Interview: AMERICAN YOUNG, Nashville Meets London

I met up with Nashville based duo American Young to talk London and Nashville as sister cities, motorcycle crashes, and living with Eric Church and Chris Stapleton. Read on to find out more!

Ciara’s Country (CC): I’m here with Kristy and Jon from American Young after their set at the Nashville Meets London festival in Canary Wharf. First of all, thank you so much for joining me tonight!

Jon Stone (JS): Thank you for having us!

CC: How are things going for the two of you this year?

Kristy Osmunson (KO): Well this is definitely one of my favourite shows that I’ve ever played. Jon, can I speak for you on that too?

JS: Yeah, it’s been really great. You know, over here there’s a lot of great listeners and people like great songs so it’s great to be a part of it.

CC: So the name American Young – how did that come about?

KO: I’d written a song called Young in America and we were listening to it and Jon turned it off and said ‘man, American Young, that would be a great name for a band’, and it was this crazy moment because I was like ‘well there’s no way we could get that name’, and I googled the dot com and it was available. I was like ‘this might be divine intervention – we’ve got to take it, that’s a great name for a band!’ and I feel like it’s so representative of where country music is going, so we’re very lucky to be a part of this whole industry, it’s very humbling.

CC: Especially, having a name like that that’s so easy to remember I reckon people tonight are bound to go away and Google you now!

KO: I hope people buy at least five or six records!

CC: I’m sure they will! So this is the Nashville Meets London festival and you guys are based in Nashville - how do you think playing in London compared to playing over there?

KO: Well they drink just as much over here!

JS: We don’t really play all that much in Nashville, Nashville’s sort of an outsourcing town, that’s where the business of country really lives. We’re actually from the North West – she’s from Idaho and I’m from Oregon, but if you want to be in country music you’ve got to move to Nashville.

CC: And what do you think of London?

JS: London’s wonderful!

KO: I feel like London and Nashville are sister cities. I really feel like there’s so much similarity between the heritage music – like when we were at C2C and at this festival, there are all these UK bands that are absolutely as country that you could possibly get, and they’re telling the stories that are true to the people – they’re representing the plight of the working man, they’re telling stories of love and loss and all the greatness that makes up what we consider the heritage of country music. I really think that there’s an amazing combination and culmination of what is about to happen with the UK country music scene. I think it’s about to go global.

CC: In terms of your storytelling aspects of songs, how have you drawn on your background to help you with that?

KO: So the first gig that we ever played as the two of us was at The Bluebird Café, and Jon had just fallen off his motorcycle and so he was covered in bandages, and we walked in the room and we told that story, and we started telling stories of the songs that we’d written and it just became like a natural dialogue – it’s kind of what we do, you know? We just write true to life experiences, and try to capture them in three minutes on tape.

CC: As well as being songwriters, you’re also very accomplished musicians – we saw you playing the guitar and fiddle on stage for example. Which came first for you, the singing or the instruments?

KO: For me it was singing when I was little, but I started playing when I was about four.

JS: I was a guitar player first for years and years. Singing became a part of my writing because I needed somebody to sing my words.

CC: And you’ve written a lot for other artists too – how does that compare from writing for yourselves?

JS: There’s no difference at all. Great songs are great songs, no matter where they come from.

CC: So in terms of the country music genre as a whole, is there one artist out there who you think is really underrepresented and deserves more recognition?

KO: Yola Carter, I think she’s great.

JS: There’s a lot of great artists out there, and it’s just a matter of staying true to who you are as an artist and then your day will come. We’ve seen that with Maren Morris, and Kelsea Ballerini, and Cam and Chris Stapleton and artists like that.

KO: Jon and Chris were roommates for four years.

CC: Really?

KO: Yeah, and also Eric Church. Jon gave Eric Church his first job in Nashville, so they’ve been friends for a long time and they’re so supportive. We have a really incredible community of family, musicians and writers.

CC: I’ll bet there’s some amazing stories to tell there!

KO: When we were at C2C we went backstage and met Chris Stapleton, and he was like ‘yeah, when I met Jon Stone, he used to keep alligator in the freezer.’ (laughs)

CC: Wow, that’s certainly something different! And my final question for you tonight is what’s one question you wish you were asked in interviews but never are?

KO: Now that is a great question, and that I’ve never been asked! Wow, that’s going to make me think here for a second.

JS: How about ‘what can I buy you for dinner?’ ‘What do you drink?’

KO: You know, wow, that’s a really good question. I would say what is our purpose as a songwriter, and I’d say when you know the purpose of why an artist is doing what they’re doing, it’s really enlightening and it’s very important.

CC: And what’s that purpose for American Young?

KO: You know, I think it’s just to spread a little love and intellect. There’s lots of ways to look at things, there’s lots of ways to approach and interpret things.

JS: I’d say to be on the evolving side of evolution (laughs)

KO: There you go!

CC: Well thank you for taking the time to chat with me tonight, and thank you for a great show!

KO & JS: Thank you!   

Thanks to Kristy and Jon for your time – if you’d like to keep up with more things Ciara’s Country and American Young, check us out on Twitter at @CiarasCountry and @American_Young

Interview: LOGAN BRILL, Nashville Meets London

Before taking to the stage to perform a fantastic set filled with original songs and covers ranging from Dolly to Tom Petty and Oasis, Logan Brill took some time to chat with me. Keep reading to find out her thoughts on being a tourist in London, playing with Merle Haggard and more!

Ciara’s Country (CC): I’m here with Logan Brill ahead of her set at the Nashville Meets London festival in Canary Wharf. So to start off Logan, thank you so much for joining me here tonight!

Logan Brill (LB): Yeah, thank you for having me!

CC: So how are things going for you at the moment?

