From music stages to office spaces, petroleum engineering graduate Wesley Hanna ’08, has turned his lifelong love of music into a second career while balancing a role in the oil and gas industry.
Finding a Rhythm
Since playing in the school band in the sixth grade, Wesley has felt a special connection to music. In high school he traded his instrument for athletics, but after getting a guitar for his seventeenth birthday, music had been a constant in Wesley’s life.
In college, he formed the Wesley Hanna Band, a five-piece band making music to share with the Bryan-College Station community. The band made an album and played shows at Northgate and with student organizations like MSC Town Hall and the on-campus student-led radio station, KANM. After graduating, the group went their separate ways.
A couple years later, Wesley made his return to music as a solo artist with the release of his album Brand New Love Potion. Hoping to be like fellow Aggie Robert Earl Keen Jr., Wesley uses his music for storytelling.
Wesley eventually convinced his wife, Stacie, to join in on the joys of making and performing country music. She agreed to join him, capitalizing on her background in orchestra.
“I love getting to share the stage with her; it is a whole lot of fun. I get to see her continuously improving, so it’s something special,” Wesley said.
Gigs to Rigs
“Loving County” by Charlie Robison– one of Wesley’s favorite songs – intrigued Wesley with its story of love and the grit of the oil rig life. This song was his first awakening, even before college, that the petroleum industry might be the future for him.
When he first arrived at Aggieland, Wesley was debating if he should major in mechanical engineering. With the advice from his advisor, Wesley enrolled in the introduction to petroleum engineering course and fell in love.
“Do something that piques your interest. Use the flexibility of your early college career to explore different paths before you commit,” Wesley said.
After graduation, Wesley moved out to West Texas, then he made his way to Fort Worth in 2018.
Now, he is the vice president of engineering at Burnett Oil Co., Inc. Working for this small family company means that Wesley wears a lot of different hats, from dealing with the corporate side of the business to being out in the field.
Living a Double Life
Having two different careers requires an ability to balance the different workloads. Luckily for Wesley, engineering and music operate on opposite schedules, with his performances taking up his nights and weekends and engineering work taking up weekdays.
On top of this, Wesley and his wife have two boys, and adding in their schedules can be a lot, but he powers through.
Wesley has been playing music for a while, and he knows the challenges that come with trying to build a fan base and brand. Without his engineering job, he would not be able to finance some aspects of his music career, so balance is key to keep doing what he loves. For instance, when he wants to record music, Wesley makes sure he’s not spending too much time in the studio, which can cost a lot of money for a small, local artist.
“These are all things I love, and I have to be able to give time to each aspect of my life, which requires planning ahead,” said Wesley.
One day you may see him play his honky-tonk tunes at Billy Bob’s, the world’s largest honky-tonk.