Bertrand Guez photography

Photo & Video Reporter

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Easton Corbin: an honor and a tradition to play the Opry

With his laid-back attitude and bright smile, Easton Corbin is a mix of boy-next-door and and an unapologetic tip of the hat to rural roots. You hear him all over the country on any one of the 200 country music stations across the U.S. Part of the next generation of country artists who are redefining the genre, he’s one of the stand-outs who doesn’t mind throwing in a little honky tonk with the newer elements of his peers, who’ve brought in some rock, pop and even hip hop (if you need a list of names, google Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood and… of course, Taylor Swift.) Corbin hit the country music scene with a bang in 2010 when he signed his first deal with Mercury Music. No surprise that his debut single, which jumped to number one on the country charts, is a nod to his rural roots and is entitled: “A Little More Country Than That.”  Another Corbin single from that first record, “Roll With It,” also made it to the top of the country chart. The singles and albums he’s released since then have received all kinds of critical acclaim – including his latest single, (December 2014) “Baby Be My Love Song,” which peaked at 53 on the US Billboard Country Airplay chart, becoming his highest debut to date. However you label Corbin, traditionalist, neo-traditionalist, or simply country, one thing is clear, he remains true to the music he grew up on: 

“The music does change overtime, but, you know, I think we still have the traditional roots out there, and that’s what I love about country music.”

Corbin’s deep love for country music comes straight from his childhood, when he lived on his grandparents’ farm and got familiar with the genre, watching country music radio and television programs like Hee Haw and the Grand Ole Opry. He quickly picked up a guitar, took some lessons and joined a band. With a legacy of iconic musicians like Johnny Cash, George Strait or Hank Williams, anyone can imagine the burden it might be for the next generation, trying to carry the torch…. When asked about his perception of today’s country music, Easton Corbin’s optimistic: 

“The country music genre right now is as big as it’s ever been so there are a lot of different types of country music, so that brings a lot of folks into the genre who may not ordinarily be introduced to the genre. Country music is a part of the roots of America and where we come from, and I think it does give a good platform to introduce people to that and what we are about.”

It’s natural that Corbin has an undeniable affection for the tradition of playing the Grand Ole Opry. In our interview, filmed in March 2015 in Nashville, the capital of country music, he tells us there’s nothing quite like playing at the Opry – whose halls and green-rooms have played host to all his country heroes. It’s a special vibe every time, he says, both on-stage and backstage.

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Backstage video and interview with American country music singer-songwriter Easton Corbin at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN - March 2015. Filmed & edited by Bertrand Guez Interview conducted by Julie Asher & Bertrand Guez

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Tracing the arc of U.S. Royalty's music

This past January, Washington DC-based indie rock band U.S. Royalty performed a live acoustic set at Georgetown’s Hill & Dale record store to celebrate the reissue on vinyl of their 2011 debut album, “Mirrors,” which was only distributed, so far, digitally and on CD. This event was the perfect occasion to meet up with the band and its stylish and strong-minded frontman, John Thornley, to assess their career, the experiences gathered throughout their six years of existence and to talk more about their two self-produced albums as well as what awaits in the horizon. Check out the full story, the series of 35mm pictures covering the concert, and the audio from the interview of drummer Luke Adams.

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For about a decade, indie rock music has often been associated with the New York scene, more specifically Brooklyn, which counts numerous bands that made it out there. Think TV on the Radio, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or MGMT. New York is one of the biggest hubs, a constant flux where new artists of all genres pop up every year and succeed in the music industry. Yet, most people do not realize Washington DC’s unique place in the US history of music. For instance, prominent jazz musician Duke Ellington and soul singer Marvin Gaye are from the area, the first one grew up in the West End neighborhood, and the second in the northeastern section of DC, both started their musical career downtown.

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Once the center of go-go and hardcore punk music in the 80s, with emblematic bands such as Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers, Minor Threat and Fugazi, the nation’s capital progressively lost its aura in the 90s, predominantly due to its very work-oriented and bureaucratic mindset which never helped the creative and artistic scene to fully take off. Though, in this complicated atmosphere, several local bands still managed to produce and compose some quality music. For instance, take DC moguls, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, today mostly known as entrepreneurs and restaurateurs, they were once recognized and celebrated as innovative artists and musicians. They had formed the band Thievery Corporation stem from their dissatisfaction of not being able to find the sound they liked in the city, a subtle lounge music mixing elements of dub, bossa and acid jazz. They created their own record label, Eighteen Street Lounge Music, and released their first record in 1997, laying the path for others.

