May 11, 2020 • 26 mins
Kelly talks to Brandon Lancaster, the lead singer of LANCO about his take on coronavirus and how all the guys in the band are staying positive. He also talks about what he misses most about his music career and interacting with fans while they are isolating at home.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Kelly Henderson and you are listening to at
Home on the Velvet Edge podcast. This week, I'm talking
to my friend and client, Brandon Lancaster from LANCO. Honestly,
Brandon and I probably could have talked forever because we
are both so deprived of friend time during this isolation period.
I loved his insight on the coronavirus pandemic and just
how he and all the guys from LANCO are focusing
(00:21):
on the good. He also talked about the parts of
the creative process of being a musician that he misses
most and breaks down each different aspect of why that
creativity is so fulfilling. Here's our conversation. Okay, so I
just asked you how you were, and you paused for
a very long time. What's happening? It's not a very
(00:42):
long time pause long enough. You know, when people ask
me how I am, I did that question curiously, So
I like, I like, you know, if people are like
I am the person that a few like, how you doing,
and it's like, awful, it's just been a bad day.
But but if you asked me how I'm doing, I
(01:02):
have to think about it, and I am doing good
under the current circumstances. It's like I think everything is
up for examination. So it's like it's a beautiful day
out right now, and I'm healthy and safe and so
I am good. But I'd spend every uh I spent
(01:23):
like if I'm on my phone, I'm really spending time
like I do, read the news a lot and just whatever.
And so literally right before I picked up your phone call,
I was on like my seventeenth article about just life
right now. So that's why you ask how I am.
I'm like, well, I just read about like pandemics going
all the way back to like Europe and like just
(01:44):
a weird time. So I'm good. Yeah, I'm good. How
are you well? Thank you for asking. I think that
is it's a very hard question to answer right now because,
like you said, we have a lot sweet grateful for
us still and I think in some ways this pause
has made me kind of look at of that stuff
that I miss on a day to day but weird times, right, Yeah,
(02:06):
it's very weird. I mean, I mean I think that
you know, it's like, uh, there's definitely a chance right now,
you know, it's kind of the eye of the beholder.
It's like, uh, you know you definitely it's like this.
Every time I think about it, I just always go
back to, like I think in life, everyone we complain
about so much in our society, I'm too busy, I'm tired,
I'm there's all these pressures that that really we put
(02:28):
on ourselves and we don't realize how much we actually
thrive under those pressures. But really this is a moment
where all those things have been taken away. And then
you know, it's kind of this like reset button that
you've been given where uh it's like, okay, well now
like I'm definitely not on this daily grind. It was
wearing me down for this or that, you know, just
(02:50):
a little weird problems. Um, And so it definitely is
you know, you can take advantage of that. Okay, what
are things that like I actually am really thankful for
that I twice about before. And then also it's like
when this is going to be over, it's all craziness
and it's like what it is, what am I going
to be thankful for? And how am I going to
(03:11):
take a better advantage of of time? And blah blah blah.
And so it's a definitely a weird time, but there's
you know, I try to be positive about you know, everything,
but there's you know, it's there's no way that you
can not you know. I think there's just a lot
of questions. There's a lot of confusion. That's when you
ask how I'm doing, It's like, well, I'm I'm fine,
(03:33):
I'm healthy, I'm good. I have this reset button on
life and trying to take advante of that. But also
there's just a lot of questions and confusion. And I
think that's you know, that's okay, and everyone's going through
that right now and one day at a time. Yeah,
it's a lot to digest. So how has your your
day to day changed? I mean what what's what has
(03:54):
it changed for you guys in Lanko our day to day, Well,
we don't have a day to day right now. Uh,
there is I mean just the life that um, the
life that I've known, even longer than Landcos existed, is
just you know, everything has always circled around I gotta
(04:16):
go to this ride, I want to get in the studio,
I want to play this show. I'm gonna go to
this show. I'm gonna go hang out with this person. Um,
it all revolves around you know, being around people and
around you know, the social aspect of music, um and
so and just touring. I mean we have been a
big touring band from from day one. I mean we
(04:38):
were touring before we even have music out there because
we didn't have jobs. And we're like, well that's that's
our job. Now we're gonna make money that way. And
so our day to day it's you know, we've gone
two times and not touring. But when we're not touring,
we will take a few days. But really we're writing,
we're in the studio. Um, we're doing something. And that
really is I mean you really are like on employed.
(05:00):
Uh you like don't have a job. Yeah, and so
it's uh, you know we've I've been writing, I've done
a few like zoom rights, um. But you know it's interesting.
Uh And luckily, you know, as a creative, it's like
I you don't need you know, you can just be.
(05:21):
I mean, this whole thing starts whatever age you arc
you're creative, it started because at some point you were
bored at home and decided to give your creativity an outlet,
whether it be to a canvas or an instrument or whatever.
And so I definitely know, I've been just playing guitar
and writing and doing I know all the guys have
been doing that, and I've been doing that stuff, but
really the day to day is like just it's not
(05:44):
really there's not a lot of land code day to day.
There's like it's really it's funny. You you know, I've
been touring. We've been touring for years, and you're like,
I don't know about other touring musicians, but most people
I talk to you don't mow your own graphs. You
literally can't like you get time to do your lawn.
