Interview: ZAC BROWN BAND (Part 2)

 

When you speak to a group as interesting as Zac Brown Band, there's bound to be plenty to say! Check out Part 1 of our interview here first, and read on to find out more about how the band has grown throughout the years, craziest souvenirs they've picked up along the way, and dream collaborations - enjoy!

Q: When you first came to the UK in 2011, there were six of you in the band, and it’s just kept growing. Now there are nine of you! What does the recent addition of newest member Caroline Jones bring to the band?

A: Caroline is a force of nature. We were friends with her before she joined the band, so we knew her dedication to her instruments and songs, but it was always inspiring to see that level of hustle from her. For The Comeback, I had more time to create because the pandemic, I had time at home to sit and write for guitar parts that all work together and I knew I needed another great acoustic player. Also, Clay sings all the really high harmonies for us but to keep him from blowing out his vocals singing higher than is comfortable for him, we found Caroline. She can hit those notes effortlessly. Caroline has octaves above any of us, so it made sense to have her join to serve the harmony in the band and also because of her being such a great innate instrumentalist.

When we create albums, we want to be able to recreate what we did on the album live, so that when you see these songs live, you're getting the same experience and it's not just some guy singing over the tracks playing behind him which is happening a lot these days. So we needed Caroline to pick up some of the other instruments so we could have everything you hear on the album. From a purist standpoint, for us to be able to pull off the music that we record, we need everyone in the band.

Caroline's family to us. She's the closest thing to a living Care Bear I've ever met. After she'd been, opening for us and hanging out with us, it was just natural to say ‘I think you should do this with us’. And we support her solo career as well so if there's a time when it makes more sense for her to not be with us and be doing her own thing, then we'll have to wish her well and support her in whatever she's doing.

Overall, for us, it's necessary to recreate what we're doing and just have good vibes as a band. I couldn't imagine being in a band where everyone hated each other. You watch documentaries about bands like The Eagles and think ‘how do they do that?’ I can't be around that. It has to be good vibes, everybody taking it seriously, everybody picking up each other’s slack. Sometimes it gets hard it something messes up or the song starts off a half step from where it’s supposed to be, but the band can adapt to that on the fly. They know what's off, they're going to adapt, and they'll play in a completely different form.

The secret to anything is that if you're gonna have a band or a business or anything, be the worst person in it. The reason that we're successful is because of the talent that’s surrounding me and that everyone lifts that up. It's not about ego, it's not about trying to do just what feels fun to you, it's about serving the songs and so everyone in the band gets that and does it.

Q: You’ve travelled all across the world and played at some of the most iconic venues so I'm sure you've picked up a lot of souvenirs along the way. What are some things you’ve picked up over the years that really hold a lot of meaning for you?

A: I know one is this mannequin hand that we have. Somebody stole it and I think I cut one of the fingers off of it. I remember specifically weird things like that! It's still on the bus right now actually. I used to take it and tuck it into my shirt, and so when we would go out, I’d just have this spare hand that I’d use to pull out my wallet and be sifting through it and stuff. Now it’s just become this joke that we’ll have forever where we carry this hand around with us.

Another one is one year, we all bought didgeridoos in Australia and it was such an ordeal to ship them back. We didn't get them for like a year or something like that.

Lots of little weird things that have popped up over the years. There’s also Dave Grohl’s glove from one of the award shows. He wears gloves when he plays drums, and afterwards we were walking out and he was just like ‘do you want this?’ So I wore Dave’s glove for the rest of the night like Michael Jackson.

Q: You've collaborated with some huge artists throughout the years - are there any artists that you’d still like to collaborate with?

A: My favourite female vocalist is Adele, so she would be a dream for me. I had the opportunity to meet her before her album 21 came out, and I didn't know about her then. We’d just played a song and she came up to us after and said ‘I really love your music.’ Then the year after, 21 came out and I was like ‘oh my god, I missed the chance to talk to her!’ It's a bucket list to do something with Adele. I don't know how I'm gonna pull that off but she’s definitely a top one for me.

