interview // orlinda
formerly wabash
photo credit//Orlinda
We got the chance to sit down with members of the band Orlinda (formerly Wabash) one sunny, summer Saturday afternoon, fresh from the release of their new EP Won’t Be Long. They are a relatively young band, but like the title of the record suggests, it only took a little time for them to establish a sound that can make you want to dance and tug at your heart strings all at once. The inception of the band began when guitarist, Quinn Bible decided to move from Louisville, Illinois, off the banks of the Little Wabash River, to Music City. Here, he met pianist/singer Brandon McDuffee and the two became friends, then collaborators. James Alan (drums), Luke McDuffee (bass) and Alex McDuffee (guitar) would join the band in June 2014, citing their musical influences among The Beatles, The Band, Wilco and Dr. Dog.
The guys had spent this particular Saturday morning moving guitarist Quinn Bible into his new apartment, so they were definitely ready for a little break when we gathered the large group around a table at one of those infamous coffee chains, to see what they’ve been up to. We just had the pleasure of seeing them play for the first time at The End and it was an electrifying experience, making instant fans of people in the audience who hadn’t even heard of them until that moment. The band hasn’t been together for long compared to other acts, but their compatibility on stage and in songwriting is apparent just from seeing them live or listening them play. Listening to the way they interact with each other, it’s also apparent that their compatibility as friends outside of the music is strong. A very charming group, it is clear that these guys are good friends (in a few cases, family) and play off of each other’s energy well. You can tell just by listening to the cohesion of their record that they have great stories to tell. We look forward to hearing them all.
Love Local Nashville: WE’LL START WITH THE EASY STUFF. CLEARLY, AT LEAST SOME OF YOU COME FROM A MUSICAL FAMILY. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING MUSIC? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING MUSIC TOGETHER?
Luke McDuffee: Together, we've been playing with the lineup we have now for like, three months with our new guitar player, Alex. The four of us have been playing together for about a year. A little more? Something like that. But I've been playing music for—I picked up the bass at fifteen, so around thirteen years.
LLN: BRANDON, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING?
Brandon McDuffee: I've been singing for as long as I can remember. I started playing piano when I was six.
LLN: JAMES?
James Alan: Uh, yeah. Ten years, I've been playing.
LLN: QUINN?
Quinn Bible: Uh, probably eight years I've been playing guitar.
LLN: THEY SAY THAT THE MUSIC YOU LISTEN TO IN YOUR ADOLESCENCE HAS THE MOST PROFOUND EFFECT ON YOUR MUSICAL TASTE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
James: I was listening to a lot of Tool.
LLN: WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE BAND WHEN YOU WERE 15?
Quinn: 15? Wow.
Luke: Mine was probably Tool, actually. Oh wait, I might have been moving into my Emo stage at that point, which would have been something like Brand New.
Brandon: The Beatles. It's always been The Beatles. I think that definitely comes through.
Luke McDuffee: Together, we've been playing with the lineup we have now for like, three months with our new guitar player, Alex. The four of us have been playing together for about a year. A little more? Something like that. But I've been playing music for—I picked up the bass at fifteen, so around thirteen years.
LLN: BRANDON, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING?
Brandon McDuffee: I've been singing for as long as I can remember. I started playing piano when I was six.
LLN: JAMES?
James Alan: Uh, yeah. Ten years, I've been playing.
LLN: QUINN?
Quinn Bible: Uh, probably eight years I've been playing guitar.
LLN: THEY SAY THAT THE MUSIC YOU LISTEN TO IN YOUR ADOLESCENCE HAS THE MOST PROFOUND EFFECT ON YOUR MUSICAL TASTE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
James: I was listening to a lot of Tool.
LLN: WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE BAND WHEN YOU WERE 15?
Quinn: 15? Wow.
Luke: Mine was probably Tool, actually. Oh wait, I might have been moving into my Emo stage at that point, which would have been something like Brand New.
Brandon: The Beatles. It's always been The Beatles. I think that definitely comes through.
James: I'll say Metallica. I didn't really have a broad music scope at 15.
Quinn: What's that? Freshman year? I'll say Led Zeppelin was mine. I was a pretty big Zeppelin fan.
