Q&A With Penthouse Boys Ryan Wu

Ryan Wu, SUNY-Purchase senior,stands no taller than 5 feet 4, and he looks as if his 130-pound frame wouldn’t exude the energy that’s displayed when he’s performing. But that doesn’t stop him one bit from high energy performer and living a lifestyle that belies his stature. It wasn't too long ago Wu was in a dimly-lit, cramped living room in The Olde, performing a one-of-a-kind music set for about 30 to 40 kids. At 21 years young, living life by his own rules, Wu walks around with that infamous Brooklyn swagger, and it doesn’t take long for one to notice. The trendy clothes, his hair streaking with blonde highlights, and let’s not forget the Brooklyn accent. ​Starting at Kingsborough Community College, now at Purchase, staring down the last fall semester of his collegiate career, Wu is starting to reflect on his overall time at the school. He’s looking forward to staying at The Stood, where he’s the co-general programming coordinator with Leo Frampton. He’s also looking forward to one more semester with his friend Patrick Preziosi, his partner for his so-called Synthpop project. So what makes Wu tick? What has inspired him to delve so deep into music: Was it his hometown of Brooklyn or was it SUNY Purchase itself? (The following conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.)

NC: So tell me about your upbringing? RW: I was born and raised in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. My childhood was pretty chill for the most part. I started playing guitar at around 11 and eventually learned other instruments as well. I went to Edward R. Murrow High School and studied music there for most of the time there. It’s where I gained most of my knowledge on music and skills there. But, yeah, my upbringing was very normal, I'd say, for someone growing up in Brooklyn. I just played lots of basketball and played video games with friends a lot. NC: Word, that’s dope. Would you say Brooklyn, in general, has kind of shaped you into the person you are today? RW: Yeah, definitely. Growing up around so many different cultures and seeing a wide-ranging spectrum of wealth, I would say, helped deepen my understanding and awareness of people in general. My mentality also is shaped from the experiences I had growing up in NYC/Brooklyn, where there's a lot of different people with different backgrounds and life stories to tell. NC: What were some of those experiences any crazy stories? {Good. You pressed for an example.] RW: Nothing really out of the ordinary for someone who grew up in the Brooklyn. I wasn't really the person who was surrounded by crazy/exciting experiences. I guess for the most part I had a solid group of friends -- separated by interests. Like I had friends who I'd play basketball with, a lot and friends who I'd make music with (more or fewer bands/projects I was involved in). I would see or get into fights in the heat of basketball sometimes, but nothing too crazy. I generally kept to myself but definitely heard stories through the grapevine that probably desensitized me from crazy situations. NC: So how has your time at Purchase been and has this place changed you for the better or even the worst? RW: For the most part, I had a pretty fun and positive time. I transferred over here from Kingsborough Community College after Freshman year/2015-16 but had friends here and would hang out a lot here at that time. I was originally a Communication major but I switched over to Arts Management, which was something relatively interesting at the time when I was figuring out what I'd like to study in college. Purchase definitely shaped me in a lot of positive way, as I've learned so much from classes/internships, the music scene, and overall community and experience of being away for college. I'd say I've gained valuable life knowledge here and for the most part made tons of connections. NC: Tell me about your two-man band. RW: Sure. The project I'm currently involved in, Penthouse Boys, is a synthpop, electropop duo that Patrick Preziosi and I started back in the summer of 2016 -- freshmen year going into Sophomore year for us. Our music is made up of lots of vintage synthesizers, drum machines, and production -- inspired by popular ’80s acts like Sade, Prince, New Edition, Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music, Madonna, as well as modern acts like Blood Orange, John Maus, and Sean Nicholas Savage Our live performances features a lot of high-energy presence and dance routines that are inspired by boy bands of the past. New In Town, our first release/EP, kind of catalogs all those ideas and sounds we're going for and was written and assembled half-jokingly and half-serious. Definitely tried to be fun, playful, and unintentional when we wrote it as our demeanor is of such. Currently, we're writing and tracking some new music that'll hopefully be our debut album. NC: Have you performed anywhere? RW: Yeah! We've played all over the East Coast. Some popular spots we've played at is Bowery Ballroom, Elsewhere, Alphaville, and most of the NYC clubs/venues. Also played a lot of colleges. NC: Did you ever think just starting out you’d be performing in places like the ones you just mentioned? RW: To be honest, nah bro. This whole project started out as a joke, and we still don't really take it too serious, but enough to make this project a legitimate thing that we can do after college—ever since we've played spots like Bowery Ballroom and all that. The reception as well is also what keeps us wanting to take this project more seriously. Like, when we started out, the first song we wrote, “New in Town,” was literally done in one day and out of spontaneity and fun. We never thought we'd make it to where we are currently. It’s crazy to think about but, it just continues to motivate us to keep at it and go hard for this. NC: What was the last show you did and how did it turn out? RW: Nov. 3 at Alphaville in Brooklyn. It was super fun! I met a lot of new people and had a great time performing in Brooklyn again. It was our first show there since, like, June, I think. NC: So I know you said you don’t take it that seriously so how do you guys approach performing, “Is it just like a hey I want to do this kind of thing,” or is it more premeditated? RW: Uh, generally, we have a loose set of ideas we want to do when performing. Like we have our dance routines and setlist but ultimately we try to just have fun, as cliche as that sounds, and whatever happens on stage is what the audience receives. We literally wing everything we do on stage besides the dances, which we work on one time when learning and writing the choreography and maybe a couple of half-assed practices here and there. Basically, we have a very general idea of what we're trying to do and we let the live experience dictate how we interact with the crowd. NC: What's the craziest show you’ve done? RW: A lot of Stood shows/house shows we've played were pretty crazy and intense. Most shows are pretty fun and wild for us because no one ever expects us to do what we do or sound how we sound. NC: Ah, so, basically the show depends on the people that are there? RW: I think the vibe is more important than the people there, but I think it kind of correlates, you know? Like we've played spots where there's a good amount of people but, they were not lit at all and we've played rooms where there were little to no one but they were hyped. So I guess it depends on how the mood is in the crowd/room. NC: So what’s really next for your music? RW: We're currently writing and tracking some new music that'll hopefully be our debut album. Other than that, we're playing one-off shows and basically saving all our resources and energy for after we graduate (next semester) so that we can release the music and tour/promote etc. NC: Is there anything you’re scared of or looking forward to in particular once you leave? RW: I wouldn't say scared but, more or less anxious to get started and move on with my life. I’m just ready to tour and write music more.

If you'd like to follow Ryan Wu you can find him on facebook, or instagram @ryanwuhoo. You can also find the Penthouse Boys on Facebook and on Twitter @penthouseboyny

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