The band definitely has a lot of depth, it’s clear you pull your influences from a variety of different genres and it all blends together. If you had to try and sum up the band’s sound, what would you say?
Hayley: That’s a great question. Josh coined the phrase “Folkadelic” which I really like. Americana. There’s definitely some old theater, I come from a theater background.
Justin: ‘60s and ‘70s Rock, some Blues tied in there.
Hayley: We’re just a mess – a big, beautiful mess. We’re a product of all the different things we grew up listening to. I get the Janis [Joplin] thing a lot, which I like. Her vulnerability on stage is a huge inspiration to me. The ‘60s and ‘70s are definitely a really strong base and foundation of what we do.
Tell me about what inspires you?
Hayley: I like to put on a really good show. I hope to be considered more of an entertainer and not just a singer. I like to dance; I like to get into the character of what I’m doing. Theater and musical theater was a big inspiration for me. Just being larger than life. Even if I’m singing a song about myself, I take it a little further. I grew up watching Doris Day and Rock Hudson movies, so it’s kind of that very “show tuney” and when you mix it with ‘60s and ‘70s Rock and Roll something special happens and it’s just different.
Josh: I’m inspired by the ever-changing development of our songs. We’re inspired to go out on that stage and find the best way to play our tunes. We’re always searching for that part that makes each song what it is. I love the Tedeschi Trucks Band because they’re always talking about how much of a team effort it is. It’s inspiring for me to find the right takes on each song as a band.
Ryan: I think with this band specifically its very song based. Each time we play the song it’s so different, just the places we go within each song and the way we serve them up each night. Whether it’s the character Hayley is taking on, or the attitude we’re expressing through our instruments and especially the way the crowd reacts to it. Each song is definitely its own journey and I think that’s something pretty inspirational.
2016 was a monumental year for the band. You broke into several great festivals and you put the finishing touches on your second full-length studio album, which was produced by Craig [Brodhead], from Turkuaz. Tell me a little bit about how that relationship came to be.
Justin: It goes back pretty far. I started at Berklee [College of Music] in 2006 and my first groups of friends were the Turkuaz and Dopapod guys, we’re all still really close. This was way before Craig was even in Turkuaz. One of my best friends from my hometown, John Wilson, was their original drummer and I lived with Chuck from Dopapod for a while and we’ve just been really tight with those guys for years.
Hayley: I called Craig one day about in-ear monitor advice, just randomly. He just asked ‘when are you guys going to do an album?’ That really lit a fire under me because he showed a lot of interest in producing it. The fact he wanted to be so involved got me so excited. Since then we did a Kickstarter to fund it and Shira [Elias] from Turkuaz came in to lay down some backing vocals too.
Greg: There are a lot of cool guests.
Hayley: Oh yeah for sure. Maybe I’ll keep some of them a secret (laughs).
Do you have a name penned down for the new album?
Hayley: If I say it now it’s happening.
Justin: Go for it.
Hayley: It’s going to be called We’re Here Now. I love it so much.
What else is next for the band’s future? What do you want people to get excited about?
Hayley: Definitely the album. Coming from theater I’m looking to do more theatrical things and make it really interesting. I’ve been working an amazing choreographer so we want get more creative and take it down the performance art route.
Ryan: With kick ass drums right? (laughs)
Hayley: (laughs) Absolutely! Performance art with kick ass drums.
Justin: Our ever-changing sound as well. Every time we write a few new songs they all sound so different from each other. We really like to bounce around from genre to genre so I’m really excited to see what types of songs are in the band’s future. Getting this album out is going to be huge.
Hayley: I’m going to play guitar on stage this year.
Ryan: Festival season too. Summer time is going to be awesome. Festivals are always so kick ass, just the community you have and the vibe around there. It’s an honor to be apart of that while making new friends.
Hayley: I like that we’re excited to make new friends.
Josh: I’m really excited about all of the people we got to play music with on this tour. We got to play with Atticus Kelly (McLovins) and stuff like that is just becoming so nonchalant. So I’m looking forward to meeting new people and future collaborations.
Now I have to ask, is there anyone in particular you especially want to collaborate with?
Hayley: Susan [Tedeschi]. I want to sing a song with Susan.
Josh: Susan, Derek, and Warren Haynes for sure.
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