We had a chance to play with Chris Cornell, which was just unbelievable, and Dave Grohl too. One band that kind of runs pretty steadily through everyone is Pearl Jam and we've never had a chance to play with those guys so I think at some point playing with any one of those guys would be really cool. 

A huge thank you to the members of ZBB for taking the time to chat with me! I have so much more C2C content still to come, so stay tuned on @CiarasCountry to be the first to know when that's posted. Thanks for reading! 

Interview: ZAC BROWN BAND (Part 1)

Six years on from our last interview (check that out here!), I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with C2C headliners Zac Brown Band. Read on to thoughts on raising the bar musically, performing with icons, and what they really value in the industry - enjoy! 

Q: You’ve had such a stellar career so far – what does success mean to you now, and what does it mean going forward into the next phase of your career?

A: I think every tour that we get to do is an opportunity to bring something new to the cities that we went to previously. It gives us a chance to really push the boundaries of what we can do and the kind of experience that you get - not just seeing a great performing band, but also the production behind it, so we're really excited to figure out what the next step there is and how to raise that level.

I remember going to my first Pink Floyd concert, and the way they would manipulate the sound and the lights and inflatables and put you in this new world of things. I think for us, success is being inspired, continually writing new music, and then figuring out how we want to present that live so that the next time we come, people are really excited to see what we're going to be doing next. Obviously we're going to play our songs and think about different ways to present our songs, but we also have to consider what covers we’re going to work up and how we’re going to try to make our own expression of what these other songs are.

Honestly, I think our band is a really hard one to understand until you see it live. Then when you see us once, twice, every time, it's the same quality, but it's presented in a completely different way. That's very important for us. Actually, we're working on kind of our masterpiece for 2024 - we've got a concept for an album and we’re bringing in art as well, we have an incredible artist that we've been working with to help us to pull this off, so that should be exciting.

I think you can always raise the bar on what you're doing if you're focused on and are dedicated to figuring that out. We make sure the nuts and bolts of the music are there when we make it, and then it's trying to exceed everyone's expectations when they see us live. That's our strength - if you just know our music from the recordings, that's the heart of a song, but we're entertainers and want to be able to present that in a way where people are just like, ‘that was the greatest thing that we've seen!’ That keeps us all hungry when thinking about how we’ll present it time and time again.

Q: I really liked your album The Comeback and in particular the collaboration with James Taylor, Love & Sunsets. How did that one come about?

A: James Taylor was my biggest influence really, and as a kid I remember picking up the tablature book that had note-for-note how he would play songs. I was in seventh grade and I had kids at school making fun of me saying I listen to rock and jazz music, but I was listening to James Taylor, Jim Croce, Dan Fogelberg, Gordon Lightfoot, The Eagles, America - there were so many things that I was influenced by. I had older siblings so I was listening to a lot of 70s music which I think was the greatest era of music. I was getting to discover those things and learn the way that artists like James Taylor approached playing the guitar. Then when it came time to craft my own songs, he was already like a superhero to me!

As we went on, we did a version of Colder Weather at one of the award shows with James Taylor, with a version of Sweet Baby James at the end of it. Without a doubt the greatest milestones for us are getting to rub elbows with our heroes and James is definitely one of those for us. We developed a relationship with him through that, and then when I was doing Love & Sunsets, it was very much that kind song that tipped its hat towards James Taylor. I thought ‘how cool would it be to have him on this track!’ Unfortunately, when he came into the studio, he wasn't happy with how his voice was - I wanted him to sing on it, but he was like ‘my voice isn’t really up to par.’ I didn't feel great about it, but he came up with a lot of really great guitar parts and had his son sing on it as well. I tell you, the James Taylor Greatest Hits album was like religion to me as a kid. I listened to it over and over and over again. Being able to be peers with our heroes now and asking them to do things with us like that is just incredible.