Luke: Oh, you went with the safe answer.
James: Before that, it was, like NSYNC.
Brandon: Nice. Really?
James: Yeah.
LLN: FOR A BAND THAT’S REALLY JUST GETTING STARTED IN ITS CURRENT INCARNATION, WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH YOUR MUSIC MOVING FORWARD?
Luke: At the moment, just getting shows and trying to get more stuff recorded. We're just out of the gate, and we're trying to build up that first head of steam. None of the bookers around town have really heard of us yet, and nobody wants to stick you on a bill if you aren't going to bring anybody in. But past that, it's getting Jack White to be like, "You guys are awesome."
LLN: WE TOTALLY RESPECT THAT. WE’D LIKE HIM TO TELL US HE THINKS WE’RE AWESOME, TOO.
Brandon: The goal is to be able to play music for the rest of our lives and still be able to eat and have somewhere to live.
LLN: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SOUND? AS FAR AS BEING FIVE INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE MESHING TOGETHER ON A CREATIVE PROJECT, WHAT ASPECTS OF YOUR PERSONALITIES DO EACH OF YOU BRING TO YOUR MUSIC?
Brandon: James inspires me. Look at that face, that moustache.
Quinn: Oh, he's a very, very cute guy.
James: I didn't know that. That's awesome.
Quinn: What's that? Freshman year? I'll say Led Zeppelin was mine. I was a pretty big Zeppelin fan.
Luke: Oh, you went with the safe answer.
James: Before that, it was, like NSYNC.
Brandon: Nice. Really?
James: Yeah.
LLN: FOR A BAND THAT’S REALLY JUST GETTING STARTED IN ITS CURRENT INCARNATION, WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH YOUR MUSIC MOVING FORWARD?
Luke: At the moment, just getting shows and trying to get more stuff recorded. We're just out of the gate, and we're trying to build up that first head of steam. None of the bookers around town have really heard of us yet, and nobody wants to stick you on a bill if you aren't going to bring anybody in. But past that, it's getting Jack White to be like, "You guys are awesome."
LLN: WE TOTALLY RESPECT THAT. WE’D LIKE HIM TO TELL US HE THINKS WE’RE AWESOME, TOO.
Brandon: The goal is to be able to play music for the rest of our lives and still be able to eat and have somewhere to live.
LLN: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SOUND? AS FAR AS BEING FIVE INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE MESHING TOGETHER ON A CREATIVE PROJECT, WHAT ASPECTS OF YOUR PERSONALITIES DO EACH OF YOU BRING TO YOUR MUSIC?
Brandon: James inspires me. Look at that face, that moustache.
Quinn: Oh, he's a very, very cute guy.
James: I didn't know that. That's awesome.
Brandon: Sorry, say the question one more time. I already had that one waiting.
James: It doesn’t matter. That was the right answer.
LLN: WHAT ASPECTS OF EACH OF YOUR PERSONALITIES DO YOU CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR MUSIC OR THE SONGWRITING PROCESS?
Luke: Do we have to talk good about ourselves? I'm not good at that.
Quinn: Well, I think I'm great, but I don't tell anybody.
Brandon: Luke is very 'stay on task.' He's the one who makes sure we don't screw around all the time.
Luke: I have a brief attention span. So, if I don’t keep myself on it, then I'm lost and everyone goes with me.
Brandon: James is super picky, super detail oriented. He makes sure everything sounds good. He always has two or three ideas every time we practice. Quinn is just raw talent-- unbridled, just talent.
Luke: He's one of those guys who will make you mad, because he'll pick up a guitar and go (mimics guitar riff)
Brandon: Alex is the quiet guy. Quiet, reserved guy that never--
Quinn: Super easy to get along with. Never, ever will there be an argument with him.
Brandon: Super easy to get along with.
Luke: He has an encyclopedic knowledge of rock and roll and Bob Dylan and stuff like that, so he can just pull all of that out of his head.
Brandon: And then I'm just there.
James: Well, you come with melodies every new practice, so we have the basics of a new song, and then we just build on that.
Luke: He has yet to play something of an idea that we’re trying to start off on that I haven’t just been like, “man, that's really good.” That's a good feeling.
