BDTB Premiere: Grumpy Old Men (Mike Schptiz & Pete Sayke) Drop “Brainwaves” ft. Billy Early

Grumpy Old Men, the Chicago-based duo of Mike Schpitz and Pete Sayke, have returned with a loose single titled “Brainwaves” that features Billy Early. Aside from the normal trading of dope bars from the duo, they feature young Kansas upstart emcee Billy Early, who was featured on !llmind’s Roseville Music Group last year with a dope single. The song is also the first officially released song that Mike Schpitz has produced.

Not only do we have the premiere below, but we also talked with Mike about Grumpy Old Men, Billy Early, what they have coming, and what’s been going on in their lives.

BDTB: What have you been up to since your last GOM project and does this mean you guys are back?
Mike Schpitz: Mainly we have been regular civilians, just living the 9-5 life. Regardless of if we are releasing music though, Pete and I still talk a lot and one of us is usually working on something, so we are always sending stuff back and forth.

I released like 3 or 4 solo projects since our last GOM project, Sunday Brunch, and Pete released his album with ThatKidMyself, Forever . I’m hoping over the next year or so, we can release even more solo and group material. Maybe pop up on a few records for other artists as well.

BDTB: Is this the first time you have produced a song that you have released?
Mike Schpitz: This is my first fully produced track. I have always been very hands on with my music in terms of picking sounds, structuring songs, etc. but I have never programmed every sound until this record. It’s a little nerve-racking but I got some good feedback on this track from several people I trust, so I decided to put it out. Especially with everything going on with Billy right now, I felt like it was a good time to put it out.

BDTB: How has picking up beats been as a process?
Mike Schptiz: I have dabbled in production since I started making music back in college but I never stuck with it though. I have spent countless hours with my producer friends messing with beats, picking sounds, drums, etc., so the next step for me has always been trying to make beats myself.

It’s tough though. I have zero musical background in terms of playing music, so it gets frustrating when your abilities are limiting where your mind wants to go but it’s been a lot of fun.

Most people have been surprised when I send them beats. I think they expect stuff to be super terrible. I have a few other records I am working on with other artists and a beat tape that I think is pretty solid for my first outing, so I’m just excited to get feedback honestly. And of course having Pete and Billy on a song together automatically elevates the track.

BDTB: What are you working on now? Any musical focus?
Mike Schpitz: I am working on several things at the moment. Mostly behind the scenes on other people’s projects but Phys Ed and I have started shooting ideas back and forth. Other than making beats when I have time, Billy’s music is the main focus. We have an EP coming out this spring, a few singles before the project and we are working on his 2nd EP now too. It’s been a lot of fun witnessing his growth and seeing things start to come together. We got some nice surprises in store.

BDTB: How did you meet Billy Early?
Mike Schpitz: Billy and I are both from Kansas. I am from Topeka and he is from a small town outside of Topeka called Burlingame. We had a ton of mutual friends on Facebook and one day I decided to see who this kid was. I checked out his soundcloud and was totally shocked by his abilities. The mixes and everything was still raw but it was very clear how talented he was.

After that, I started sending him my own beats but he quickly outgrew my production, so we started working with some with other producers. Fast forward about a year later and we have one EP done and another on the way.