Another example is that we were Dolly Parton's band for her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Things like that mean so much to us, but I think award shows have gotten so political nowadays. If you're not one of the horses of the main corporations in Nashville, you're never going to win those, but they still want us to be there to play at the shows, which is expensive for us! I think we're outliers of that corporate world and we always have been. To go back to your earlier question on how we define our success, we're blessed to be able to sell a lot more tickets than the people receiving all the awards and things like that, but even if you're not one of the horses of the Nashville corporations, they still want you there, they want your viewership, they want the people to tune in and be part of it.

In contrast, when we get to work with our heroes, create the music we want to create, create a live show, we're not anybody's monkey. We’re able to be independent and our loyalty really, truly lies with the fans that come to the shows and see us play. That's the greatest thing. Then getting to call our friends and say, ‘hey, do you want to play on this song with us?’ It's been an amazing experience for us to be able to do that and that's something no one can ever take away from us. We don't owe any loyalty to some corporation who could take it from us.

It’s not about not being grateful for the opportunities and exposure that awards shows and things can give us, but it's also an opportunity cost, you know? Is it worth costing us a couple of hundred thousand dollars to go and play award shows and seeing everyone in the band feel disappointed or feel some sense of failure when we're not revered as part of this fraternity? In a way, it's kind of deflating. So it's like, do we want to continue to do these things, or do we do want? Do we want to go spend those three days we'd be there costing us a lot of money to do it, or do we want to go play three shows and move 30,000 people a night and make them remember that experience?

For us, we're always trying to balance the level that we're being political with the level of what really serves us and feeds us and gets us more fans. We spent the first part of our career trying to win people over, trying to show them what we are and what we do and our dedication. Nobody in our crew drinks or smokes or does anything like that before the show is finished. We take it very seriously - we take care of ourselves and each other so that we can perform at this high level and so we'll be able to do that for many, many years.

I personally feel better now than I did 10 years ago! My creativity, my headspace, my dedication, all of those things. Make no mistake, we're here to win over people here - we want to be here year after year, to keep coming back and proving that so we're selling out stadiums here the same way that we do in the States.

We had so much more to say! Keep your eyes peeled on @CiarasCountry for Part 2 of the interview, coming soon!

Concert Review: C2C COUNTRY 2 COUNTRY 2023 (Day 1 Headliners), The O2, London

 

Check out the first part of my Day 1 review here!

 

After a successful afternoon at the BBC Radio 2 stage, it was time to head into the Arena for the first Main Stage acts of the weekend. We got even more artists on Friday night than usual, with Breland kicking off the evening with a special opening set. He certainly seems to be a bit of an organiser favourite – from playing the smaller stages last year, in 2023 he’d bagged himself the opening Main Stage spot, an After Party, and a slot as co-host of the festival.

 

 

If I’m honest, his set was a mixed one for me, as I find his music as a whole too. I enjoyed songs like Beers On Me, For What It’s Worth and Cross Country, but am not a big fan of tracks like Throw It Back and Praise The Lord – lyrics like ‘Bubble-bubble, you been eating your McDoubles’, ‘If you sexy and you know it, make it clap’, and ‘He [as in Jesus] rockin’ with me, that’s for sure’ aren’t really the thought-provoking lyrics that made me get into country.

 

However, I will give it to Breland that he certainly has the charisma to be a star. His sets are some of the most energetic I’ve ever seen, and he’s funny too – he told us about being in a bar in Brisbane when a song of his came on the radio. He saw some girls singing along to it, and told them ‘This is my song!’, to which they replied ‘Me too!’ Not my favourite set but my mind about Breland did change after seeing his After Party – stay tuned to find out why…

 

A relatively new addition to C2C, next up was Introducing Nashville, a quasi-writers round where three artists are invited to share acoustic versions of their songs and the stories behind them. This year, we had Caylee Hammack, my interviewee Tyler Braden, and Alana Springsteen.

 

Each artist had time for three songs, so Caylee kicked us off with a song she was supposed to have played at C2C 2020 (before he was cancelled due to the pandemic) – Family Tree. Sounding like a young Dolly Parton, her next song was new track I Ain’t Coming Over, preceded by a warning ‘don’t date your co-writers’ (even if they do make for good songs). Her last pick was a sweet one – Only Good Things, about manifesting the best into your life.