LLN: IN A TOWN FULL OF MUSICIANS, HOW DOES YOUR SOUND SET YOU APART?
James: I like to think we're doing something as original as possible that still has the feel of all of our influences.
Brandon: Our influences are really, very across the board. I feel like we try to use all of that to melt with our music. Me and Quinn listen to mostly like 50's and 60's music. These guys listen to a lot of newer stuff. They liked music in the 90's whenever it was new. Well, a lot of it.
Luke: I was like 6.
Brandon: Well, James was into NSYNC.
James: It doesn’t matter. That was the right answer.
LLN: WHAT ASPECTS OF EACH OF YOUR PERSONALITIES DO YOU CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR MUSIC OR THE SONGWRITING PROCESS?
Luke: Do we have to talk good about ourselves? I'm not good at that.
Quinn: Well, I think I'm great, but I don't tell anybody.
Brandon: Luke is very 'stay on task.' He's the one who makes sure we don't screw around all the time.
Luke: I have a brief attention span. So, if I don’t keep myself on it, then I'm lost and everyone goes with me.
Brandon: James is super picky, super detail oriented. He makes sure everything sounds good. He always has two or three ideas every time we practice. Quinn is just raw talent-- unbridled, just talent.
Luke: He's one of those guys who will make you mad, because he'll pick up a guitar and go (mimics guitar riff)
Brandon: Alex is the quiet guy. Quiet, reserved guy that never--
Quinn: Super easy to get along with. Never, ever will there be an argument with him.
Brandon: Super easy to get along with.
Luke: He has an encyclopedic knowledge of rock and roll and Bob Dylan and stuff like that, so he can just pull all of that out of his head.
Brandon: And then I'm just there.
James: Well, you come with melodies every new practice, so we have the basics of a new song, and then we just build on that.
Luke: He has yet to play something of an idea that we’re trying to start off on that I haven’t just been like, “man, that's really good.” That's a good feeling.
LLN: IN A TOWN FULL OF MUSICIANS, HOW DOES YOUR SOUND SET YOU APART?
James: I like to think we're doing something as original as possible that still has the feel of all of our influences.
Brandon: Our influences are really, very across the board. I feel like we try to use all of that to melt with our music. Me and Quinn listen to mostly like 50's and 60's music. These guys listen to a lot of newer stuff. They liked music in the 90's whenever it was new. Well, a lot of it.
Luke: I was like 6.
Brandon: Well, James was into NSYNC.
Luke: Well, yeah.
Brandon: So, we use a lot of that. We like to combine that.
Luke: Brandon doesn't listen to anything that was made after, about 1983.
Brandon: I've got a habit of that.
LLN: IF YOU COULD HAVE A PRIVATE JAM SESSION WITH ANY ARTIST, LIVING OR DEAD, WHO WOULD IT BE?
Luke: The Band
Brandon: The Band
Quinn: The Band
Brandon: Yeah. The Band.
Luke: I don't know if I want a jam session though. I would just sit there and be like, "Aww, man! Look at 'em go!"
LLN: SO, A FANGIRL SESSION.
Brandon: If we're going for dead, The Band. If we're going for living, I guess Jack White.
Luke: The Raconteurs, actually, or Grateful Dead, if you're going to jam with any band.
Quinn: The jam band of all jam bands.
Luke: Jerry Garcia's like, "Come on, man. Take the solo." 'But I'm scared!' "It'll be alright, bro."
LLN: HAS GROWING UP AROUND NASHVILLE INFLUENCED YOUR STYLE? DO YOU THINK IT’S A POSITIVE THING?
Luke: I think so. Because it's a musician's town, if you want to be thought of as a good player, it sets a standard. So that drives up the baseline average of the players around town. That definitely influences the music we play. You have more of an idea of where you can go, so you don't get stuck in ruts as easily.
James: It adds more pressure.
Luke: Yeah, there's more pressure to perform. Half the people in the crowd can play guitar and they're judging you, mercilessly.
Quinn: Yeah, that was a big eye-opener when I moved here. I was like, ‘Wow. I really have a lot of catching up to do. All of these guys can play.’
