Page 43 - IONIndieMagazine Vollume 41 Nov/Dec2017

AG: I’ve been to a lot of shows and I’ve seen a lot of amazing artists…many of whom are far better than I am.
But what I think makes us stand out is our authenticity — we all genuinely get along, so that translates into our
music and our shows. You’re not just buying tickets to see people sing some songs, you are buying a ticket to
hang out with people you can relax and enjoy the experience with. In recent years, there has been a resurgence
of soul music from the 60s, 70s…but the fact that some white dude from the South is the guy making it is a
novelty. Our band isn’t just hired guns, we are all involved on a friend and family level with the band. So we
offer an authentic musical experience.

KP: The title of your CD is “Lessons Learned.” When it comes to your music career, what wisdom would you
impart to independent artists starting out? What would you have done differently regarding career decisions
you’ve made if you had to do it over again?

AG: Starting out, I wanted to feel professional. No one wants to feel like an amateur. I feel like everyone is
amateur in some regard, but when I started playing, I didn’t want to be amateur — I wanted to make the leap
to professional. So I would pass opportunities I thought would be seen as taking a step back. I tried to effectively
be cooler than I was. As a result, I didn’t seize all the options that came my way. I didn’t feel it was a pride thing
at the time, but it was. I missed lots of opportunities. About a year ago I made the decision that if I’m really
going to do music, I need to give it my all, and give all the energy to this I can. I started taking any and every
opportunities…and one such opportunity was the American Financial Insurance commercial. I didn’t know at
the time what it was going to be, or with whom, or if it’d be worth my time, so I came close to not responding
to the Facebook ad. I would advise artists to take every opportunity possible because you never know which
one will be the one to potentially change your life.

KP: I’ve listened to your CD before this interview. Your
songs are very introspective and it’s apparent they are
very personal to you and tell a story. Can you select
one song from you album and tell me the “story behind
the song”?

AG: My least favorite song is actually the most personal
– “Woman Who’s Waiting.” I’ve been a hopeless
romantic since day 1 and I had just gotten out of a
relationship that really bummed me out. I thought
existentially, “Oh wow, I’m 20…I’m old…I’m not going to
meet anyone now…” The three friends I was living with
had all also gotten out of relationships, so we were
feeling pretty low together until I finally had this
moment when I realized I was fretting over nothing.
Either you will meet someone perfect, or you’re going
to meet nobody. And if you meet nobody, then you’ve
met nobody for the right reasons. So the song is really
me working through the possibility of not meeting someone, but the realization that if you do meet someone
after all of the crap you’ve gone through, it will be the person who has been waiting for you the entire time.

KP: Congratulations on your American Family Insurance commercial with the great Jennifer Hudson! How has
life changed for you since that commercial aired…or has it?

AG: Since the commercial has come out, I’ve seen just how much people — especially in today’s political and
social climate — are looking for something wholesome, something easy to gather around. I think the positive