 

Tyler was next, immediately getting the UK crowd to warm to him by announcing he likes Earl Grey tea, and then absolutely blowing us away with his powerful performance of Neon Grave. Fans of Chris Stapleton and Luke Combs, you need to add Tyler to your playlist. He opted for a new song next, the aptly titled Friends, about not being able to stay friends after a breakup and ended with the raw Try Losing One. If he’s not selling out arenas like this in the future, I’ll be extremely surprised. 

 

 

Alana also shared a new song with us first - shoulder to cry on, the clever lyrics of which I really loved: ‘This heart’s about to break right on the interstate, I ain’t gonna make it home so I’m pulling over ‘cause I need a shoulder to cry on’. Next was the title track of her upcoming album twenty something, and finally you don’t deserve a country song. Her songwriting really hits all of the right notes: ‘You don’t get to be the one they’ll think it’s about, you didn’t give me anything that’s worth writing down. You don’t get to tell your friends I can’t let you go, no, you don’t get to hear your name on the radio.’ Three very enjoyable acts who I only wish we’d heard more from throughout the weekend.

 

If Tyler Braden had set the bar when it comes to impressive vocals, up next on the Spotlight Stage was newcomer Corey Kent. He made the most of his short slot, showing off his vocals on Tumbleweed and Highways before ending with most well-known song Wild As Her. With a powerful, raspy voice, Corey commanded the Arena, and left me looking forward to hearing his full set on the BBC Radio 2 stage the next day.

 

The C2C headlining lineup was pretty lacking in female artists (do better, C2C), but one of the few who made the cut was Lainey Wilson, and she definitely made her mark throughout her set. There was definitely no chance of getting bored during Lainey’s show, as she danced her way around the stage, belting out with an incredibly distinctive and strong voice. The best bit – she really looked like she was enjoying it.

 

Lainey’s energy was contagious as she powered her way through songs like the uber-fun Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo, Smells Like Smoke and the rocky Hold My Halo. I loved how she introduced her band in rhyme throughout a cover of Jean Knight’s Mr. Big Stuff, and she truly shone on tracks like Watermelon Moonshine (which she performed on the TV series Yellowstone) and Heart Like A Truck. She gave us stamina, bell-bottom country (‘country with a flare’) and some heartbreaking lyrics – about leaving her childhood love to chase her dream, she sang: ‘You don’t give a rock to a rolling stone.’ I love a set that ends up being unexpectedly brilliant, and Lainey Wilson’s was just that.

 

MacKenzie Porter returned for another set, this time on the Spotlight Stage. With only three songs to choose, Spotlight artists have to pick well, and MacKenzie certainly did so. She started with a stripped-back version of These Days, followed by Pickup (which received a great response from the crowd), and ended with one she knew everyone would know – Thinking ‘Bout You. What’s more, she even teased about an upcoming track written by Lainey herself – keep your eyes peeled for Chasing Tornadoes, coming soon!

 

For myself and many fans, the C2C 2023 lineup had been a bit of a disappointment – mostly returning acts, we were seeing many of the same names we’d seen over the years. I particularly love seeing new acts, so thank god for Jordan Davis – Jordan didn’t waste time in playing his hit songs, kicking off his set with What My World Spins Around, Singles You Up and Damn Good Time. This is a man made for stadium tours, and his voice and energy were the perfect match for The O2 Arena.

 

After getting us in the groove, Jordan started telling us more about his songs, including how surprised he was that a song about Walmart became his biggest hit (Slow Dance In A Parking Lot), one he wrote about getting over a breakup (One Beer In Front Of The Other) and one inspired by watching his children grow up (Next Thing You Know). One thing I really appreciate about a lot of country artists is that they genuinely seem like they’re in it for the enjoyment rather than the money or the fame, and Jordan’s genuine surprise at seeing how well the crowd responded to his music really solidified this for me.