LB: So well! I’m loving London – it’s been a really fun experience. This is my very first time touring over here, so I’m really excited to play tonight.

CC: Have you had a chance to have a look around the city yet?

LB: I have a bit – we’ve only been here for three days so it’s been very short and I fly home tomorrow morning. But this is my third time visiting London so I’ve been able to do the touristy thing the past two times I’ve been.

CC: And how do you think playing here will compare to touring back home?

LB: It’s different for sure. It’s exciting being on tour, being able to see all sorts of different places – these past couple of months I’ve been on the road touring the States and seen a lot of the country in the US that I haven’t seen before. But the crowd here is definitely going to be fantastic – there’s a great mix between a listening crowd and a crowd that’s having a good time, so yeah, I’m excited about it!

CC: And it seems like you’ve had a couple of pretty good years recently with a few critically acclaimed albums – do you have a highlight?

LB: Oh man, there are so many highlights! I feel like there have been a lot of moments in the past couple of years where I’ve had to pinch myself – playing the Grand Ole Opry was a huge one, I got to do my Opry debut in Nashville this past year which was a big thing for me. Getting to play with Merle Haggard before he passed away was really exciting – that was an honour and I felt really lucky that I was able to play with him in his final years, so that was a huge one. And then honestly, just being able to be on tour as much as I am and being able to release records is what I’ve always wanted to do so being able to do it full time and being able to travel has been really exciting.

CC: What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t a musician?

LB: Oh gosh, I don’t even know, honestly I don’t know what I’d do! I’ve always wanted to do this. I got my degree in French so maybe I’d do something with that – teach or something, who knows? But like I said, I can’t imagine doing anything else.

CC: I think we’re all very glad that this is the path you chose anyway!

LB: Me too!

CC: In terms of your musical style, it’s quite unique in that you draw on different elements from a variety of musical styles and not just country – what are some of the biggest musical influences for you?

LB: You know, growing up I listened to my parents generation of music – I loved listening to Dolly Parton, and even The Rolling Stones, kind of a wide range of musical styles, but growing up in East Tennessee, country music is such a big part of the heritage there that that was always the direction that I wanted to go in. I started out singing blues when I was a kid – I was like eleven years old, singing in bars in Knoxville and I started out with the blues, so I think I had a dose of like the country blues, and then moved to Nashville and got an extra dose from being there.

CC: So your background has clearly influenced the style of music that you play – has it also influenced the content of your songs?

LB: It has, for sure. The content of my songs is also so much about the story of the journey that I’m on as an artist in my twenties, you know, it’s an interesting time to be trying to do this and going through different relationships, and the challenges of being on the road and the excitement of being on the road. Especially on this last record, the content of my songs is so much about the story that I want to tell about my life which is why it’s close to my heart.

CC: I suppose sharing so much of your life must be quite a nerve-wracking experience.

LB: You know, it can be at times for sure, but it’s also really gratifying to be able to put out music that is close to my heart and might be intimate, but that people can connect with, and there’s nothing more rewarding than hearing a fan say ‘that song of yours really helped me through something really difficult’ or ‘oh my gosh, I totally connect to this song, I’ve been through the same thing’ I think people totally connect with vulnerability very well, and I find the relationships that I can make with my fans are even more rewarding because of that.

CC: And when you play your songs live, do you have a favourite that you like to play?

LB: You know, I love all of them, but I’d say especially on this last record, the first song and the last song on this record being so vastly different – Shuteye is really loud, with electric guitars with a lot of distortion, and the last song is I Wish You Loved Me which is really stripped down and simple. Both of them are my two favourite ones even though they’re so vastly different. So those are probably my favourite ones but I also love to do random covers of other songs we like kind of on a whim – we’ll pick them on the day of and decide what we want to do. I have a lot of favourites!

CC: In terms of the music you like to listen to, are there any underrepresented artists that you think should be more widely recognised?

LB: I will say Yola Carter who I saw play recently was absolutely amazing – her voice blew me away and she was so inspiring so I’ll definitely go back and start listening to her for sure. There are a lot of American bands that I’ve been really into for quite a while – there’s a band called Dawes, I don’t know if they’ve ever toured over here – I’m a huge fan of theirs. They’re not even really country, they’re more in the kind of rock/Americana scene, but yeah, there are loads of unrecognised artists out there. But Yola Carter is definitely my new favourite, I absolutely loved her set. I watched like totally awestruck and went up afterwards and had to fangirl and talk to her after the show. She should come to the States and tour, for sure.

CC: I agree, Yola is absolutely a new favourite for me too. Likewise, you should definitely come and tour in the UK more often too! That’s the kind of thing we’re hoping to get out of events like today, and get more artists touring over here too.

LB: Yeah, it’s really cool to see a mesh of a lot of UK bands and also the Nashville crew here at Nashville Meets London. Back to back it’s been really interesting to see the interaction between the two and see a lot of UK bands that I hadn’t seen before.

CC: I’d say everyone’s very excited to see your set tonight.

LB: I’m very excited to play!

CC: My final question for this interview is what’s one question you wish you were asked in interviews but never are?

LB: Oh my gosh, I really don’t know! That’s a really great question! I guess maybe about goals in my future?

CC: And how would you answer that?

LB: I’d want to just reiterate that this is really what I want to do – I want to be like Merle Haggard still playing a like 82 – maybe needing help while walking out on the stage but still doing what I’m doing today, and hoping that all my fans know how much I love to do this as well.

CC: Great! We look forward to seeing you still touring when you’re 82!

LB: Yeah, come see me again when I’m 82!

CC: Thank you so much for your time and good luck for the show tonight.

LB: Appreciate it, thanks for talking to me! 

Thanks very much to Logan for taking the time to speak with me! You can keep up to date with any future interviews at @CiarasCountry, and check out what Logan’s up to @LoganBrillMusic