To My Friends...

As I near the end of my teen years, I have been reminiscing more than normal.

I've been thinking of my favorite album that came out 15 years ago (Hanson's This Time Around) and how I am actually old enough to remember something that happened so long ago.

For the 10 months I have been 19, my life has been blessed with some of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Starting in September 2014, my birthday month, I interviewed a band for the school paper who happened to be making a stop in Tuscaloosa.

I asked them my standard list of questions via email and wrote the piece like normal and I met up with them at the venue later in the day to give them a copy of the article.

I did not know it then, because if I had, I would have cherished the moment more, but this band would give me more laughs in a three hour time span than most people get in a life time.

My boys in Atlas Road Crew hold a special place in my heart and to this day, the article I wrote about them is still one of my favorites. There are also not many bands who can get away with saying "Roll Tide" in a radio interview 37 times or who can make me fall out of my chair while on-air from excitement.

Backtracking to July 2014, I went to see Birmingham band Maylene & The Sons of Disaster at Zydeco. Never in a million years would I have thought the local opening band would end up being the brightness to my dark moments.

While I did not meet this band that day in July, let's fast forward to October.

One of my favorite bands, AFI, was playing at Iron City. In a strange turn of events, I ended up meeting the bassist and guitar player for the band I saw in July and I recognized them instantly.

After talking to them for almost an hour, I just knew these guys were going to be my best friends. And I was right.

Eventually, I met the other two members of Sinema (and one's significant other) and since then, those boys have shown me a type of love and friendship that I did not know was feasible.

Ending our timeline of firsts, in January of 2015, I met up with the bassist from the aforementioned band at a bar in Tuscaloosa.

That was the day I learned not to take life so seriously.

This last group of guys taught me what it truly means to be a Wildcard.

My friends in Ensul have shown me what it feels like to be truly appreciated for the work that I do. They are the goofiest, silliest, dorkiest, sweetest, most unpredictable, and kind-hearted guys I know.

All of this being said, my friends mean the world to me and I still wonder what I did to deserve these boys in my life.

They will always take precedent over everything I do.

These three groups make me want to be a better person, push myself just a little bit harder, and love with all my heart.

I always look forward to the days when I can be in their presences.

When I look back on my life again one day, I will look back at my 19th year and remember how loved and appreciated I felt.

If you're lucky, you'll find friends like mine.

One of my favorite "friendship" lyrics comes from Rise Against's Swing Life Away:

"I've got some friends, some that I hardly know. But we've had some times, I wouldn't trade for the world."

I've always been one to believe that friendship is not about who has been there the longest. It is about who came and never left.

To Atlas Road Crew: Max, Taylor, Bryce, Dave, and Patrick; Sinema: Nathan, Cody, Jeremy (Kyle), and Andrew; and Ensul: Stephen, Tristan, Austin, and Adam, thank you for helping me find my place in the world and teaching me what it truly means to love someone more than yourself.

Thank you for showing me what it means to be a best friend.

For that I will forever be grateful.

I love you guys.

- Kinsey 

Atlas Road Crew "Halfway To Hopkins" Album Review

The first time I crossed paths with Atlas Road Crew, I knew there was something different about them. As the Music Director of a radio station, I listen to hundreds of bands a week - hardly ever giving second glances. The song I received, I immediately put it into heavy rotation so others could enjoy the same excitement I did while listening to the song.

The band's debut album, Halfway to Hopkins, has not left my car, laptop, or even my head since its Valentine's Day release.

Not only do I love this album, I also love every guy that makes up the band, Taylor, Max, Bryce, Dave, and Patrick. Not only are they wonderful musicians, they are also great friends.

So hear it is: my review on their album. Party on, Wayne.   

1. Voices - This song is so groovy. Taylor Nicholson's voice is stretched to it's potential. The choice to open the album with this track was great. This song remains one of my favorites on the album.