LLN: YOU RECENTLY RECORDED YOU SILO SESSIONS VERSION OF ‘TAKE IT WITH ME,’ THAT WAS FEATURED ON THE CHIVE AND IS JUST SHY OF 60,000 YOUTUBE VIEWS. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO KNOW YOUR MUSIC IS REACHING AN AUDIENCE OF THAT SIZE?
Luke: Oh, wow. I hadn't checked in a couple of days. That's awesome.
Brandon: Yeah. Very unexpected.
James: Yeah.
Luke: It was just this neat idea that Quinn's dad had. We just thought, 'Oh, yeah. We'll give it a shot.' So, we just posted it online a couple places and it just sort of took off.
Quinn: More of just a fun thing. We didn't go in there and say, 'We gotta go in there and do this and then put it on the internet.' Let's just go in here because it sounds cool.
Luke: You can tell from Brandon's shorts and t-shirt show that it was not a planned activity.
Quinn: His Hawaii shirt.
Brandon: Yeah, my University of Hawaii shirt.
Quinn: And my moustache. I had a very weak moustache, but it made its debut, so I’m happy.
LLN: IT WILL LIVE ON.
Brandon: And then James' stomach gurgle.
James: Oh yeah.
Brandon: Did you guys ever hear that? About a minute into song, you can hear (imitates gurgling). It's James' stomach.
Brandon: So, we use a lot of that. We like to combine that.
Luke: Brandon doesn't listen to anything that was made after, about 1983.
Brandon: I've got a habit of that.
LLN: IF YOU COULD HAVE A PRIVATE JAM SESSION WITH ANY ARTIST, LIVING OR DEAD, WHO WOULD IT BE?
Luke: The Band
Brandon: The Band
Quinn: The Band
Brandon: Yeah. The Band.
Luke: I don't know if I want a jam session though. I would just sit there and be like, "Aww, man! Look at 'em go!"
LLN: SO, A FANGIRL SESSION.
Brandon: If we're going for dead, The Band. If we're going for living, I guess Jack White.
Luke: The Raconteurs, actually, or Grateful Dead, if you're going to jam with any band.
Quinn: The jam band of all jam bands.
Luke: Jerry Garcia's like, "Come on, man. Take the solo." 'But I'm scared!' "It'll be alright, bro."
LLN: HAS GROWING UP AROUND NASHVILLE INFLUENCED YOUR STYLE? DO YOU THINK IT’S A POSITIVE THING?
Luke: I think so. Because it's a musician's town, if you want to be thought of as a good player, it sets a standard. So that drives up the baseline average of the players around town. That definitely influences the music we play. You have more of an idea of where you can go, so you don't get stuck in ruts as easily.
James: It adds more pressure.
Luke: Yeah, there's more pressure to perform. Half the people in the crowd can play guitar and they're judging you, mercilessly.
Quinn: Yeah, that was a big eye-opener when I moved here. I was like, ‘Wow. I really have a lot of catching up to do. All of these guys can play.’
LLN: YOU RECENTLY RECORDED YOU SILO SESSIONS VERSION OF ‘TAKE IT WITH ME,’ THAT WAS FEATURED ON THE CHIVE AND IS JUST SHY OF 60,000 YOUTUBE VIEWS. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO KNOW YOUR MUSIC IS REACHING AN AUDIENCE OF THAT SIZE?
Luke: Oh, wow. I hadn't checked in a couple of days. That's awesome.
Brandon: Yeah. Very unexpected.
James: Yeah.
Luke: It was just this neat idea that Quinn's dad had. We just thought, 'Oh, yeah. We'll give it a shot.' So, we just posted it online a couple places and it just sort of took off.
Quinn: More of just a fun thing. We didn't go in there and say, 'We gotta go in there and do this and then put it on the internet.' Let's just go in here because it sounds cool.
Luke: You can tell from Brandon's shorts and t-shirt show that it was not a planned activity.
Quinn: His Hawaii shirt.
Brandon: Yeah, my University of Hawaii shirt.
Quinn: And my moustache. I had a very weak moustache, but it made its debut, so I’m happy.
LLN: IT WILL LIVE ON.
Brandon: And then James' stomach gurgle.
James: Oh yeah.
Brandon: Did you guys ever hear that? About a minute into song, you can hear (imitates gurgling). It's James' stomach.