And now I'm like literally pulling out my lawnmower. I'm like, okay,
(06:05):
I'm gonna mow the grass and being like, oh my gosh,
I've am doing like I'm not good at this. It's
like crooking and look bad. And it's like other people
have been like mastering life skills that I have not
been paying attention to for like six years, and I'm
feeling ridiculous about it. But you know, there's what it is. Well,
so you're learning some life skills. That's a positive. Um
(06:30):
I did. I thought this was really interesting. You know,
I wanted to talk to a bunch of the younger artists,
because you mentioned that there's so much pushing, especially at
the beginning of any sort of music career, right like,
you're hustling, you're trying to get your name out there.
You really want to make a name for yourself, and
you also have to support your crew. So I wondered, like,
you know, maybe some of the more established artists might
(06:52):
not have this fear as much, but have you had
any fear come up of that break and connection or
how this is going to affect to you guys a
long term and like are you going to be able
to keep things alive? Yeah? That I mean, so we UM.
You know, we spent the first half of this year,
at the beginning of the winter months really out with
Miranda Lambert and UM and we were doing that and
(07:15):
then we were going back and forth. We also were
doing headlining dates. And literally the weekend that this all
everything started getting canceled and postponed was like, I mean,
we had a sold out weekend in Chicago and Minneapolis
and Green Bay, and we played a show in Green
Bay and I was in the bus and was in
my bunk and I woke up and could hear our
(07:37):
tour managers saying, you guys want to eleven o'clock or
the one o'clock fight. And I immediately knew what that meant.
I I got on my bunk and walked out. I
was like, we're going home, aren't we? And um, you
know we had and and I'm saying that to say.
I got on plane and the second I got in Nashville,
second I landed, I was on the phone with our
management and business management saying what does this means? Because
(08:01):
you do have a you have an operating budget. You know,
you pay, you pay for things, You pay for your lights,
you pay for your all your sound equipment, you pay
for your busses, you pay for all that stuff, and
you lease all that stuff. And when there's no income
coming in, what does that mean? We have money in
the bank, But how much do we have to be
(08:22):
paying all those leases and then also paying paying your salaries,
paying the people that work for you? Like how long
till that runs out? And I think that it is
across the board. Um, I think even bigger artists, instead
of one bus lease or two bus lease, you have
fifteen bus leases. You know there's still and it's like
(08:43):
how much money? How much can you operate before that
starts going away and you still are paying people and
so it but um, I think that one thing that
we're still at a level where we have enough people
that and we try to keep our costs that it
seemed like we would be able to maintain for a while. Um.
(09:06):
But that that to answer, that was my first Literally
the day that's all happened, I was saying, what's gonna
happen to the crew, what's gonna happen? You know we
have a sound guy, a white guy, a tour manager,
a mono engineer, media guy, you know, and so um,
that definitely, I mean that was immediately the fear because
it's like you especially the way it works too. I
(09:26):
don't know if people know this, but it's like for
us a lot man for like artists at our level,
we can go sellout venues and we open from Mariana Lambert,
but you make a lot of your money doing these
festivals and things that are coming up right now, and
when that's taken away from you, that's your that's definitely
your fears, like, Okay, we budgeted for this. Now if
(09:48):
that's gone, what does it mean? But you know it's
luckily there's been a lot of um really cool you know,
a t M Music Cares and the Recording Academy and
Awfrey Trust. There's been all these music working station that
have stepped in and help people like us, um providing
grants and providing those things, and so we've been trying
(10:08):
to take advantage of those. And but it definitely is
you know, you're running a small business and when your
income has taken away, it definitely you're just glad that
we have really good management and business banagement that has
made sure we haven't been spending all our money on
a well, right, because that is the other thing. Is
(10:29):
this all happened so quickly, and like you said, the
questions remain like when is touring going to go back
to normal? When is life going to go back to normal? Yeah? Yeah,
And and you know what's weird too as a musician
is just because restaurants start opening back up, or banks
(10:50):
or whatever, just because life starts turning around, doesn't necessarily
mean that they're going to be putting ten thousand people
in a room. That might you know, we we just
don't know, we have this thing could really start flattening
out and it could just start to um kind of
dizzle out until there is you know, a vaccine and
more testing provided and stuff like that. Um, but everything
(11:14):
is every time I talk to anyone on our team,
we just kind of talking circles because at the end
of the day, it's like, well question Mark Wills and
literally every day it's like new news. It's like this
is going well, this like there's actually this you know,
it's it's the craziest, craziest thing. I mean, it really
is a historic event that we're living through. And um,
(11:35):
there is an aspect where it's like, you know, no
matter what the path it takes, I do know that
a year from today this will be over, um, and
we have more resources and or more equipped than times
when this has happened before in human history. And even
then within a year it is you know, so you know, okay,
(11:56):
years from now, maybe six months from now, you know,
you know, there is gonna be another end of it.
And so in the meantime, it's just day by day. UM,
as a business owner trying to just maintained and and
she would happened. Yeah, Well, so you are a part
of a band, obviously, I know a lot of artists
(12:16):
have been doing you know, the Instagram lives and just performances.
Have you guys done anything. I mean, I'm assuming y'all
are isolating separately, right yeah? Yeah? We um, I mean yeah,
even from we've been you know, isolating from each other
because it's like we're all on the road and um,
some of the wives still have work because like like
(12:39):
trips wives in the medical field, right and and so there.
But it's still is like okay, if your wife is
going out or if even if it's Jiffy and I
go to the grocery store and then we come back
and then we hang out with everyone in the band
and all the wives and it's like, okay, you just
went from two people to tend people, you know, exposing that.