2. Black Eye Sunrise - I love the lyrics to this song because they provide imagery. It makes it easy for the listener to digest. It is a great chill-out song.

3. Low Country Blues - Blues. Exactly. This is a "get up and move" song. This song also has bass grooves for days. I love bass grooves.

4. Wasted Time - This is my favorite song on the album. I relate to it more than almost any song I have ever heard and I just want to put it on repeat and listen to it for the rest of my days, and I probably will after I finish writing this article. The first time I heard this song was a religious experience in the best way. This song will always be a 10 out 10.

5. I Want You To Know - The opening drum fill is awesome. This song is hard to write about. It fits in well in the middle of the album. The lyrics flow so well. The build up to the choruses in the song  are great as well. It is another one of my favorites.

6. Lose Control - This song reminds me of one of my favorite singers out of Nashville, Will Hoge. His older music was very much in this style and it is very comforting to see bands still playing with that sound. The vocals are what made me love this song and appreciate it more.

7. Weeping Will - This song is another song that hit my emotions. I even teared up listening to it. I cannot express enough how much Taylor conveys what he feels through the music. A good song, or even a good album, is one where you can feel the emotions with the band.

8. Halfway to Hopkins - I've always loved title tracks, and this song is no different. This is what Rock and Roll should sound like. The guitar and the drums go so well together. It reminds me of a good classic Southern Rock song. Bass grooves for days.

9. Runaway - This song sounds very psychedelic. I'm not sure what you would call it. Probably my least favorite song on the album, but it is still great.

10. Abilene - I have always loved songs that are singing directly to someone. If you replace Abilene with your name, it feels more relatable. The vocal range in the chorus is astounding and it really evokes emotion. This reminds me of a Pearl Jam song.

11. Betty - I absolutely love the drum fill in the beginning. To me it represents how Rock and Roll is still alive and well. Songs with girl's names in the titles are always jams and this song is no different. It's such a "smooth" song, if you catch my drift.

So there you have it. Halfway to Hopkins. This is my favorite album of 2015 and we are only into the second month. For me to think an album is this good is a rare thing. This band has found a special place in my heart, as I hope they will find a place in yours.

Happy listening!

Interview with Atlas Road Crew

I had the opportunity to interview an amazing band out of South Carolina, Atlas Road Crew. If they ever come to your neck of the woods, I highly recommend going to see them. Their live set is wonderful and the guys in the band are the epitome of kindness and I have a newfound sense of friendship because of them. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I enjoyed giving it. :)

Dave Beddingfield - Guitar

Patrick Drohan - Drummer

1. - How has being from Charleston/The South influenced your music?

DB: We love all types of music, seriously. We are proud to be a band from the South East and since Southern Rock is associated primarily with this region, we cant help but to add a little southern flare and twang to our sound, it just comes to us naturally. 

PD: We all have similar influences from southern rock bands such as The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. I think it's pretty apparent in our music- you can see threads of these bands running through the songs. 

2. - You've opened for some pretty notable people this past year such as Hard Working Americans etc. How has that experience helped you to be better musicians and what did you learn from the experience?

DB: We have opened up for Hard Working Americans and for Hootie and the Blowfish.  Both bands were extremely classy, well-mannered to the staff and fans, and performed in a very professional manner. Professionalism was the main lesson we took with us after parting ways. We have oddly noticed that we sound a lot tighter and fluent after having 1 beer  before we play rather than having 6 or 7, imagine that!?

PD: Opening up for these bigger national acts definitely makes us act a little bit more professional. Although we still managed to steal all of Dave Schools' beer backstage in DC. Everything with those acts is just such a well-oiled machine. They have roadies, bus drivers, instrument techs, all that stuff. It gives ourselves something to work towards as well.

3. - How was Wakarusa?

DB: Wakarusa was a dream come true. It was an eye opening experience to see that many incredible musicians in one central location. We ended up camping out that entire weekend and wanted to experience the festival in full force.... man is Wakarusa an animal. That might have been the longest 16 hour drive back I have ever experienced. 

