Page 48 - ION Indie Magazine MarchApril 2023

TB: Have you been able to pick Rick’s brain for advice or tips about touring and being a musician, and

if so, what knowledge has he imparted on you?

Mat: There are always great nuggets of wisdom passed down during our hangs with Rick, but I would say that
the best working knowledge he has gifted us was gained merely via jet-setting all over the U.S. with him
opening his shows. That real world experience and his continued support has been truly priceless.

TB: In 2020, right before Covid shut everything down, you did a show at Dodger Stadium for the Susan
G. Komen MORE THAN PINK Walk. What was it like playing at such an iconic venue?

Heather: It was surreal on many levels. Just to be there -- hearing our voices and music filling that area was
magical! But also, to be performing for breast cancer survivors and fighters was an honor like nothing else.
Being a survivor myself, it was a very emotional day!

TB: In 2014 you released the EP ‘Falling Again.’ Talk about releasing that first EP.

Mat: Heather and I had the songs for the EP written for a little while before but had no plans for the release. I
was producing a record for another artist in 2014, and she invited Heather and I to open her big record release
show at the prestigious Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. I said ‘yes’ before I really thought it through, and later was
like, ‘Oh, crap! Now we have to actually put a show together!’ Then we thought, ‘If we have to go through all
the work to put a show together, why not line up a full tour instead?’ Then we thought, ‘If we're going to do a
tour, why not make it a record release tour?’ So, we jumped in the studio to record ‘Falling Again’ and made
the Hotel Cafe show night one of a three-week tour. That's kinda how we roll...in for a penny, in for a pound!

TB: Since then, you have released 9 singles. Was that a decision to just concentrate on singles instead
of albums and EPs?

Mat: The beast that is the streaming industry is one that craves constant content, so we have been doing our
best to feed that algorithm. But we'll let you in on a little secret -- these singles are a slow drip leading up to a
full album release to be announced soon.

TB: What is your writing process?

Heather: Typically, we start with a musical part Mat has written and arrive at a
vocal melody and then lyrics come later. Sometimes, I have a vocal melody or
snippets of lyrics, and Mat tailors the music around it, but that's pretty rare.
Sometimes (even more rare) it all comes together at the same time. Those songs
are just absolute gifts!

TB: You were invited to record in collaboration with
Zak Brown, Jason Mark, KT Tunstall, and others for
the song ‘I Know What Love Is’ to raise funds for
MusicCares. Were you actually in the studio with the
other artists, or were everyone’s parts recorded
separately?

Mat: Since the collaboration occurred in the throes of the
pandemic lockdown, all parties recorded their parts
independently.

Photo credit: Andrew Bailey