So yeah, we've been isolating from each other even and uh,
(13:00):
I've been doing you know, I've done some live stream
stuff to the Whiskey Jam thing, and we're gonna keep
trying to do that. But yeah, it's it's very It's
it's tough as a band because it's like, you know what,
getting all five of us to do something that that
sounds good musically is uh is is a task for sure?
(13:21):
Have you missed that connection with the fans? Every weekend. Yeah, definitely,
I mean that's you know, I think that's a that's
actually been something I've been talking with people on our
team about, even guys in the band. I think that's
one thing that that's hard is you know, and I
know that everyone has different personalities about it. There's no
(13:42):
right or wrong, but you know, a lot of what
we do, you do it. You do it because you
love it, and you're convicting about it, you're passionate about it.
But the end game is to go out there and
connect with the other people around what you've done. You know,
It's like it whether it's social media or songs you're
writing or anything you're doing, the point is so that
(14:04):
you're keeping that connection a wide so that you can
go out and do the connection in person. And and
that definitely, like I said, I mean, we've started as
like a live touring band, and so that's I mean,
that's been the biggest thing is is even you know,
I posted h I posted just a clip of all
of us in the band just saying what we were
up to. And I didn't like tell the guys what
(14:25):
to say. I was just like, hey, this is a
good little video shout out. You just say whatever you want,
what you're up to, what you're missing. Just it's just
you don't say anything. You could just be sitting there
on st You just send me some kind of video
so I can post them all on Instagram. And every
single guy, the main thing they said was we missed
playing shows. We missed um And I think it's you
can just see do all of our individual videos, all
(14:47):
of our individual headspace is, man, we want to get
back out and play shows. That's like all we've known.
And another gratitude. Think it's like, man, you it really is.
You're really fortunate that you have a job. It it's
only been you know, a couple of months or a
month and a half, and you are missing your job
that badly because it's more than the job. It's that connectivity. Absolutely.
(15:10):
But yeah, a lot of people don't have that luxury
and just missing you know, and this might be nice
for some people do not have to go to work.
So that's an amazing luxury. You mentioned isolating at home
with the wives. I think it's so fascinating. All of
you guys are married or I guess one is engaged.
Y'all are all very young. What is this is this
like some new wave of romance and country music. I don't,
(15:33):
I don't know. Um, I I don't know. Yeah we yeah,
four out of five married ones engaged, and I don't know.
I mean, I think everyone's story is different. You know.
It's like Trip and Alley, they were like high school
sweethearts and the Tiftany and I met in college. Um,
(15:53):
like my first year, like I was like nineteen, I think, um,
and then you know the other, but you know every one,
I don't, I don't know. I I it is a
thing where it's like you're just you know, you're in
a band and you tour the world. You can do
all these cool things, but you also are a person
aside from that you're being and it's you know, I
(16:16):
think that we're it's you know, we fall in love.
We want uh, you know, relationship. We and when I
think when you come off the road too, it's like
all you do is hang out with people and like
drinking with your buddies. When you come home, you want
that once again, connectivity, a different kind of connectivity. You
want that relationship. You want that, you want that the
(16:38):
craziness that is your touring life. You want kind of
that piece at home, and so it's not that it's
not to me. If people are like, you know, getting
married up and they're like young musicians, it makes sense
to you know, obviously I did it, but I understand
it because it's like, man, it's it's a crazy world
out there, and when you come home, you absolutely kind
of want this rock to be able to know that
(17:01):
your foundation is on and but uh, yeah I can.
It is funny. I we've talked about that. I'm like, man,
I feel like this generation of artists, um are all
and maybe it's just more exposed than we've seen before
because of social media. But I feel like a lot
of artists are definitely like that, getting married and and
(17:21):
and all this stuff that you know early in their
careers and at a young age. But um, I also think,
I honestly think technology helps with that. I think that
you know, if it's just twenty thirty years ago and
your tour and then you don't see somebody and you
have to get on a path on to talk to
him once a week, I think that's harder than you know.
I can FaceTime my wife whenever we chext, we talk,
(17:43):
we she can jump on a plane Southwest and fly
out through a date and jump on the bus for
three days. There's just a lot of ways to stay connected. Um.
So yeah, I don't know that makes sense. It's just interesting.
I've never I think this is a new wave and um,
it's it's happening all over the place. I thought it
was so fascinating. When I first met you guys that
(18:03):
all were all married, I was like, okay, okay, um okay,
So the new single is what I see. So we
just worked on the video, which I loved by the
way it just came out of you guys are looking
for something to watch during your quarantining. Um, you're super
involved in all the concepts of y'all's videos, So talk
me through, Like why is this visual storytelling piece so
(18:23):
important to you? Yeah, you know, I think probably because
I also and involved in writing all the songs. Um.
And like, you know, going back to what I was
saying earlier, like this, you know, everything that I do
(18:45):
is a create it's an outlet. It's a creative outlet.
It's not just something you're doing the past time. It's
not like, oh I gotta write a song because we
got a record. You like, I like it really is
like I really believe in what we do in the
songs that I'm writing, and I can be pretty picky
about even in a right like dude, that's a really
cool line, but I would just never say that or like, oh,
that's just not an idea that I want to convey
(19:05):
that way. And so when you're starting with a song
and a lyric that intensely about like how you're gonna
the lyric you're gonna put out there, and then you
go in the studio and the whole band we're all
like that. Musically, it's like, all right, I need to
have this kind of energy, it needs to feel this way,
it needs to take you on this journey musically. When
you do that in the studio, see of the songs,
(19:27):
the lyrics, the melody, now the production and the instruments,
it's a thing where Okay, we've told this story musically
and lyrically and through a melody in all these different ways.
