A Musical Life

Joshua Pickenpaugh studied music at Wichita State University. As a bassist, he has performed with a long line of bands, including recent gigs with singer-songwriter Jack Korbel. Here, Pickenpaugh recalls how playing music on cruise ships helped him fulfill his goal of being a well-rounded player.

Andrew Stephens serves as Creative Director at BalancedComp and has designed album covers for musical acts such as Kill Vargas, Francis Moss, The Coma Calling and Vehicles. He lives, with his family, in Wichita.

Nathan Williams leads the Nathan Williams Quintet in addition to his involvement in a variety of other musical projects. He lives in Wichita.

“What is it that I enjoy about trumpet? I don’t, actually. It’s not something I’m a fan of, so that’s why I choose to express myself in different outlets. Trumpet, to me, is just a tool. It’s a way to get the voice outside.

Jack Korbel lead The Jack Korbel Confluence and has released albums such as Ingenious Plans and So Much Depends on the Weather. He is a Wichita State University graduate student studying speech-language pathology and holds a degree from WSU in English Literature. 

Bassist Caleb Drummond plays in a variety of acts in the Wichita are, including Spirit of the Stairs, the Jenny Wood Band, and The Travel Guide. He studied at Friends University and teaches at Damm Music Center.

Kim Garey-Trujillo plays drums with a variety of ensembles and is the house drummer at Roxy’s Downtown.

Kendall Newby plays drums and sings with The Comfort Revue, The T**s and Moreland & Arbuckle. Here, he discusses the power of becoming a paid musician and the importance of being versatile. 

Riley Day is a Wichita-based composer and bassist who leads the band Daydream. The group’s 2016 release is titled Sit Still. 

“The early stages of when I was in bands—high school and early college—I would try to communicate something to a band mate and they might be able to do it, they might forget it the next week. I wanted something that was a little more concreted. I realized that the only way to do that, out of necessity, was to learn how to academically approach music.

Drew Kelly is a Wichita-based singer songwriter who, here, recounts how a major illness transformed his musical experience. 

Josué is a trumpet player and percussionist based in Wichita. He plays with a variety of acts including Carrie Nation and The Speakeasy, Lewelheds, Odisea, and Soul R. System with Rudy Love, Jr.

“My oldest brother was a guitar player. He played in band. I had never touched an instrument in my life before. He was playing piano one day and said, ‘Hey! Sing C.’ [Sings.] He goes to the piano and hits the key and [it was the same]. I found out I had perfect pitch when I was seven.