show style your everyday style?
TW: Sometimes I just dress up because it makes me feel better. I work construction so I’m dirty all the time. So when I get off I take a shower and put on something nice.
PA: Oh yeah I definitely dress for the stage. I always save my cool shirts and outfit ideas for when I’m playing. Dressing up is apart of like getting into the zone.
TW: Eventually I want to get to the point wearing suits on stage. A three-piece suit and maybe a tie. Black suspenders. A hat. It’s in my head. I’m envisioning it.
Do you guys coordinate what you wear? I know some bands have a certain look they are going for.
TW: I just want to show up looking like the groomsman party, you know what I mean?
PA: I never really think about as far coordination, I just think Tyler and I end up wearing the same thing because we have similar styles.
Tyler what’s the story behind your necklaces?
PA: Ohhhh he’s wearing the necklace. YES. That’s a good story.
TW: Well this uh particular one here *points at wrapped stone necklace* is one that my friend Chase made. He was a good friend of mine. He started uh wrapping stones late in his life. He passed away a few years ago. I like to wear it to remember him. He had a good energy. I still feel like I have a connection with him through this. These are *points at talon stung necklace* hawks claws, a hawks talons. Philip was actually there for this. We were coming back home from my parents house about 4 or 5 years ago and there was a dead hawk on the side of the road and I got out and cut its feet off with a pair of pliers. I was kind of wild back then. I took them home, let them dry in the sun and my sister made a necklace out of the talons. I went back to bury the bird but it was gone when I went back. I felt bad.
PA: It was till warm, like it just happened. The first thing he thought of was I need to make a necklace out of those.
Have you guys every gain inspiration from any more well-known or bigger bands? Or eras?
TW: Of course.  Well I was always sort of inspired by psychedelic bands. The acid drip style. Jefferson Airplane, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. When I was a kid those are the people who I though look the coolest. Now, I am influenced by different kinds of artists. Everyone that I listen to dresses nicely. Wether it’s a rap artist, a country artist or a rock artist.
PA: I don’t. Not from a particular artist. I take from the 70’s style of fashion with patterns and style of shirts. That sort of thing. The stiff pointy collars. I’m really into that.
TW: I’m likely to switch it up though. I may wear this today and wear something completely different tomorrow.
[divider style=”shadow” margin_top=”30px” margin_bottom=”30px”]