Luke: You’ve got to go pick it out now.
James: Yeah, I was having stomach problems that day.
Brandon: It's exactly .55s into the video.
James: Yeah, someone left in the comments like, “Hey, at 55 seconds, you hear an intestinal fart.” That’s my intestinal fart.
Luke: Of course, it's the internet, so someone notices the sound and puts the time stamp in there, so everybody else basically comes on and points and laughs.
Brandon: It's hilarious.
James: On iTunes, you can preview the song and it's in that little section. It'll play for a minute, then it's like (imitates gurgle).
Luke: It's now my ringtone.
LLN: IF YOU COULD ONLY LISTEN TO THREE ALBUMS ON REPEAT FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR, WHAT COULD YOU CHOOSE THAT WOULD NEVER GET OLD?
Brandon: I'd say, The White Album [The Beatles], The Brown Album- The Band and, uh--
Quinn: The Blue Album by Weezer!
James: [Music from] The Big Pink, Red Letter Days, Purple Rain
Brandon: Sgt. Pepper's. Or, no. Odyssey and Oracle by The Zombies. If you haven't heard it, you've got to listen to it.
Luke: I think I'd go with Kicking Televison by Wilco, because it has pretty much all of my favorite songs by them except the new stuff. The Price of Existence by All Shall Perish, which is my desert island metal record and Foxy Shazam, The Church of Rock and Roll, in case I need to put on some makeup or something. Every time I listen to that record, I find something else I like.
James: I'm thinking Lateralis by Tool, In Bocca al Lupo by Murder by Death, and I'd say, Animals by Pink Floyd.
Luke: Ah, you didn’t pick the safe answer with Pink Floyd. Good job. I'm lame. I like The Wall, and Dark Side[of the Moon].
James: Well, those are great, too.
Quinn: Probably, White Stripes- Elephant, The Band- The Brown Album. I had to steal one from Brandon, because I love it just as much. And probably Zeppelin--
Brandon: Won't Be Long.
James: Yeah, I was having stomach problems that day.
Brandon: It's exactly .55s into the video.
James: Yeah, someone left in the comments like, “Hey, at 55 seconds, you hear an intestinal fart.” That’s my intestinal fart.
Luke: Of course, it's the internet, so someone notices the sound and puts the time stamp in there, so everybody else basically comes on and points and laughs.
Brandon: It's hilarious.
James: On iTunes, you can preview the song and it's in that little section. It'll play for a minute, then it's like (imitates gurgle).
Luke: It's now my ringtone.
LLN: IF YOU COULD ONLY LISTEN TO THREE ALBUMS ON REPEAT FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR, WHAT COULD YOU CHOOSE THAT WOULD NEVER GET OLD?
Brandon: I'd say, The White Album [The Beatles], The Brown Album- The Band and, uh--
Quinn: The Blue Album by Weezer!
James: [Music from] The Big Pink, Red Letter Days, Purple Rain
Brandon: Sgt. Pepper's. Or, no. Odyssey and Oracle by The Zombies. If you haven't heard it, you've got to listen to it.
Luke: I think I'd go with Kicking Televison by Wilco, because it has pretty much all of my favorite songs by them except the new stuff. The Price of Existence by All Shall Perish, which is my desert island metal record and Foxy Shazam, The Church of Rock and Roll, in case I need to put on some makeup or something. Every time I listen to that record, I find something else I like.
James: I'm thinking Lateralis by Tool, In Bocca al Lupo by Murder by Death, and I'd say, Animals by Pink Floyd.
Luke: Ah, you didn’t pick the safe answer with Pink Floyd. Good job. I'm lame. I like The Wall, and Dark Side[of the Moon].
James: Well, those are great, too.
Quinn: Probably, White Stripes- Elephant, The Band- The Brown Album. I had to steal one from Brandon, because I love it just as much. And probably Zeppelin--
Brandon: Won't Be Long.
Quinn: Led Zeppelin- I
Luke: Not Houses of the Holy not featuring "Houses of the Holy?"
Brandon: Yeah, between us, we’re into lots of different stuff.
Luke: My brother's [Alex, guitar] would just be a Frontier Ruckus album. Bob Dylan and--
Brandon: A Band album again
Luke: I don't want to say The Brown Album again, because that sounds bad.
