WMP #139: A Deep Dive into the World of Elysian Stew on Wisconsin Music Podcast

WISCONSIN MUSIC PODCAST WMP Linktree: https://linktr.ee/WI_Music_Podcast AMPLFYING WISCONSIN MUSIC Elysian Stew Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/elysian_stew Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrick.zyduck Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5lao8yeqTuBXMgRTEjO86i YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCxKM0AR1hwfqkfj-kv7t-6g EPISODE 13 Welcome back to another riveting episode of the Wisconsin Music Podcast, where we unveil Wisconsin’s vibrant musical landscape by showcasing its numerous talents. Today, we host the captivating instrumental guitar virtuoso, Pat Zyduck, also known as Elysian Stew. Renowned for his unique blend of diverse musical elements, Pat melds the old and new, crafting a captivating auditory tapestry. Join us on a fascinating journey, charting the course of Pat’s musical saga—from his first encounter with the guitar, the eccentric teaching methods of his father, his hiatus in military service, to his enthralling return to the music scene. He further shares his intriguing experiences of transforming life’s adversities into potent musical inspiration and the compelling backstory behind his album’s title. Along with dipping into Pat’s musical voyage, get set to delve into the compelling narrative behind his favorite song, ‘Low-Flying Owls,’ and the unconventional circumstances that bestowed it with its peculiar name. Candid discussions about maintaining work-life harmony as a musician, arranging gigs that complement his instrumental style, and dealing with harsh criticism provide a comprehensive picture of a musician’s life. Pat shares valuable insights into his influences, musical explorations, and recording studio experiences, and talks about the crucial role played by his wife, his ongoing projects, and his plans for future performances. Tune in to unravel the artistry of Elysian Stew, understand his musical style better, and discover the vibrancy of Wisconsin’s music scene. “I’ve always been drawn to the raw honesty of music. It’s a way to express emotions that words alone can’t capture,” reflects Elysian Stew, offering listeners a glimpse into the soul of his artistry.   “There’s something magical about tapping into the essence of a moment and translating it into music. It’s like capturing lightning in a bottle,” he muses, his words resonating with the universal language of music. ———————————————————————— Transcript: 1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:11,280 Music. 2 00:00:11,749 –> 00:00:14,789 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Wisconsin Music Podcast, 3 00:00:14,949 –> 00:00:19,129 your go-to destination for discovering the incredible musical tapestry woven 4 00:00:19,129 –> 00:00:20,989 by the talented artists of the Badger State. 5 00:00:21,109 –> 00:00:24,329 Today we have a special treat for your ears as we sit down with the master of 6 00:00:24,329 –> 00:00:28,809 the instrumental guitar, none other than the enigmatic Pat Zydek, 7 00:00:28,949 –> 00:00:33,349 better known on stage as the sonic storyteller Elysian Stew. 8 00:00:33,769 –> 00:00:36,769 Did I say all that correctly so far? You did, yeah. Excellent. in 9 00:00:36,769 –> 00:00:40,089 this episode we’ll delve into the artistry of 10 00:00:40,089 –> 00:00:43,269 pat zidek a musician who skillfully combines fragments 11 00:00:43,269 –> 00:00:46,829 of musical influences to craft his sonic stew that is 12 00:00:46,829 –> 00:00:51,169 both nostalgic and contemporary with a mission to invoke emotions each composition 13 00:00:51,169 –> 00:00:55,429 is a journey through the forest of feelings a testament to the profound impact 14 00:00:55,429 –> 00:01:00,049 music can have on our souls but wait there’s more pat zidek has just released 15 00:01:00,049 –> 00:01:04,729 a brand new album and it’s titled driving the desert to burn a million dollars. 16 00:01:05,360 –> 00:01:53,040 Music. 17 00:01:10,349 –> 00:01:16,689 © transcript Emily Beynon. 