Then if you're gonna put a visual representation, it's like, okay,
what is the visual to the what we've been working
so hard to convey through the song. And so that's
(19:47):
something that I definitely and I've always loved film and
I've loved visual storytelling. Um and so I just to me,
it's just a bonus of Okay, you write the song,
you record the song, you play the song. Now we
get to actually port of visual representation to what the
song is. And it's a lot of collaborations. To you,
I mean I talked to you know. The way it works.
We get the music videos, you get a bunch of
(20:08):
treatments from different directors, and um, for me, you know,
it's it's uh and they're usually all really good and
cool and there's a lot of great stuff in there.
But I'll you know, talk to a director and kind
of just see creatively if we want, if if we
both are wanting to portray it the same way, or
what ideas were open to and kind of just brainstorm it. Um.
(20:31):
And because I mean it's I don't know that's that
that part is fun for me, you know. I I've
talked to artists that don't like that part at all.
She's like, show up to the video, get out. Um.
But I got into this whole thing because I'm a
storyteller and I love telling stories. Do whatever means possible,
and so a music video is just another way to
tell that story that you started way before when you
(20:53):
were writing it. You mentioned that you do a lot
of the songwriting as well, and then you're also the
lead singer to say the out of the performance is
heavy on YouTube. Is there one part of the whole
process that's your favorite, Like, could you pick a favorite
part of this process? Mhm, A favorite part of the process,
(21:14):
Um Man, I don't. I don't know. I I have
no I don't know if I could, because I really
it's funny because every time that there is a process
that starts with literally an acousta guitar and a lyric
or an idea, And when you ship with an acousta
guitar or a piano or whatever it is, and you
(21:36):
just have an idea, you thought of something that day
or someone said something funny just now, um like, even
what I see. What I see came from literally us
being at this little dive mar and we were just
thinking it was awesome and we were on the road
and my brother literally goes like, we're just bragging on
how awesome this place was. Man, we could move here.
This is just like man, like, just get away from
it all, you know, And my brother goes, man, I
(21:58):
wish sometimes I could see what y'all see, because we
like make the best of wherever we're at, and so
you have you're like, man, that's kind of cool how
everyone sees things differently depending on your perspective or how
you grew up or whatever it is. That was just
an idea and to sit down with a crusy guitars
and turn that into an entire journey and song. At
the end of that, you're definitely going, Okay, this is
(22:20):
the best thing in the world, Like, this is so cool.
But but then when you get in the studio and
you hear go from a crusy guitars and just this
song to this whole production that just you know, just
gives you chill bumps, then it's like, Okay, this is unbeatable,
Like this is the coolest thing. And then when you
get to go on a stage and hear people sing
(22:42):
it back and be like this work, Like people believe
in this the same that we do. And there are
you know, because that you do wonder As an artist.
I think that there's different processes, but the touring part
is always that I don't want to say validation, but
it kind of is because it's just all this stuff
is in your head. It's just in your head, like
this is a good idea, it's just and then you
(23:04):
record it. But when you go out live and you
say you play a festival and there's fifteen thousand people
singing along and dancing and having fun, it does make
you realize that you're not alone in this world. But
the things that you're feeling are the things that you
went through. There are literally millions of people out there
that are like you and have gone through those things,
(23:26):
and you are giving them a voice to your songs.
And that is a feeling that it's like, it's just
it brings a lot of unity and it just that
is a feeling that has been the most surprising feeling
because you dream of that stuff when you're a kid
and when you're pursuing music, but when it actually happens
and you realize that it's not just about being on stage,
it's not just about being famous or this or that.
(23:48):
It's about these people believe in you and you believe
in them, and it's a really cool exchange. Has been
at least the most surprising part of this whole process.
It's that connectivity you mentioned earlier. Yeah, well, I know
that I'm looking forward to seeing you guys back on
the road. Have y' all talked at all about what
you know? Is there anything you could tell the fans
(24:10):
right now that they could look forward to once all
of this stuff has passed, our isolation is over. Yeah,
I mean, I just know. I I almost like protect
myself from thinking about it, because when this is over,
when we go back on the road, I mean we've
(24:31):
always been you know about like let's give everything we've
got out there, like matter how tired you are, whatever
it is, like, you know, this is this is the
show of a lifetime. This could be someone's first time
seeing you, see someone's last time seen you, you you know,
like given everything you got out there. But man, those uh,
I don't think those words you've ever been empty. But
if they ever mean more than they ever did, it's
gonna be when this is all over. And I think music,
(24:54):
at the end of the day, the most special thing
about music above other forms of entertainment is that music
really is an outlet and it goes back that connectivity.
And I think that we all need an outlet at
when this is all over, you know, And I think
then we we just can't wait to go out there
and beat that outlet for people because once again we're
(25:15):
all on the same page with this that connectivity. It's
like we are we need this as bad as you do.
And so when we get back on stage and start
playing shows, um, it's gonna be awesome. And in the
meantime also, I mean, we are working on new music
and so it's definitely there's gonna be new music being
released throughout the year, and so people while they're quarantine
can be looking for that and then listen to it,
(25:37):
get the lyrics down, and come out and sing it
with us. So and then what are you all social
media handles just that people can keep up with what
you guys are doing in isolation. Yeah, I think everything.