 

Watching his set made me realise just how many of Jordan’s songs are hugely popular – Almost Maybes, Money Isn’t Real, Need To Not and Take It From Me all being sung along to by everyone in the crowd. Of course, his set had to end with a song he told us he’d written about the three most important things to him: his faith in Jesus, his friends, and his family – Buy Dirt. Jordan sang ‘money can’t buy you happiness’ but hey, it can buy you tickets to see Jordan Davis, and I think they’re kind of the same thing.

 

Our last act on the Spotlight stage was Ashley Cooke, who endeared us all with the little UK flag she’d stuck onto the end of her guitar. Treating us to a ten minute journey of her biggest hits to date, she played getting into, it’s been a year, and Never Til Now. She told us 2022 had been one of the craziest years of her life yet, and with a voice like that, I have no doubt that 2023 is about to get even crazier.

 

Out of all three days of C2C 2023, I really think we lucked out with the Friday night lineup – Lainey Wilson and Jordan Davis are both stars in their own right, but if there was one artist I couldn’t wait to see on the Main Stage, it was Thomas Rhett. Dress in a Rolling Stones t-shirt, backwards baseball cap, and turquoise guitar in hand, he treated us to hit after hit from the moment he stepped on stage – Craving You, Look What God Gave Her, Half Of Me, Life Changes and Slow Down Summer. He took us on a trip back to ‘where it all began’ with a mashup of Get Me Some Of That, It Goes Like This and Vacation – if the crowd hadn’t already been dancing before, they certainly were then.

 

After performing one of my favourite T-Rhett songs, Paradise, he took a moment to tease the crowd about a special guest he wanted to bring on stage, someone who had played The O2 Arena something like 21 times… ladies and gentlemen, Niall Horan! The crowd went wild as the Irish singer stepped on stage in a Canadian tuxedo to join Thomas in a performance of his song Slow Hands. Luke Combs and Ed Sheeran last year, Niall this year – country music really knows how to pull ‘em.

 

It’s hard not to enjoy yourself when you’re watching a Thomas Rhett show, and it’s also hard not to feel the deep love he has for his wife Lauren, which was easily felt throughout many of the songs he played for us – Angels (Don’t Always Have Wings), Die A Happy Man (which got the biggest cheers of the evening), Feeling Country and Unforgettable. Find yourself a partner like Thomas Rhett, and I’d say you’re in for a good life. The night ended with three of his most recognisable songs (although aren’t they all?) – Crash And Burn, T-Shirt and What’s Your Country Song. I had a blast throughout Thomas’s set, but if I’m honest, most of the songs he played were old – don’t get me wrong, I love a good throwback, but I would have loved hearing more from Where We Started or Country Again (Side A) – if you want my advice, don’t miss out on songs like Bass Pro Hat and Ya Heard!

 

So there you have it, C2C Country 2 Country Day 1 - off to a good start! My top artists of the day: Drake Milligan, Tyler Braden, Lainey Wilson and Jordan Davis – who were your favourites?

 

Still two more days of C2C to come (and plenty of interviews too!) Be the first to know when they’re posted by dropping me a follow on Twitter @CiarasCountry – thanks for reading!  

Concert Review: C2C COUNTRY 2 COUNTRY 2023 (Day 1), The O2, London

2023 was a very special year for C2C Country 2 Country. Being the tenth anniversary (and my tenth time attending!), expectations were extremely high in terms of the quality of the acts, organisation, and scale of the festival. Were they met? Read on to find out!

 

My C2C started on Friday, in the BBC Radio 2 stage. The ‘second stage’ of the festival, this is where up-and-coming acts show off their skills, and has been the setting for me to discover some of my favourite country artists across the years, from Abby Anderson to Maren Morris and Avery Anna. I hoped this year’s lineup would impress too!

