Interview: Eli Young Band Touring, New Music, Recent Success and More, Headed for A Big 2013!
Hailing from North Texas, Eli Young Band has been hard at work for over a decade, and they are nowhere near the finish line. Many of us have had EYB on our radar for some time, but in the last year or so it seems this foursome has really started to hit their stride. Mid-success, and on the verge of an arena tour with Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes Nation, drummer Chris Thompson took a few minutes to chat with me about all things EYB!
The CMNB team will be catching the talented group when they head to Fayetteville, AR (fun fact: one of EYB’s favorite towns to play!) on Thursday, February 7th, and this date along with a few other mark their return to the road after almost two months off. They weren’t sitting idly, though. These boys were hard at work in the studio working on a new album we can expect later on this year, probably around early summer. So far, they have eight tracks complete, and this album is the first time the band members have taken on the role of co-producing. EYB consistently releases quality music, and it’s exciting to hear that they’re taking an even larger role in the recording process.
It’s pretty remarkable that this group has been together for as long as they have…no easy feat. They started “jamming” together when that met at the University of North Texas in Dallas. From playing local nights at a bar in Denton, their friendships and love of music grew into a partnership that has served them well. You still have to wonder…what’s their secret to sticking together and making things happen?
“I think some of the magic for us was we got a lot of the stupid fights out of the way before the success and the pressure came and realized that we needed to focus on the friendships and I think a lot of just really like bands. In a lot of ways, even though we’ve been a band for awhile it feels like we’re just arriving. Doors are starting to open, and we’re learning that when opportunities arrive, you take them.” -Chris Thompson
Having recently played live at the 2012 CMA Awards, experiencing a great reception of singles from their current album, Life At Best, and other milestones, Eli Young Band seems to be hitting all the right notes lately and having their hard work of the past few years pay off. Speaking to this, Thompson had a few words of advice for aspiring artists,
“I would say we just took every opportunity that we had…didn’t say no to a lot. Had a lot of perseverance and making a point of being around people that are driven is key. The four of us have always been really driven and we drive each other. We always think there’s something better around the corner. You know, great things happen that keeps us going.” -Chris Thompson
Their current single, “Say Goodnight,” is one of my favorite songs on Life At Best, and their recently released music video is pretty telling of the creativity that sets EYB apart from the crowd. The story depicted in the video is definitely left of field from the typical country video, and this just goes to show that these guys are willing to do things a little differently and keep it interesting.
“The idea came from the director, Brian Lazzarro. He’s kind of become our director. We tarted getting all these ideas from people Then Brian sent us this treatment and said how about we do a robot. We’re all SciFi fans, and our idea was just to do something that was different. There were so many generic ways we could have taken it. We were really passionate about doing something different.” -Chris Thompson
And different it is! As EYB gets more and more coverage, and they will, I look forward to seeing their uniqueness come through even more and continue to set them apart! Be sure to follow Eli Young Band on Twitter: @EliYoungBand, to keep up with all their latest developments. And don’t forget to check back in with us!
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