It's just Landco Music, it is. And then your website
Lanco music dot com yep, so you guys go check
out Lanko Music and you can also watch the new
(25:57):
video that we mentioned what I see. That was a
really fun one to work one. Um, Brandon, thank you
for being here, TI hi for me, all right, thank
you for thanks for having a good chat. All right,
thank you guys for listening. H
This is Kelly Henderson and you are listening to at
Home on the Velvet Edge podcast. This week, I'm talking
to my friend and client, Brandon Lancaster from LANCO. Honestly,
Brandon and I probably could have talked forever because we
are both so deprived of friend time during this isolation period.
I loved his insight on the coronavirus pandemic and just
how he and all the guys from LANCO are focusing
(00:21):
on the good. He also talked about the parts of
the creative process of being a musician that he misses
most and breaks down each different aspect of why that
creativity is so fulfilling. Here's our conversation. Okay, so I
just asked you how you were, and you paused for
a very long time. What's happening? It's not a very
(00:42):
long time pause long enough. You know, when people ask
me how I am, I did that question curiously, So
I like, I like, you know, if people are like
I am the person that a few like, how you doing,
and it's like, awful, it's just been a bad day.
But but if you asked me how I'm doing, I
(01:02):
have to think about it, and I am doing good
under the current circumstances. It's like I think everything is
up for examination. So it's like it's a beautiful day
out right now, and I'm healthy and safe and so
I am good. But I'd spend every uh I spent
(01:23):
like if I'm on my phone, I'm really spending time
like I do, read the news a lot and just whatever.
And so literally right before I picked up your phone call,
I was on like my seventeenth article about just life
right now. So that's why you ask how I am.
I'm like, well, I just read about like pandemics going
all the way back to like Europe and like just
(01:44):
a weird time. So I'm good. Yeah, I'm good. How
are you well? Thank you for asking. I think that
is it's a very hard question to answer right now because,
like you said, we have a lot sweet grateful for
us still and I think in some ways this pause
has made me kind of look at of that stuff
that I miss on a day to day but weird times, right, Yeah,
(02:06):
it's very weird. I mean, I mean I think that
you know, it's like, uh, there's definitely a chance right now,
you know, it's kind of the eye of the beholder.
It's like, uh, you know you definitely it's like this.
Every time I think about it, I just always go
back to, like I think in life, everyone we complain
about so much in our society, I'm too busy, I'm tired,
I'm there's all these pressures that that really we put
(02:28):
on ourselves and we don't realize how much we actually
thrive under those pressures. But really this is a moment
where all those things have been taken away. And then
you know, it's kind of this like reset button that
you've been given where uh it's like, okay, well now
like I'm definitely not on this daily grind. It was
wearing me down for this or that, you know, just
(02:50):
a little weird problems. Um, And so it definitely is
you know, you can take advantage of that. Okay, what
are things that like I actually am really thankful for
that I twice about before. And then also it's like
when this is going to be over, it's all craziness
and it's like what it is, what am I going
to be thankful for? And how am I going to
(03:11):
take a better advantage of of time? And blah blah blah.
And so it's a definitely a weird time, but there's
you know, I try to be positive about you know, everything,
but there's you know, it's there's no way that you
can not you know. I think there's just a lot
of questions. There's a lot of confusion. That's when you
ask how I'm doing, It's like, well, I'm I'm fine,
(03:33):
I'm healthy, I'm good. I have this reset button on
life and trying to take advante of that. But also
there's just a lot of questions and confusion. And I
think that's you know, that's okay, and everyone's going through
that right now and one day at a time. Yeah,
it's a lot to digest. So how has your your
day to day changed? I mean what what's what has
(03:54):
it changed for you guys in Lanko our day to day, Well,
we don't have a day to day right now. Uh,
there is I mean just the life that um, the
life that I've known, even longer than Landcos existed, is
just you know, everything has always circled around I gotta
(04:16):
go to this ride, I want to get in the studio,
I want to play this show. I'm gonna go to
this show. I'm gonna go hang out with this person. Um,
it all revolves around you know, being around people and
around you know, the social aspect of music, um and
so and just touring. I mean we have been a
big touring band from from day one. I mean we
(04:38):
were touring before we even have music out there because
we didn't have jobs. And we're like, well that's that's
our job. Now we're gonna make money that way. And
so our day to day it's you know, we've gone
two times and not touring. But when we're not touring,
we will take a few days. But really we're writing,
we're in the studio. Um, we're doing something. And that
really is I mean you really are like on employed.
(05:00):
Uh you like don't have a job. Yeah, and so
it's uh, you know we've I've been writing, I've done
a few like zoom rights, um. But you know it's interesting.
Uh And luckily, you know, as a creative, it's like
I you don't need you know, you can just be.
(05:21):
I mean, this whole thing starts whatever age you arc
you're creative, it started because at some point you were
bored at home and decided to give your creativity an outlet,
whether it be to a canvas or an instrument or whatever.
And so I definitely know, I've been just playing guitar
and writing and doing I know all the guys have
been doing that, and I've been doing that stuff, but
really the day to day is like just it's not
(05:44):
really there's not a lot of land code day to day.
There's like it's really it's funny. You you know, I've
been touring. We've been touring for years, and you're like,
I don't know about other touring musicians, but most people
I talk to you don't mow your own graphs. You
literally can't like you get time to do your lawn.
And now I'm like literally pulling out my lawnmower. I'm like, okay,
(06:05):
I'm gonna mow the grass and being like, oh my gosh,
I've am doing like I'm not good at this. It's
like crooking and look bad. And it's like other people
have been like mastering life skills that I have not
been paying attention to for like six years, and I'm
feeling ridiculous about it. But you know, there's what it is. Well,
so you're learning some life skills. That's a positive. Um
(06:30):
I did. I thought this was really interesting. You know,
I wanted to talk to a bunch of the younger artists,
because you mentioned that there's so much pushing, especially at
the beginning of any sort of music career, right like,
you're hustling, you're trying to get your name out there.