Quinn: The Last Waltz
Luke: Yeah, he'd probably say The Last Waltz because it's different.
LLN: TELL US ABOUT THE SONGWRITING PROCESS. WHO DOES WHAT, OR DO YOU ALL DO EVERYTHING TOGETHER?
Luke: It really can start off with anybody. So far, most of it's started with ideas that Brandon had. Brandon will come in with a piano line and a melody and we'll just start from that. But a couple of times Quinn has come in with a guitar riff and that will be the special little spark that gets everybody going. A lot of the time, the most fun times, are when everyone comes in and just kind of goes. Everybody comes in and they instantly know what they want to do and the next things come easy and all of a sudden, and hour later, you're rocking out on this new song. Those are always the favorite ones. Then, other times you just have to slough a way at it and say, 'No, that bridge isn't good. Try it again and write something else.' Then, four hours later, you might have something.
Quinn: Which has been the case lately. A lot of it has been like, “Eh, that doesn't work.”
Luke: You can't always get that lightning in a bottle, instant inspiration, but those are the best ones. Of our two favorite songs, one of them was that lightning in a bottle. The other one we worked on when we were in Illinois, so about two months.
Brandon: Yeah. It took a long time.
Luke: And it’s become one of our favorite songs.
Brandon: Yeah, we trashed it a couple of times. It was the first song we played that night. I first showed it to the guys and we were trying to pick something out that we liked, then we ended up trashing it. We came back to it, trashed it again and finally came back to it and finished it and ended up liking it.
Luke: It had two different choruses, a bridge that was in weird 7, then 10, then 7 time signatures.
Brandon: The chorus sounded just like the chorus from “Baba O’Reilly”, so we couldn’t really use that.
(Quinn & Luke singing from Baba O’Reilly)
Luke: Not Houses of the Holy not featuring "Houses of the Holy?"
Brandon: Yeah, between us, we’re into lots of different stuff.
Luke: My brother's [Alex, guitar] would just be a Frontier Ruckus album. Bob Dylan and--
Brandon: A Band album again
Luke: I don't want to say The Brown Album again, because that sounds bad.
Quinn: The Last Waltz
Luke: Yeah, he'd probably say The Last Waltz because it's different.
LLN: TELL US ABOUT THE SONGWRITING PROCESS. WHO DOES WHAT, OR DO YOU ALL DO EVERYTHING TOGETHER?
Luke: It really can start off with anybody. So far, most of it's started with ideas that Brandon had. Brandon will come in with a piano line and a melody and we'll just start from that. But a couple of times Quinn has come in with a guitar riff and that will be the special little spark that gets everybody going. A lot of the time, the most fun times, are when everyone comes in and just kind of goes. Everybody comes in and they instantly know what they want to do and the next things come easy and all of a sudden, and hour later, you're rocking out on this new song. Those are always the favorite ones. Then, other times you just have to slough a way at it and say, 'No, that bridge isn't good. Try it again and write something else.' Then, four hours later, you might have something.
Quinn: Which has been the case lately. A lot of it has been like, “Eh, that doesn't work.”
Luke: You can't always get that lightning in a bottle, instant inspiration, but those are the best ones. Of our two favorite songs, one of them was that lightning in a bottle. The other one we worked on when we were in Illinois, so about two months.
Brandon: Yeah. It took a long time.
Luke: And it’s become one of our favorite songs.
Brandon: Yeah, we trashed it a couple of times. It was the first song we played that night. I first showed it to the guys and we were trying to pick something out that we liked, then we ended up trashing it. We came back to it, trashed it again and finally came back to it and finished it and ended up liking it.
Luke: It had two different choruses, a bridge that was in weird 7, then 10, then 7 time signatures.
Brandon: The chorus sounded just like the chorus from “Baba O’Reilly”, so we couldn’t really use that.
(Quinn & Luke singing from Baba O’Reilly)
LLN: ARE THERE ANY INSTRUMENTS YOU WISH YOU COULD PLAY?
Quinn: All of them.
Brandon: A lot.
James: Yeah.
Brandon: Violin.
James: Cello.