PD: Wakarusa was unbelievable. Talk about a well run festival. Every logistic one could imagine was covered from end to end. It was such a cool experience to get to play this festival and we gained a lot of fans from it. We also got to stay and party for the remainder of it as well... which meant access to front row at every show and the ability to meet/network with the other artists. 

4. - How did you get the name?

DB: We used to practice in a storage shed off of "Atlas Road" in Columbia, South Carolina. Scrambling around for a name right before our first gig, "Atlas Road Crew" was thrown into the mix it sure as hell has stuck ever since

PD: Our first practice spot was a storage unit off of Atlas Road in Columbia, SC. It was hot as hell in there in the summers and freezing cold in the winters. Pretty much practicing in a tin box. Definitely damaged all of our hearing, too. Well worth it!

5. - Best piece of advice anyone ever gave you about being in the industry?

DB: DO NOT burn bridges! Whoever was honest and helped you in the beginning, keep them around and continue to listen to them. Always make sure your "team" is looking out for the best interest for the group.

PD: Play as many live shows as possible!

6. - Who are your influences and how have they shaped your style and sound?

DB: Allman Brothers, Rolling Stones, Phish, Black Crowes. We like to think we have a southern twangy sound to our music. We even began to have a few slide guitar songs that were directly influenced by Duane Allman. We try to create a catchy song that is backed with riveting guitar riffs and an exciting piano style that you can find in a lot of Southern Rock songs.

PD: My personal influences are mainly British rock bands like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Beatles. A lot of cool mojo coming from those bands. I like the attitude in their music. I also grew up listening to Blink 182 / Red Hot Chili Peppers which has a big affect on my drumming style. 

7. - Is this your first time in Alabama? If so what are you most looking forward to? If not, when was the first time?

DB: This is our third time in Alabama. We played a private party in the Spring for one of the fraternities on Campus and played at "The Nick" in Birmingham 

PD: This will be our second time in Alabama. We did a fraternity show in T town last spring. We're looking forward to our first show on such a notoriously rowdy college campus! All of us are pretty recent graduates of USC so visiting other SEC campuses is always a blast.

8. - Clemson or Gamecocks

DB: I bleed Garnet. Gamecocks all the way.

PD: GAMECOCKS

9. - What can we expect from a live show?

DB: Electric amount of energy, passion for the music, and usually an audible or two on our "written out setlist". Anything goes and crowd requests can change up our setlist entirely.

PD: A high energy atmosphere. We do a lot of off-the-cuff jamming as well. We're a band that really feeds off of the crowd's energy. 

10. - What is your fan-base like?

DB: We typically have college kids to young adults at our live performances. Those shows tend to get pretty wild... to say the least. Depending on the venue,  sometimes our crowd can range from 18-70 (sometimes older). 

PD: Naturally, starting on a college campus in South Carolina- we have a lot of college-aged fans. That's usually who shows up to our shows in our big markets. We're starting to get a little older crowd show up as well. The people who were are age when like The Black Crowes were blowing up seem to like us. 

11. - What is your main goal as a band?

DB: Our first goal is to sell as many records as possible and get our music into as many ears as we can. Our second goal is to be able to make a comfortable living performing full-time. It would be incredible to have the band as a steady, primary source of income and only have to focus on the music aspect and not any other side jobs to make ends meet.

PD: To connect with as many people as possible. Like I said before, we are a band that truly believes in a shared atmosphere of energy at the show. If the crowd is going wild, we'll go even harder. 

12. - Anything else you want to add?

DB: We are pumped to finally come back to Alabama. All we would like to say from Atlas 

Road Crew to the Alabama Students is...RMFT!

PD: We're currently recording our first full length album with platinum-producer Rick Beato based out of Atlanta, GA. Also doing a few songs with Corey Plaugh in Columbia, SC. This has been a culmination of two years touring/songwriting on our current EP that's out. Aiming for a February release!