Page 102 - ION Indie Magazine MarchApril 2018 Issue

Jody: Basically, I was on the internet and came across a couple of essay questions on a university website,
which were based on three letters written by two brothers in The American Civil War (see link below*). They
were called James and Alexander Campbell. And when war broke out, James was fighting for The South, and
Alexander, for The North. In the Battle of Secessionville, they ended up on the same battlefield. It's a song
that depicts aspects of faith and hope, and it includes the line “War can steal love from kin.” It's real heart-
breaking stuff.

But I think the real reason people ask for it, is because I scream at the start. Ha, ha…or should I say…sing
loudly?

MW: What three unsigned bands would you recommend to people that like your music?

Jody: I've gotta big up the BTR guys, Black Thunder Revue.

Mike: Goat Ropers.

Andy: James Edwyn & The Borrowed Band -- who we met last week down at the Americana Music Associa-
tion showcase in London. They're from Glasgow. Great songwriters. Really nicely put together and well-
played.

MW: How do you feel about taking your version of Americana to Americans? Does it worry you that it
might not be accepted?

Andy: Americans have been okay with British rock 'n' roll…The Beatles did fairly well.

Jody: The Beatles were quite Anglicized. The Stones were a bit more Americanized. It's not a thing that's not
been done before, but it does make me fairly nervous that I wouldn't be accepted singing the way I do. I've
been singing that way for over ten years, it's not disingenuous what I do.

Andy: Of all the American acts that we've played alongside, none of them have said, “Hmm, not sure.”
They've said things like, “You guys could be from East Tennessee.”

MW: A band that I noticed you all liked is Blackberry Smoke. I can hear quite an influence there.

Andy: They were a band that were arriving on these shores when we were starting to play together and
working out what sort of sound we wanted to make, and they had a couple of singles out at the time.

Jody: Along with a bunch of other stuff, they certainly influenced what we do.

Mike: Certainly, for me as a guitarist, they were a huge influence.

Jody: At the time, they had a live album and we watched the DVD and we were like, “Ooh, what are they
doing there. Hey, that sounds pretty good. Maybe we'll try something like that.”

MW: What have you got in store for 2018?

Jody: We're hoping to play a bunch of festivals with another big show at the end of the year.

MW: Are these local festivals or are you travelling? (continued)