Luke: I’ve always wanted to pick up harmonica. I feel like the only thing stopping me is me.
Brandon: Guitar.
James: Piano
Luke: I’ve always wanted to play upright bass, too. If it wasn’t like $1200 to get started, I would.
Quinn: Saxophone would be cool.
Brandon: Accordion.
Quinn: Sax or trumpet. I want to be Tim Koly.
Brandon: Bagpipes would be awesome.
James: I think we’re just naming instruments now.
Brandon: I want to play all of them.
LLN: WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE VENUE TO SEE LIVE MUSIC?
All: The Ryman.
Luke: I miss Starwood. I don’t know if anyone remembers Starwood.
LLN (Ashley): Ozzfest ’04.
LLN (Jenny): Hanson, like ’97 or ’98.
Luke: My very first concert was at Starwood. I went to see Aerosmith with my mom. It was awesome. Fuel opened up. It was very 2002. Then again the next year, but Stone Temple Pilots opened.
Quinn: Oh yeah. They were one of my childhood’s favorite—Stone Temple Pilots probably was my favorite band. I could probably scratch out Led Zeppelin there.
LLN: DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE COVER SONG TO PLAY?
Luke: “Shape I’m In” by The Band
James: Oh?
Quinn: No.
Luke: Oh. Or “Can You Picture That” by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem (from The Muppet Movie)
Brandon: I like “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road.” That’s my favorite. That’s where I get to go apesh—ape-stuff… on the piano.
LLN: THAT’S A GREAT WAY TO END A SET, TOO. IT WAS A NICE FINAL TOUCH TO EVERYTHING ELSE.
Luke: Ever since I saw Brandon do that with his old band, like every show I saw--
Brandon: Every show I’ve ever played, yeah.
Luke: Kicking over stools and stuff, I was like “I’ve got to get in on that.”
LLN: WHAT’S IT LIKE LOOKING INTO THE AUDIENCE AND SEEING SOMEONE SINGING ALONG TO ONE OF YOUR SONGS?
Quinn: All of them.
Brandon: A lot.
James: Yeah.
Brandon: Violin.
James: Cello.
Luke: I’ve always wanted to pick up harmonica. I feel like the only thing stopping me is me.
Brandon: Guitar.
James: Piano
Luke: I’ve always wanted to play upright bass, too. If it wasn’t like $1200 to get started, I would.
Quinn: Saxophone would be cool.
Brandon: Accordion.
Quinn: Sax or trumpet. I want to be Tim Koly.
Brandon: Bagpipes would be awesome.
James: I think we’re just naming instruments now.
Brandon: I want to play all of them.
LLN: WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE VENUE TO SEE LIVE MUSIC?
All: The Ryman.
Luke: I miss Starwood. I don’t know if anyone remembers Starwood.
LLN (Ashley): Ozzfest ’04.
LLN (Jenny): Hanson, like ’97 or ’98.
Luke: My very first concert was at Starwood. I went to see Aerosmith with my mom. It was awesome. Fuel opened up. It was very 2002. Then again the next year, but Stone Temple Pilots opened.
Quinn: Oh yeah. They were one of my childhood’s favorite—Stone Temple Pilots probably was my favorite band. I could probably scratch out Led Zeppelin there.
LLN: DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE COVER SONG TO PLAY?
Luke: “Shape I’m In” by The Band
James: Oh?
Quinn: No.
Luke: Oh. Or “Can You Picture That” by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem (from The Muppet Movie)
Brandon: I like “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road.” That’s my favorite. That’s where I get to go apesh—ape-stuff… on the piano.
LLN: THAT’S A GREAT WAY TO END A SET, TOO. IT WAS A NICE FINAL TOUCH TO EVERYTHING ELSE.
Luke: Ever since I saw Brandon do that with his old band, like every show I saw--
Brandon: Every show I’ve ever played, yeah.
Luke: Kicking over stools and stuff, I was like “I’ve got to get in on that.”
LLN: WHAT’S IT LIKE LOOKING INTO THE AUDIENCE AND SEEING SOMEONE SINGING ALONG TO ONE OF YOUR SONGS?
Brandon: It’s electrifying. I’ve only had it happen once so far, but it’s a crazy feeling.
