Live from the Artist's Hand: Namie Louder and Will Gomez

Originally from Johnstown, Namie Louder and Will Gomez took a trip off to Indiana, Pa. to play at The Artist’s Hand on Friday, Feb. 16. The duo began playing together a year and a half ago after meeting at an open mic night at Flood City Cafe in Johnstown.

Louder started off the set with a balanced mix of covers from various popular artists and original songs. From Ed Sheeran to Pierce the Veil, Louder put on a captivating, hour-long set. Louder incorporated his acoustic guitar, along with a loop pedal to create his rendition of songs from pop, pop-punk, hip-hop and more genres.

Will Gomez took on the second hour of the night with many throwback covers of various genres. From the Goo Goo Dolls to Buddy Holly, Gomez kept the room focused on what he was playing. A couple attendees wanted more and wanted to hear more original tracks.

As Gomez performed a cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Don’t”, Louder jumped in as a backup vocalist, creating an impromptu duet. The pair closed out the night with an intense duet of an original song with simple vocals and Gomez on the acoustic guitar.

Louder and Gomez began playing together because it just seemed right. They both started out in the pop-punk scene and progressed into the acoustic sounds similar to Ed Sheeran. They had similar styles, but Louder had more of an upbeat sound with his loop pedal, while Gomez brought the slow and quiet undertones. According to Gomez, it’s all about the phenetics and that’s what makes playing music fun.

Getting into music wasn’t an initial thought for Louder. He enjoyed playing as a hobby and enjoyed covering songs and playing around with a loop pedal. After a while, he decided that may this was something that he would like to do full time.

Gomez has been in music for a long time. As a kid, he was given his father’s old guitar and grew up listening to the oldies and classic rock, like Buddy Holly. He cherishes those memories and enjoys playing those songs live.

The duo said that seeing people head bob along to their songs, or tapping their foot is what playing music is all about. Gomez and Louder also agreed that one of the best moments while playing live is that there is always that one song in a setlist that makes the people in the venue stop talking among themselves and listen to the music they’re playing.

Louder also reminisced about the early stages of his singing career and listening to pop-punk. He and Gomez both are often asked if they had received voice training. Louder explained that by listening to bands like Sleeping with Sirens, that they were able to train his voice to hit higher vocal ranges.

Gomez said, “This past year has been a lot of growth for both of us.”

The duo hinted that an EP may be in the works for future.

Be sure to follow Namie and Will on their Instagram accounts @namie_louder and @wgomez106 to stay updated on their musical endeavors. Also, check out Namie’s EP, Move On, on Spotify.