18 00:01:51,749 –> 00:01:54,789 You can find this captivating musical experience on 19 00:01:54,789 –> 00:01:57,689 all major streaming platforms youtube itunes and more so 20 00:01:57,689 –> 00:02:00,669 get ready to immerse yourself in the enchanting melodies and 21 00:02:00,669 –> 00:02:03,649 tales of elysian stew do stay tuned to the wisconsin music 22 00:02:03,649 –> 00:02:06,589 podcast where we celebrate the sounds that make our steak 23 00:02:06,589 –> 00:02:10,129 unique one artist at a time so pat welcome 24 00:02:10,129 –> 00:02:13,109 to the wisconsin music podcast thank you 25 00:02:13,109 –> 00:02:15,949 thank you thank you very much for having me this is quite an honor i 26 00:02:15,949 –> 00:02:18,889 appreciate it well thank you so much for being on so let’s 27 00:02:18,889 –> 00:02:21,729 get listeners introduced to you kind of give them a summary of 28 00:02:21,729 –> 00:02:25,289 your music origin story yeah so 29 00:02:25,289 –> 00:02:28,489 basically i’ve been playing guitar most of 30 00:02:28,489 –> 00:02:32,009 my life my father was was a professional musician so he 31 00:02:32,009 –> 00:02:35,749 started me when I was four okay pretty much 32 00:02:35,749 –> 00:02:38,569 had hopes and dreams of you know making it big and everything 33 00:02:38,569 –> 00:02:41,409 and those were dashed at the age of 34 00:02:41,409 –> 00:02:44,749 17 thanks to my father which is an interesting story I 35 00:02:44,749 –> 00:02:48,669 wasn’t wasn’t done maliciously it was done to let me realize that I wasn’t good 36 00:02:48,669 –> 00:02:55,269 enough okay and at that point it was okay now I have to come up with a plan 37 00:02:55,269 –> 00:02:58,589 b because I didn’t have a plan b before I was just it was going to be music 38 00:02:58,589 –> 00:03:01,369 or nothing and and realized that music wasn’t going to work. 39 00:03:01,449 –> 00:03:03,049 So I came up with a plan B, joined the military. 40 00:03:03,509 –> 00:03:05,629 I got to travel the world for a number of years. 41 00:03:06,109 –> 00:03:10,589 Met a girl, got married, settled down, had a family. Music kind of fell by the wayside. 42 00:03:11,355 –> 00:03:17,395 Fast forward 20 years, that marriage ended, and my sister, who is probably one 43 00:03:17,395 –> 00:03:21,455 of my biggest fans, told me that I needed to start playing again, basically. 44 00:03:21,715 –> 00:03:26,035 A year later, I released my first album, and it was all songs written while 45 00:03:26,035 –> 00:03:28,775 I was going through a divorce, so they were very angry songs. 46 00:03:30,355 –> 00:03:33,555 A few years after that, well, about a year and a half after that, 47 00:03:33,595 –> 00:03:39,115 actually, I released a second EP entitled Tuwache Vida, which was songs I had 48 00:03:39,115 –> 00:03:40,995 written about genocide in Africa. 49 00:03:41,455 –> 00:03:43,755 Something that was pretty near and dear to my heart. 50 00:03:44,655 –> 00:03:48,655 And then I joined a band. I was hired gun guitar player, 51 00:03:48,775 –> 00:03:53,215 played with them for about six years and I was having a blast and everything, 52 00:03:53,315 –> 00:03:56,695 but it got to be a little much, you know, everybody in the band was working 53 00:03:56,695 –> 00:04:01,255 full-time day jobs and the band was starting to have a little bit of success, 54 00:04:01,335 –> 00:04:03,735 but not enough that any of us could quit our jobs. 55 00:04:04,035 –> 00:04:08,555 Okay. So, so I said, I was getting a little burned out. So I said basically 56 00:04:08,555 –> 00:04:10,875 that I needed a brief hiatus. 57 00:04:11,355 –> 00:04:15,575 And that hiatus actually, which was going to originally be a month or two, 58 00:04:15,615 –> 00:04:17,555 turned into 12 years. Oh, wow. 59 00:04:17,915 –> 00:04:19,975 Yeah, yeah. Pretty, pretty surprising. 60 00:04:20,535 –> 00:04:26,595 But then the pandemic happened and my full-time day job, I was out and about. 61 00:04:26,675 –> 00:04:29,235 I worked through a whole pandemic, which was pretty stressful. 62 00:04:29,755 –> 00:04:34,435 And when things started coming out of that, I realized I was in kind of a bad place mentally. 63 00:04:34,895 –> 00:04:38,795 So I decided I was going to start playing music again, just for my own personal 64 00:04:38,795 –> 00:04:42,455 therapy. You know, just it was something I enjoyed, something I loved, 65 00:04:42,455 –> 00:04:46,555 and it was something that took my mind off of everything else that was going on. 66 00:04:46,755 –> 00:04:50,815 And so I had absolutely no intention of getting back into the scene. 67 00:04:51,295 –> 00:04:55,475 But as I started playing, you know, and I was playing when we’re kids, 68 00:04:55,655 –> 00:04:59,015 we play for the pure enjoyment and for the innocence of it, you know. 69 00:04:59,215 –> 00:05:02,455 So that was kind of the mindset I was going to bring into it this time. 70 00:05:02,695 –> 00:05:08,795 And I was I was playing for just for the pure enjoyment. And but before long, my muse showed up. 71 00:05:09,275 –> 00:05:11,975 And kind of smacked me in the back of the head and said oh 72 00:05:11,975 –> 00:05:15,435 welcome back i got a whole bunch of songs for you to write now and 73 00:05:15,435 –> 00:05:18,475 i started creating and i 74 00:05:18,475 –> 00:05:21,275 realized well what good are these songs

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