Shaky Knees is the premiere festival for people who like guitars. Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors meet and exceed that criteria and just so happen to be one of our favorite bands. It’s absolutely beautiful outside in downtown Atlanta and a large crowd has gathered for their performance on Saturday afternoon. Following their set, Holcomb sat down with us to discuss his signature hats, Moon River Festival’s expansion and TV teleportation.
Blank News: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. Do you get to hang out and catch any of the shows?
Holcomb: Yeah. I’m going to see Deer Tick and Phosphorescent and then sadly after that we’ve got to roll back.
BN: No Huey Lewis huh?
Holcomb: No. It’s a bummer about that. It’s a long story. One of our guys is moving back to Texas and he’s got a 5am departure. I want to see Huey Lewis do “Sports,” but not at my buddy’s expense.
BN: (Laughing) We saw Strand of Oaks earlier and he said that he could finally tell his dad that he had opened for Huey Lewis and the News. Moon River Festival is changing this year. Tell us about what is going to be different.
Holcomb: The biggest difference is that it is going to be in the Fall. Memphis in the Summer is really hot. One day was doable, but I don’t think anyone was going to be able to do two. There are so many bands that we love and last year we sold out one day, so we thought, why not do two days? Being musicians, you meet so many great acts and as a festival organizer myself, it’s fun to branch out. Every year I have friends that are going, “Let me play.” But we’ve only got eight slots. Now we have twenty. It gives us a bigger palate to paint with.
BN: Being a traveling musician, how are you discovering new music and new acts? We get to stay all day at the festivals and wander around, but often, like today, you’re in and out.
Holcomb: It is harder for me, because I am on the road. A lot of the bands that we have are bands that have opened for us like Humming House and David Ramirez. Other bands are ones that we have played festivals with like Johnny Swim, who we played a festival with in Colorado. Green River Ordinance. We played their festival. It’s really at event s like this where you meet bands and find some common ground and the next thing you know, you reach out and they’re playing your festival.
BN: At your show today, we overheard people talking about your hats. Like, “Where does he get his hats? Are they signature?” That made us curious. So…
Holcomb: There is a lady named Gigi from Nashville. She has a store called Edwards. She is like a goddess of habidachery for me. Hats are sneaky. You’ve got to find the right size.
BN: (Laughing) We’re not off the rack guys. Our heads are too big for fitted hats. We’ve got to work to find them… You’re family has grown. Has that changed the way that you approach writing?
Holcomb: The craft has gotten harder because of the time. I used to write in my house and now my kid will say, “Hey what are you doing?” “I’m writing a song.” So that’s a little different. Right now I think, “Will this stand the test of time? Will my daughter want to listen to this when she is thirty years old?”
BN: Do you have new stuff coming. We know Medicine was released in 2015, but we’re always hopeful.
Holcomb: We are working on writing songs, but we don’t have any exact studio dates. We will definitely be recording and writing soon. We’re working on some live stuff too.
Blank: Take this next one however you hear it. What is the secret?
Holcomb: What is the secret? The secret is hard work, patience and give your love away.
BN: Chuck Klosterman is a writer who has a card game called Hypertheticals. It’s off the wall, out of the box theoretical situations that are a blast to hypothesize about.
Holcomb:Sure. Ive read all of his books.
BN: Perfect. So, if you could spend a week in a TV show and be one of the characters, what show and what character would you be?
Holcomb: Definitely Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones.
BN: (Laughing) That’s a dangerous life your choosing.
Holcomb: As he says, “I drink and I know things.”
