A Q&A With the May Flowers Promotion Winner, The Midnight Howl’s Dev Wulf

Dev Wulf is American Songwriter’s May Flowers promotion winner for his band, The Midnight Howl’s, song, “Guiding Light.”

In a conversation with American Songwriter, Wulf revealed that he penned the tune when he was “suffering a heavy bout of depression and suicidal ideation.”

“The only way I could see myself out was by writing a letter to myself,” he said. “The words ‘Don’t you let the darkness steal your guiding light‘ became a mantra for me and still hold true to this day.”

He and the rest of The Midnight Howl gang—Matthew Vasquez (keys/organs), Andrew Supulski (guitars), Ben Fisher (keys), Will Netherland (guitars), Kyle Garrison (drums), Josh Seca (bass), and our friend, Mackenzie Adams (background vocals)—eventually recorded the track, and now get to spread its message of hope when they perform it live.

“‘Guiding Light’ is a song that’s meant to find hope within yourself,” Wulf said. “When we introduce this song I always encourage everyone to always look after their mental health and to lean on each other when life hits hard. There’s only one of you and the world stays brighter with you in it.”

Read on to learn more about Wulf.

Dev Wulf Q&A

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SONGWRITING? WHAT GOT YOU INTO MUSIC IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Music has always been a household lifestyle growing up. My mother sang in the church and my father was a piano player and songwriter himself. I took my first steps in music theory as a kid and got my first guitar in my early teens. As soon as I learned my first four chords, I wrote my first song and been doing that ever since.

WHY DID YOU ENTER AMERICAN SONGWRITER’S MAY FLOWERS PROMOTION?

Honestly, it was on a whim. When I saw the May Flowers contest, I felt like “Guiding Light” fit the bill perfectly.

WHAT HAS WINNING MEANT TO YOU?

It’s a pleasure! I’m happy I get to make the kid in me proud to be doing what I love for a living. Being a songwriter and performer has always been what I wanted to be.

WHAT SONGWRITERS AND ARTISTS DO YOU COUNT AS YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATIONS? WHY?

This will always be an ever-evolving list. I’m sure one day looking back at this I would probably have a different list altogether. But, until then, I’d say in no particular order: Neal Francis, Gang of Youths, Nathaniel Rateliff, Jim James, Little Feat, and the War on Drugs. It’s quite a broad range of sound, but all of these artists have songs and lyrics that had resonated and encouraged me to write better, explore unique soundscapes, compose more intricate chord structures, and the ability to express myself more openly.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PLANS IN 2026.

Lot’s of music in our future for sure. The Midnight Howl just finished recording our first EP and [we’re] working towards a release late this year. I, personally, have a solo record coming out later this year with a second single release dropping this summer.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST CAREER DREAM?

Make a living making records with my friends and play softball at Newport Folk Fest.

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL OTHER ARTISTS WHO ARE CONSIDERING ENTERING THE CONTEST?

Always submit your music to every opportunity that would benefit you and don’t take it too seriously! Even if the outcome doesn’t pan out, you never know what experiences it may bring your way.

Photos by Justin Schwartz