You really want to make a name for yourself, and
you also have to support your crew. So I wondered, like,
you know, maybe some of the more established artists might
(06:52):
not have this fear as much, but have you had
any fear come up of that break and connection or
how this is going to affect to you guys a
long term and like are you going to be able
to keep things alive? Yeah? That I mean, so we UM.
You know, we spent the first half of this year,
at the beginning of the winter months really out with
Miranda Lambert and UM and we were doing that and
(07:15):
then we were going back and forth. We also were
doing headlining dates. And literally the weekend that this all
everything started getting canceled and postponed was like, I mean,
we had a sold out weekend in Chicago and Minneapolis
and Green Bay, and we played a show in Green
Bay and I was in the bus and was in
my bunk and I woke up and could hear our
(07:37):
tour managers saying, you guys want to eleven o'clock or
the one o'clock fight. And I immediately knew what that meant.
I I got on my bunk and walked out. I
was like, we're going home, aren't we? And um, you
know we had and and I'm saying that to say.
I got on plane and the second I got in Nashville,
second I landed, I was on the phone with our
management and business management saying what does this means? Because
(08:01):
you do have a you have an operating budget. You know,
you pay, you pay for things, You pay for your lights,
you pay for your all your sound equipment, you pay
for your busses, you pay for all that stuff, and
you lease all that stuff. And when there's no income
coming in, what does that mean? We have money in
the bank, But how much do we have to be
(08:22):
paying all those leases and then also paying paying your salaries,
paying the people that work for you? Like how long
till that runs out? And I think that it is
across the board. Um, I think even bigger artists, instead
of one bus lease or two bus lease, you have
fifteen bus leases. You know there's still and it's like
(08:43):
how much money? How much can you operate before that
starts going away and you still are paying people and
so it but um, I think that one thing that
we're still at a level where we have enough people
that and we try to keep our costs that it
seemed like we would be able to maintain for a while. Um.
(09:06):
But that that to answer, that was my first Literally
the day that's all happened, I was saying, what's gonna
happen to the crew, what's gonna happen? You know we
have a sound guy, a white guy, a tour manager,
a mono engineer, media guy, you know, and so um,
that definitely, I mean that was immediately the fear because
it's like you especially the way it works too. I
(09:26):
don't know if people know this, but it's like for
us a lot man for like artists at our level,
we can go sellout venues and we open from Mariana Lambert,
but you make a lot of your money doing these
festivals and things that are coming up right now, and
when that's taken away from you, that's your that's definitely
your fears, like, Okay, we budgeted for this. Now if
(09:48):
that's gone, what does it mean? But you know it's
luckily there's been a lot of um really cool you know,
a t M Music Cares and the Recording Academy and
Awfrey Trust. There's been all these music working station that
have stepped in and help people like us, um providing
grants and providing those things, and so we've been trying
(10:08):
to take advantage of those. And but it definitely is
you know, you're running a small business and when your
income has taken away, it definitely you're just glad that
we have really good management and business banagement that has
made sure we haven't been spending all our money on
a well, right, because that is the other thing. Is
(10:29):
this all happened so quickly, and like you said, the
questions remain like when is touring going to go back
to normal? When is life going to go back to normal? Yeah? Yeah,
And and you know what's weird too as a musician
is just because restaurants start opening back up, or banks
(10:50):
or whatever, just because life starts turning around, doesn't necessarily
mean that they're going to be putting ten thousand people
in a room. That might you know, we we just
don't know, we have this thing could really start flattening
out and it could just start to um kind of
dizzle out until there is you know, a vaccine and
more testing provided and stuff like that. Um, but everything
(11:14):
is every time I talk to anyone on our team,
we just kind of talking circles because at the end
of the day, it's like, well question Mark Wills and
literally every day it's like new news. It's like this
is going well, this like there's actually this you know,
it's it's the craziest, craziest thing. I mean, it really
is a historic event that we're living through. And um,
(11:35):
there is an aspect where it's like, you know, no
matter what the path it takes, I do know that
a year from today this will be over, um, and
we have more resources and or more equipped than times
when this has happened before in human history. And even
then within a year it is you know, so you know, okay,
(11:56):
years from now, maybe six months from now, you know,
you know, there is gonna be another end of it.
And so in the meantime, it's just day by day. UM,
as a business owner trying to just maintained and and
she would happened. Yeah, Well, so you are a part
of a band, obviously, I know a lot of artists
(12:16):
have been doing you know, the Instagram lives and just performances.
Have you guys done anything. I mean, I'm assuming y'all
are isolating separately, right yeah? Yeah? We um, I mean yeah,
even from we've been you know, isolating from each other
because it's like we're all on the road and um,
some of the wives still have work because like like
(12:39):
trips wives in the medical field, right and and so there.
But it's still is like okay, if your wife is
going out or if even if it's Jiffy and I
go to the grocery store and then we come back
and then we hang out with everyone in the band
and all the wives and it's like, okay, you just
went from two people to tend people, you know, exposing that.
So yeah, we've been isolating from each other even and uh,
(13:00):
I've been doing you know, I've done some live stream
stuff to the Whiskey Jam thing, and we're gonna keep
trying to do that. But yeah, it's it's very It's
it's tough as a band because it's like, you know what,
getting all five of us to do something that that
sounds good musically is uh is is a task for sure?