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The story of U.S. Royalty is ruled by the same passion for music and their need to compose and express themselves in a context where House music is booming and local DJs are taking over the music scene. Born in DC, singer John Thornley and brother-bandmate Paul on guitar, with the help of Jacob Michael and Luke Adams, respectively on bass and drums, started the band to play the music they enjoy. A soul-infused indie rock and folk influenced by the ‘70s West Coast sound of bands like Fleetwood Mac, particularly Stevie Nicks.

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In 2011, the homegrown four-piece released “Mirrors,” a raw and inspired American rock album fueled by Spaghetti Westerns and other classic film influences. This was followed by an extensive tour all around the country where they also performed at several significant music festivals like SXSW and the Sweetlife Festival. “Blue Sunshine,” their sophomore album of 2014 explored some new grounds, with a more polished sound and a surprisingly introspective sensitivity, triggered by the unexpected passing of John and Paul’s father.

“Between the two records, we wanted to make something that was, maybe not as raw, because we felt very raw. Our Dad had just passed away so we wanted to make something more polished, smooth, because this was what we were looking for at the time. There was no meaning on about how we put this together. It just kinda came together over a longer time that I would have liked. Honestly, I hoped it would come out a little sooner, but you know, we just want to write songs that speak to us and our friends."

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Visit Original Link

Listen to the interview with drummer Luke Adams explaining the choice of reissuing "Mirrors" on vinyl, the process of revisiting their debut record, and the progression of the band's sound since their inception.

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Working on re-releasing “Mirrors” on vinyl for the first time was definitely quite of an experience for each of the band members, as John observes:

“It was definitely strange to listen to it cause a lot of the songs we don’t play live anymore. When you are a new band like we were, you play a few songs and it gets everyone all excited, and everyone wants to write about it. But as you do more stuff, they are: “Okay, it’s not exactly what we thought it was gonna be.” But for us, as we listen to it, we're like: “Okay, it’s not exactly what we thought it was.” (laugh) But also, there were some good stuff there that you maybe forgot about, or maybe actually it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was, or it’s actually better than I thought it was.”

Only 300 copies have been pressed for this limited edition, but since the beginning, the record was meant to be listened this way:

“It was originally envisioned as a vinyl release, the whole design. We went to this company in New York, the photo on the cover by this Swedish guy is from the 50s or 60s. But we didn’t have any backing, we didn’t have a label, basically we just put out our music the way you can put out music, online, whatever way was the cheapest.”

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U.S. Royalty never stopped being productive, working on new material but always privileging quality over quantity. John Thornley makes it a point of honor to create music for the purpose of sharing and connecting with others:

“There’s more to the picture than whatever your vision is for your music. These songs, once you put them out, they live outside of whatever vision you had, or whatever hang-ups you had about if you are good enough… It doesn’t matter. The main thing is to do it. I listen to the radio and I get so annoyed by how… It’s catchy, right? But I think there is a line that you can be catchy and also be interesting. And that’s the line we are trying to find.”

The band also kept on crafting their sound and live performances, ending up playing some of the capital’s hottest venues: 9:30 Club, U Street Music Hall, and Rock’n’Roll Hotel.

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When asked about of his vision for the band’s future, the singer answers:

“Time passes and it feels like a mountain. I don’t think there is anything specific to what we’ve done. We always like to take notes on what we fail at and try to make it better the next time. We’ve been doing this for six years, and I’m very interested in how I am writing lyrics, and how we just bring in our regular lives together. I enjoy being with a group of guys that we can continue playing music together, and trace the arc of what we’ve been doing together. We are just in the trenches looking for our sound, constantly searching out new inspiration, new ways to do things for the way our unit works.”

They are currently crafting their upcoming album and they already put online a new video accompanying the band’s new single “More to This," proving that they are not ready to stop any time soon; and as John says: “It’s always about progressing.”

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