Luke: It’s one of those things where, you know crowds cheer and stuff and that’s nice, but when they’re singing along, you’re thinking “Oh, you’ve been listening for a while and you must be really into it, because you listened to it enough to memorize the lyrics."
LLN: TELL US THE STORY OF JACKIE WALKER
Luke: Oh geez, we only kind of know it. It took a weird turn when Brandon started listening to me, unfortunately.
Brandon: (laughs) Well, it’s a character I’ve written about since I was eighteen and first started writing music. When it started, there were two main characters, Jackie Walker and Molly Parker. ‘Molly Parker’ was probably the most successful song from my old band. It was this old 60’s pop sounding song. The way I always wrote it was like Jackie was the bad side of me, like the part I didn’t like. You know, I was eighteen and really angsty and emotional back then. Molly Parker was like the good parts, the parts that I liked and they exhibited those qualities. So Jackie was kind of, you know, he kind of sucks. Like, he’s borderline evil. He’s really conniving and stuff, but they love each other. A lot of the EP is from Jackie’s perspective. It’s about Jackie Walker. In a lot of it, he’s actually singing to Molly or Molly is singing to him. We just didn’t have enough space to really cram everything in there. But there’s no real set story. He’s a bad dude. He’s in love with Molly Parker. He dies. Eventually, he’s going to come back to life and then die, and then come back to life, and then die.
Luke: We had this idea that maybe he’s stuck in this loop. Not like Groundhog Day style, but he’s been around for a really long time and is just going to maybe keep coming back until he finally stops sucking at life.
Brandon: Yeah.
Luke: He just keeps getting second chances for some reason.
LLN: WHAT DO YOU WANT FANS OF YOUR MUSIC TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Luke: We’re trying so hard! (laughter)
James: We’re just trying to be true and do what we love doing.
Luke: We’re not going to play something that we think is only okay. We only want to play stuff that we think is great. If you also think it’s great, that’s awesome and we’re going to keep doing that.
Quinn: We want them to know that we appreciate them. We love the support.
Brandon: All seven of them.
Luke: Thanks, mom.
Quinn: That’s nice.
Luke: It’s one of those things where, you know crowds cheer and stuff and that’s nice, but when they’re singing along, you’re thinking “Oh, you’ve been listening for a while and you must be really into it, because you listened to it enough to memorize the lyrics."
LLN: TELL US THE STORY OF JACKIE WALKER
Luke: Oh geez, we only kind of know it. It took a weird turn when Brandon started listening to me, unfortunately.
Brandon: (laughs) Well, it’s a character I’ve written about since I was eighteen and first started writing music. When it started, there were two main characters, Jackie Walker and Molly Parker. ‘Molly Parker’ was probably the most successful song from my old band. It was this old 60’s pop sounding song. The way I always wrote it was like Jackie was the bad side of me, like the part I didn’t like. You know, I was eighteen and really angsty and emotional back then. Molly Parker was like the good parts, the parts that I liked and they exhibited those qualities. So Jackie was kind of, you know, he kind of sucks. Like, he’s borderline evil. He’s really conniving and stuff, but they love each other. A lot of the EP is from Jackie’s perspective. It’s about Jackie Walker. In a lot of it, he’s actually singing to Molly or Molly is singing to him. We just didn’t have enough space to really cram everything in there. But there’s no real set story. He’s a bad dude. He’s in love with Molly Parker. He dies. Eventually, he’s going to come back to life and then die, and then come back to life, and then die.
Luke: We had this idea that maybe he’s stuck in this loop. Not like Groundhog Day style, but he’s been around for a really long time and is just going to maybe keep coming back until he finally stops sucking at life.
Brandon: Yeah.
Luke: He just keeps getting second chances for some reason.
LLN: WHAT DO YOU WANT FANS OF YOUR MUSIC TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Luke: We’re trying so hard! (laughter)
James: We’re just trying to be true and do what we love doing.
Luke: We’re not going to play something that we think is only okay. We only want to play stuff that we think is great. If you also think it’s great, that’s awesome and we’re going to keep doing that.
Quinn: We want them to know that we appreciate them. We love the support.
Brandon: All seven of them.
Luke: Thanks, mom.
Quinn: That’s nice.