(13:21):
Have you missed that connection with the fans? Every weekend. Yeah, definitely,
I mean that's you know, I think that's a that's
actually been something I've been talking with people on our
team about, even guys in the band. I think that's
one thing that that's hard is you know, and I
know that everyone has different personalities about it. There's no
(13:42):
right or wrong, but you know, a lot of what
we do, you do it. You do it because you
love it, and you're convicting about it, you're passionate about it.
But the end game is to go out there and
connect with the other people around what you've done. You know,
It's like it whether it's social media or songs you're
writing or anything you're doing, the point is so that
(14:04):
you're keeping that connection a wide so that you can
go out and do the connection in person. And and
that definitely, like I said, I mean, we've started as
like a live touring band, and so that's I mean,
that's been the biggest thing is is even you know,
I posted h I posted just a clip of all
of us in the band just saying what we were
up to. And I didn't like tell the guys what
(14:25):
to say. I was just like, hey, this is a
good little video shout out. You just say whatever you want,
what you're up to, what you're missing. Just it's just
you don't say anything. You could just be sitting there
on st You just send me some kind of video
so I can post them all on Instagram. And every
single guy, the main thing they said was we missed
playing shows. We missed um And I think it's you
can just see do all of our individual videos, all
(14:47):
of our individual headspace is, man, we want to get
back out and play shows. That's like all we've known.
And another gratitude. Think it's like, man, you it really is.
You're really fortunate that you have a job. It it's
only been you know, a couple of months or a
month and a half, and you are missing your job
that badly because it's more than the job. It's that connectivity. Absolutely.
(15:10):
But yeah, a lot of people don't have that luxury
and just missing you know, and this might be nice
for some people do not have to go to work.
So that's an amazing luxury. You mentioned isolating at home
with the wives. I think it's so fascinating. All of
you guys are married or I guess one is engaged.
Y'all are all very young. What is this is this
like some new wave of romance and country music. I don't,
(15:33):
I don't know. Um, I I don't know. Yeah we yeah,
four out of five married ones engaged, and I don't know.
I mean, I think everyone's story is different. You know.
It's like Trip and Alley, they were like high school
sweethearts and the Tiftany and I met in college. Um,
(15:53):
like my first year, like I was like nineteen, I think, um,
and then you know the other, but you know every one,
I don't, I don't know. I I it is a
thing where it's like you're just you know, you're in
a band and you tour the world. You can do
all these cool things, but you also are a person
aside from that you're being and it's you know, I
(16:16):
think that we're it's you know, we fall in love.
We want uh, you know, relationship. We and when I
think when you come off the road too, it's like
all you do is hang out with people and like
drinking with your buddies. When you come home, you want
that once again, connectivity, a different kind of connectivity. You
want that relationship. You want that, you want that the
(16:38):
craziness that is your touring life. You want kind of
that piece at home, and so it's not that it's
not to me. If people are like, you know, getting
married up and they're like young musicians, it makes sense
to you know, obviously I did it, but I understand
it because it's like, man, it's it's a crazy world
out there, and when you come home, you absolutely kind
of want this rock to be able to know that
(17:01):
your foundation is on and but uh, yeah I can.
It is funny. I we've talked about that. I'm like, man,
I feel like this generation of artists, um are all
and maybe it's just more exposed than we've seen before
because of social media. But I feel like a lot
of artists are definitely like that, getting married and and
(17:21):
and all this stuff that you know early in their
careers and at a young age. But um, I also think,
I honestly think technology helps with that. I think that
you know, if it's just twenty thirty years ago and
your tour and then you don't see somebody and you
have to get on a path on to talk to
him once a week, I think that's harder than you know.
I can FaceTime my wife whenever we chext, we talk,
(17:43):
we she can jump on a plane Southwest and fly
out through a date and jump on the bus for
three days. There's just a lot of ways to stay connected. Um.
So yeah, I don't know that makes sense. It's just interesting.
I've never I think this is a new wave and um,
it's it's happening all over the place. I thought it
was so fascinating. When I first met you guys that
(18:03):
all were all married, I was like, okay, okay, um okay,
So the new single is what I see. So we
just worked on the video, which I loved by the
way it just came out of you guys are looking
for something to watch during your quarantining. Um, you're super
involved in all the concepts of y'all's videos, So talk
me through, Like why is this visual storytelling piece so
(18:23):
important to you? Yeah, you know, I think probably because
I also and involved in writing all the songs. Um.
And like, you know, going back to what I was
saying earlier, like this, you know, everything that I do
(18:45):
is a create it's an outlet. It's a creative outlet.
It's not just something you're doing the past time. It's
not like, oh I gotta write a song because we
got a record. You like, I like it really is
like I really believe in what we do in the
songs that I'm writing, and I can be pretty picky
about even in a right like dude, that's a really
cool line, but I would just never say that or like, oh,
that's just not an idea that I want to convey
(19:05):
that way. And so when you're starting with a song
and a lyric that intensely about like how you're gonna
the lyric you're gonna put out there, and then you
go in the studio and the whole band we're all
like that. Musically, it's like, all right, I need to
have this kind of energy, it needs to feel this way,
it needs to take you on this journey musically. When
you do that in the studio, see of the songs,
(19:27):
the lyrics, the melody, now the production and the instruments,
it's a thing where Okay, we've told this story musically
and lyrically and through a melody in all these different ways.
