Jackson Free Press

Whit Ramsey, the 18-year-old drummer of The Empty Handed Painters, a Jackson-based instrumental post-rock band, does not jam.

"We're constructed very precisely," he says. "It takes a lot of time to write the music. Just because we don't sing doesn't mean we just jam."

Ramsey became active in the Jackson music community when he started going to metal hardcore shows with his brother when he was in 6th grade. Since then, he has become more focused and passionate about his music.

"Two or three years ago, I started actually taking (playing) seriously and starting actually getting out and playing with my friend," he says. "You get to know a lot of people. The biggest influence is just being around it."

Just last year, Ramsey and the band's guitarist Hal Kolodney, 18, started The Empty Handed Painters as a joke, but it started to go places. The band released an album, "The Onlookers" July 26.

Band members, which include guitarist Nick Maloney, 18, and bass player and trombonist Stephen Callahan, 19, now rent a house in Ridgeland where they write music and store their equipment. "It's a lot easier not having to piss off your neighbors," Ramsey says.

Ramsey, who has always lived in Belhaven and is a pasta maker at La Finestra, said the band's music is experimental because the post-rock genre has a lot of room to work with and is not easily defined. He said they use a lot of dynamics, including changes in volume and time signatures.

"There's a lot of noise, a lot of ambience," Ramsey says. "There are a lot of dark sounds and light sounds. It's a big roller coaster."

Because the band's music is experimental, Ramsey says they use a lot of sound clips including a sample of "honest and raw" spoken word during a song.

The writing process for "The Onlooker" took about two to three months to complete because the band writes its music collectively.

"It's kind of like a big mixing pot of everything," Ramsey says. "We all get together, and somebody will start off with something they wrote at home. We see what we have already and what we've come up with on our own. We all have similar music tastes, but we all have different influences, so it's interesting seeing how it all works out."

During the writing process, band members write for a couple hours a day. "We take a break and play Nintendo 64," Ramsey says. They tend to play "Super Mario Party" a lot.

A recent graduate of Madison Central High School, Ramsey is going to study art at the University of Southern Mississippi this fall in hopes of becoming an art teacher. The other members of The Empty Handed Painters are attending USM as well.

"Ideally, I want to play my music all the time," he says.