 

First up was Nate Smith, a name mentioned by many of my interviewees as one to watch. Apparently I wasn’t the only one looking forward to seeing Nate, as the Indigo2 was busier than I’d ever seen it for Day 1 of C2C in all my years attending. Nate made an understated entrance – dressed in all black, he greeted the crowd with a simple ‘What’s up?’ before launching straight into Sleeve, and that was enough to have me enthralled.

 

With stunning vocals, he sounded even better than on his records, and I found myself feeling sorry for anyone who would have to follow such an incredible vocalist! He continued with love song Under My Skin and Better Boy, before sharing a stripped-back version of I Don’t Wanna Go To Heaven. An emotional set, Nate ended by kicking it up a notch with the energetic Whiskey On You. What a way to start the weekend!

 

From emotional to fun, next was Ashley Cooke, who got us feeling good with songs like getting into, one about her self-proclaimed ‘poor taste in men’ called dirt on ‘em, and a song about that one person you always want to go back to – running back. She took a moment to thank the crowd for their respectfulness, appreciating that UK crowds actually listen to the music rather than talk over it.

 

Continuing with back in the saddle about entering the dating pool again, we then had an unreleased song called The State I’m In from her upcoming project. About chasing a dream, this was a beautiful song sung with crystal clear vocals, and the absolute highlight of Ashley’s set for me. We ended with two of her most successful songs – one she wrote as a kind of journal entry that ended up going viral – it’s been a year – and her popular track with Brett Young, Never Til Now.

 

One of my favourite things about festivals like C2C is discovering new artists, and Drake Milligan was a name I wasn’t too familiar with. With a more traditional sound, his style isn’t the type to usually end up on my playlists, but after seeing him perform live, it certainly will be. Unlike the first two acts, Drake was joined by a full band which definitely took his performance to the next level.

 

All of his songs were so much fun, from the cheeky Sounds Like Something I’d Do to drinking songs Tipping Point and Over Drinkin’ Under Thinkin’ and cutesy Hating Everything She Tries On. These were only made even more enjoyable by Drake’s energy. Moving around the stage like he owned it, Drake reminded me so much of Elvis – if he’d been chosen to play the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 flick, I have no doubt he would have taken home the Oscar. As if bringing my wish to life, the next song he played was Blue Suede Shoes, and it’s no exaggeration to say this is the moment I fell head-over-heels in love with Drake Milligan.

 

Drake ended with the honky-tonk style Goin’ Down Swingin’, Long Haul and Kiss Goodbye All Night. He had absolutely brought Nashville to us, and is an act I would 100% go see time and time again. If this man isn’t playing the C2C Main Stage in a year or two, I’ll be very much surprised.

 

We headed back into familiar territory with next act MacKenzie Porter, whose country-pop style is definitely up my street. Perched on a stool with just herself, a guitar, and guitarist to her left, MacKenzie shared her songs and the stories behind them. We started with These Days and a heartbreaking song about seeing your ex with somebody new, Seeing Other People as well as one from her upcoming record called Walk Away. She certainly required no help in keeping the audience’s attention, with spectacular vocals that filled the venue.

 

Her guitarist helped her out on a song she’d recorded with Dallas Smith called One Too before she played one the crowd had been clamouring for – Pickup, and upbeat track about wondering who your ex’s pickup truck is picking up now. I loved hearing the behind-the-scenes stories of these songs, including finding out that Pickup had originally been pitched to Carrie Underwood. We’re all pleased that it was MacKenzie who ended up recording it!

 

She treated us to a mash-up of the songs that made her – Deana Carter’s Strawberry Wine (keep your eyes peeled for this song – it made a number of appearances throughout the weekend!), a nod to her Canadian heritage with Avril Lavigne’s Complicated, TLC’s No Scrubs, and Sheryl Crow’s If It Makes You Happy. Of course, she couldn’t leave us without her most popular song – her duet with Dustin Lynch, Thinking ‘Bout You which was a real treat. This might be her most successful song to date, but I’m sure there’s plenty more where that came from.

 

That was it for our Friday mini-stage acts, but there was still plenty to come from the Main Stage later that evening – stay tuned to @CiarasCountry for more!