Then if you're gonna put a visual representation, it's like, okay,
what is the visual to the what we've been working
so hard to convey through the song. And so that's
(19:47):
something that I definitely and I've always loved film and
I've loved visual storytelling. Um and so I just to me,
it's just a bonus of Okay, you write the song,
you record the song, you play the song. Now we
get to actually port of visual representation to what the
song is. And it's a lot of collaborations. To you,
I mean I talked to you know. The way it works.
We get the music videos, you get a bunch of
(20:08):
treatments from different directors, and um, for me, you know,
it's it's uh and they're usually all really good and
cool and there's a lot of great stuff in there.
But I'll you know, talk to a director and kind
of just see creatively if we want, if if we
both are wanting to portray it the same way, or
what ideas were open to and kind of just brainstorm it. Um.
(20:31):
And because I mean it's I don't know that's that
that part is fun for me, you know. I I've
talked to artists that don't like that part at all.
She's like, show up to the video, get out. Um.
But I got into this whole thing because I'm a
storyteller and I love telling stories. Do whatever means possible,
and so a music video is just another way to
tell that story that you started way before when you
(20:53):
were writing it. You mentioned that you do a lot
of the songwriting as well, and then you're also the
lead singer to say the out of the performance is
heavy on YouTube. Is there one part of the whole
process that's your favorite, Like, could you pick a favorite
part of this process? Mhm, A favorite part of the process,
(21:14):
Um Man, I don't. I don't know. I I have
no I don't know if I could, because I really
it's funny because every time that there is a process
that starts with literally an acousta guitar and a lyric
or an idea, And when you ship with an acousta
guitar or a piano or whatever it is, and you
(21:36):
just have an idea, you thought of something that day
or someone said something funny just now, um like, even
what I see. What I see came from literally us
being at this little dive mar and we were just
thinking it was awesome and we were on the road
and my brother literally goes like, we're just bragging on
how awesome this place was. Man, we could move here.
This is just like man, like, just get away from
it all, you know, And my brother goes, man, I
(21:58):
wish sometimes I could see what y'all see, because we
like make the best of wherever we're at, and so
you have you're like, man, that's kind of cool how
everyone sees things differently depending on your perspective or how
you grew up or whatever it is. That was just
an idea and to sit down with a crusy guitars
and turn that into an entire journey and song. At
the end of that, you're definitely going, Okay, this is
(22:20):
the best thing in the world, Like, this is so cool.
But but then when you get in the studio and
you hear go from a crusy guitars and just this
song to this whole production that just you know, just
gives you chill bumps, then it's like, Okay, this is unbeatable,
Like this is the coolest thing. And then when you
get to go on a stage and hear people sing
(22:42):
it back and be like this work, Like people believe
in this the same that we do. And there are
you know, because that you do wonder As an artist.
I think that there's different processes, but the touring part
is always that I don't want to say validation, but
it kind of is because it's just all this stuff
is in your head. It's just in your head, like
this is a good idea, it's just and then you
(23:04):
record it. But when you go out live and you
say you play a festival and there's fifteen thousand people
singing along and dancing and having fun, it does make
you realize that you're not alone in this world. But
the things that you're feeling are the things that you
went through. There are literally millions of people out there
that are like you and have gone through those things,
(23:26):
and you are giving them a voice to your songs.
And that is a feeling that it's like, it's just
it brings a lot of unity and it just that
is a feeling that has been the most surprising feeling
because you dream of that stuff when you're a kid
and when you're pursuing music, but when it actually happens
and you realize that it's not just about being on stage,
it's not just about being famous or this or that.
(23:48):
It's about these people believe in you and you believe
in them, and it's a really cool exchange. Has been
at least the most surprising part of this whole process.
It's that connectivity you mentioned earlier. Yeah, well, I know
that I'm looking forward to seeing you guys back on
the road. Have y' all talked at all about what
you know? Is there anything you could tell the fans
(24:10):
right now that they could look forward to once all
of this stuff has passed, our isolation is over. Yeah,
I mean, I just know. I I almost like protect
myself from thinking about it, because when this is over,
when we go back on the road, I mean we've
(24:31):
always been you know about like let's give everything we've
got out there, like matter how tired you are, whatever
it is, like, you know, this is this is the
show of a lifetime. This could be someone's first time
seeing you, see someone's last time seen you, you you know,
like given everything you got out there. But man, those uh,
I don't think those words you've ever been empty. But
if they ever mean more than they ever did, it's
gonna be when this is all over. And I think music,
(24:54):
at the end of the day, the most special thing
about music above other forms of entertainment is that music
really is an outlet and it goes back that connectivity.
And I think that we all need an outlet at
when this is all over, you know, And I think
then we we just can't wait to go out there
and beat that outlet for people because once again we're
(25:15):
all on the same page with this that connectivity. It's
like we are we need this as bad as you do.
And so when we get back on stage and start
playing shows, um, it's gonna be awesome. And in the
meantime also, I mean, we are working on new music
and so it's definitely there's gonna be new music being
released throughout the year, and so people while they're quarantine
can be looking for that and then listen to it,
(25:37):
get the lyrics down, and come out and sing it
with us. So and then what are you all social
media handles just that people can keep up with what
you guys are doing in isolation. Yeah, I think everything.
It's just Landco Music, it is. And then your website
Lanco music dot com yep, so you guys go check
out Lanko Music and you can also watch the new
(25:57):
video that we mentioned what I see. That was a
really fun one to work one. Um, Brandon, thank you
for being here, TI hi for me, all right, thank
you for thanks for having a good chat. All right,
thank you guys for listening. H
Host
Kelly Henderson
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