Monika Leininger
mleinin1@uwyo.edu
The floor of a local bar shakes with reverb and vibrations of the melodic sounds generated by the quartet of handsome heartbreakers. On stage you find four enchanting young men alive with energy and passion for the creation of their sound. The band Wynona is best-known in the music scene for their mesmerizing melodies and commanding guitar riffs.
The rock ‘n’ roll band consists of Rob Joyce on vocals and guitar, John Wilhelm on guitar, Larson Lind on bass and Connor Novotny on drums. These young man can be found around the nooks and crannies of the town engaging with residents, and interacting with the community.
Laramie, a rising music mecca of Wyoming has been blessed to host these beloved local rock stars for several years. Joyce, lead singer, guitarist and self-proclaimed front man of Wynona explains the band’s origin.
“Connor and I started playing music together six years ago, Larson has been a part of the band for three or four years, John joined about a year ago, then we changed our name to Wynona,” Joyce said.
The band has been humble in their genesis, growing popularity quickly in correspondence to the development of their mellow, yet dancey and fun numbers.
“When we formed we started writing new songs and getting legitimately paid to play music, more than a six pack of beer,” Joyce said.
Joyce chills his audience with his exceptionally dreamy, yet haunting voice. His stoic presence and talent for songwriting is a unique and staggering experience.
“Whenever I’m influenced by some album or some band I immediately start writing songs,” Joyce said. “I think music goes across cultural boundaries and it’s totally universal, it can be a lasting memory for anybody.”
Wynona is not only known for their idiosyncratic sound, but the distinguishing manifestation that members take on the stage. Wilhelm is often recognized for his eccentric dance moves and zestful guitar solos.
“I remember the first time I ever played in a band, we played our first show, I have a distinct memory of not knowing why I jumped around with spontaneous movement, but it made such a great impression,” Wilhelm said. “I thought that is what a real rock and roll show is, I’ve been doing it for 10 years now, so I can’t stop.”
“We should light your chest hair on fire, best rock and roll show ever,” Novotny said.
Wynona has been noted for their classic, favored cover of “Dead leaves on the Dirty Ground” produced by the epitome of rock bands, the White Stripes. Recently, Wynona has taken a more innovative course in playing material that they have crafted.
“I refuse to play the White Stripes in our set,” Wilhelm said. “That song in particular seems like it would be too cliché to put in your set of all original material.”
With Wynona’s thriving small town success, it is a true phenomenon that these musicians have remained unrelentingly modest.
“For everything you are passionate about you should just embrace an element of being nervous about it, I think it just shows that you care,” Novotny said. “I feel like I play with a lot of really talented musicians, fortunately we feed good energy to each other.”
The musicians continue to dedicate their time to working on new songs and playing upcoming shows. You can count on seeing Wynona play again this January at the annual event “Another Music and Art Thing” at the Gryphon Theatre.
Until then, to satisfy the need for soul-touching rock music, Wynona’s recently released album “Death is an Ocean” is available on their bandcamp website. Members of Wynona might be spotted around town or even playing an underrated set at a local bar or coffee shop.
