It’s not easy to make it as a relatively new touring band. Life on the road can be tough, sometimes the crowd sizes can be discouraging and it’s difficult trying to carve out your own space in such a competitive market. However, Hayley Jane & The Primates are one of the most exciting and rapidly ascending bands touring the jamband circuit today. The band possesses a natural sense of fearlessness on stage, which is fueled by their unquestionable chemistry, and daring sense to explore musical parts unknown by pushing the envelope in a live setting.
Hayley Jane & The Primates recently wrapped up their first ever tour below the Mason-Dixon line with stops in Asheville, Atlanta, Raleigh, Charleston, Richmond, Virginia Beach and D.C. Currently, the band is prepping for the release of their second full-length studio album which was produced by Craig Brodhead of Turkuaz and will come out sometime in 2017.
We had the opportunity to catch up with the band as they came through one of Washington, D.C.’s most beloved small venues; Gypsy Sally’s. We spoke about everything from the band’s influences, their aspirations and life on the road in an in-depth Q&A that was full of laughs, jokes and plenty of insightful moments that pulled back the veil to gave a glimpse of what life is like for a young, hungry and talented band with a very promising road in front of them.
The group consists of Hayley Jane (lead vocals, washboard), Justin Hancoc (guitar, vocals), Josh Carter (bass, vocals), Greg Smith (guitar, vocals) and Ryan Clausen- (drums).
You’re about to wrap up your first Winter Tour in the South, tell me a little bit about how it’s been so far.
Josh: It’s been a lot of fun; we haven’t killed each other yet (laughs). There’s been stronger shows and weaker shows…it’s our first time in the South so, you know, you never know exactly what to expect – but there’s been some fun highlights for sure. I think I can probably speak for the band and say the show we played with Col. Bruce [Hampton] was a highlight in Charleston, South Carolina. He actually played first, which was weird, but it worked out great. He stuck around and it was a super great venue, at the Pour House, that was definitely a highlight for sure.
Hayley: We had never been down here before, so it’s our first Southern tour. We’ve mainly stayed in the Northeast, except for one California tour, so coming down here was really important and it was great to finally break into a new market, with new people where nobody had heard of us.
Josh: We were pretty surprised by how awesome the South has been. I can’t remember a time where coming down Georgia to be a “jamband Mecca,” but it really was. Everywhere we went people were covering the Grateful Dead and I love it, I love going to places where Jerry is everywhere.
Ryan: The people have been super hospitable too, everybody’s been so nice. We stayed at a few friends’ houses, and the venue contacts have been awesome, and everyone has just been really kind. Which is refreshing when you don’t know too many people down here.
Greg: The Southern hospitality is very real.
How do you handle your rigorous touring schedule?
Hayley: Well, in the morning we put all of our names into a hat and when you pull it out that’s the person you get to punch (laughs) and they know that’s their duty for the day.
Josh: Unfortunately, all of the pieces of paper have “Josh” written on them.
Hayley: But in all honesty we’re new to this length of tour, we’re eleven days in so we’re feeling it, our bodies our tired, it’s no joke. Being in a van that much is tough. Just remembering to stretch is so important. Communication and patience…being okay when you know someone is having a rough day, and if someone is having a rough time everyone just kind of lightens up. Everything ebbs and flows, talk to me tomorrow and I may have a completely different thing to say.
Greg: I would say it’s been pretty much non-stop. We’ve only had one day off and on that day off we did an open mic night and played three songs at Cary Street Café, in Richmond.
Hayley: It’s funny because that open mic night was one of the most fun moments on tour for me. It was just crowded with a lot of people and it was a blast. It was definitely a small highlight for me.
What are you listening to as a band? What’s been helping pass the time on the road?
Justin: It’s so funny you should ask. We’re borrowing this van from a friend of ours, William Thompson, and we found out before we were getting ready to leave for tour that there was no auxiliary input, so all we’re working with is CD’s. Luckily I have a massive CD collection, but I only brought like 12 CDs. So we had listened to all of them by day two (laughs).
Hayley: Joni Mitchell’s Blue, Beastie Boys, Ween, Rift .
Josh: Every time I get behind the wheel I always put Workingman’s Dead on. So we’ve listened to that all the way through like five times.
Justin: We also have The Wedding Singer soundtrack (laughs).
Greg: We also stopped at a record store and picked up Mother’s Milk .
Josh: We’ve played a lot of The Last Waltz over and over, which has been great.
Greg: We all have our favorites. I love Dr. Dog and I wish we had a physical copy of their new album.
Josh: I wish we had some Chris Robinson Brotherhood or some Warren Haynes. I would love to meet them both.
Hayley: His dream is to eat BBQ with Warren (laughs). That’s his dream.
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.
