You recently added the guitarist Jesse Aycock to the band. How did that come about?

When we were gearing up to start playing out, we determined that we needed another guitar player because Todd just wanted to sing. We asked Neil to pick another guitar player and he picked Jesse, who is from the Tulsa music scene and is a good friend of his. Jesse is a dynamite guitar and lap steel player. He really fits on every level and has a great personality. At 31 he’s one of the younger guys in the band, along with Duane, who is 25.

Do you notice any generational difference between you and the younger guys?

Well, one day Jesse and Duane broke away to check out this famous record store in Chicago and they came back with a bunch of ’70s vinyl. So not really (laughs), they are old souls and they both have a real ’70s look to them. We all seem to have a ’70s thing going on, which is kinda cool. That sound from the ’70s is a really cool thing to build upon. With HWA it’s like Zeppelin had a love child with the White Stripes. We have a modern rock edge, with a ’70s thing, and of course Todd’s poetic story-telling bent.

How would you describe Todd Snider?

Todd is kind of a troubadour and a folk singer. He has done some Nashville song writing, working with artists such as Garth Brooks and Loretta Lynn, but he’s more into the folk craft and has a gypsy soul. He’s spent time hanging around Jerry Jeff Walker, John Prine and Kris Kristofferson. He’s a story teller. There’s always a thread of a story in his work. He’s the new generation of that singer-songwriter tradition. I first got to know him through his 2004 album East Nashville Skyline. Jefferson Hamer, who was the first guitarist for Great American Taxi, turned me onto that album years ago and one thing led to another.

Are you playing a mix of originals and covers at your shows? And are there any cool surprises that you might drop now and then?

Our first record is our interpretation of songs that were written by some of Todd’s songwriting friends from East Nashville. We rebuilt the tunes to make them our own and we’ve begun to work in some of Todd’s original songs as well. Currently we play pretty much all the songs off the first record, plus three or four of Todd’s tunes, as well a new song called “Come from the Heart” that was written by Guy and Susanna Clark. We just recorded the song and it will be a B side on an upcoming 7’‘ release. In terms of surprises or recognizable covers we’ve done some stuff in sound checks that we haven’t played yet, but we’re trying to keep it pretty straight forward in terms of sticking to our own material. We want to keep it fresh and unique. We aren’t quite ready to cover “Sugaree” yet (laughs).

You wrote some great songs with Great American Taxi. Are you still writing?

Not as much lately. I don’t have as much time for it. I’ve been working for an artist management company, Gold Mountain Entertainment, from Nashville. We manage a bunch of great artists, including Todd Snider, Jeff Austin, Reed Foehl and Jason Dee Williams.

What were you up to musically before you jumped in with Taxi?

I was playing in some local bands in Colorado and I was backing up the singer/guitarist John McKay (older brother of Bill McKay) quite a bit.

How did the managing career come about?

I was co-managing and playing with Great American Taxi for several years. When that slowed down a bit, I came to a crossroads. I contemplated getting a job with a label and I applied to some big record companies including Sony and a few others in Los Angeles. Then I realized hey maybe I can do this on my own and so I started pitching my friends. I jumped in full force with Todd (Snider) and then people started knocking.

Does Great American Taxi have any shows on the books right now?

Yeah, Taxi is going forward without Vince (Herman). Vince has gotten too busy again with Leftover Salmon and also wants to spend more time at his new home in Oregon, so we parted ways at the end of last year. We’ve hired Taylor Sims to fill his spot. Taylor is an awesome Colorado musician and songwriter by way of Texas. He can play telecaster with the best of them and also picks a mean flat top and plays mandolin. We just recorded a new EP’s worth of material that will come out later this year. The band is playing its first shows over the next couple of weeks here in Colorado and will be doing some summer dates as well. Todd Snider is going to be an honorary member of the band on occasion as well.

What’s on the horizon for you and the Hardworking Americans?

Starting in July we’re going to do a three-week tour that will include some Colorado performances, probably in Boulder, Aspen or Crested Butte and then down to Texas, where we hope to play at Stubb’s BBQ. We also have the second album of all original music in the works as well as a movie slated to come out this year called The First Waltz, which is directed by Justin Kreutzmann. The film chronicles the Hard Working Americans working on their first album, doing their first rehearsals, playing their first show and some footage from the first tour.

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