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Interview by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen
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Big Friendly Productions is back at Birmingham's Avondale Brewing Company on Saturday, and the lineup for this show is absolutely killer. Two of the hottest acts in the jam/festival scene, Kendall Street Company & Underground Springhouse, have teamed up for a big run of shows this spring. If that wasn't enough, Atlanta's Bird Dog Jubilee will be opening up this show. These three bands will join forces for what's sure to an epic Saturday night in Birmingham.
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The gates at Avondale Brewery will open at 4:00 PM CST. Bird Dog Jubilee will kick things off in strong fashion at 5:00 PM CST, with full sets from Underground Springhouse and Kendall Street Company to follow. Big Friendly always does a killer job crafting these lineups, and Saturday will be no exception. We strongly encourage those who plan to attend to go ahead and grab your tickets in advance. You can click here to do that via Avondale's Ticketing Page.
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In preparation for Saturday night, we caught up with Kendall Street Company frontman Louis Smith and Underground Springhouse frontman Charlie Haas to catch up on all of the latest happenings within these bands. See below for a quick Q&A with both bands, and make sure to head over to our Instagram page for a chance to win tickets to this show!
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Interview with Louis Smith of Kendall Street Company
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Great to speak with you today, Louis. I figured we could start off with a little background on the band. Tell me a little bit about how Kendall Street Company got started.
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Louis: Yeah man. We all met at University of Virginia in Charlottesville. We started playing around town: Greek life events and the local bars. We kept at it, and when we graduated, we decided to keep going at it. We've been doing this full time for several years now. We started by traveling up to DC and doing the regional tours. Eventually, we were playing in New York City, Charlotte, and other markets like that. That's pretty much the story. Just keeping at it. That's what you have to do.
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Absolutely man. Build your regional market and expand from there. I know that the past two years had plenty of COVID-related challenges. How would you say KSC was able to keep the momentum going through these challenges?
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Louis: It was really tough for us. We're definitely a "live" band. Not being able to play live was really a big thing to be taken from us. First, we were totally isolated from each other. Then, we got to a point where we felt safe getting together. We did a live stream series called "Containment Entertainment," and we focused on getting The Stories We Write For Ourselves out there, as well as The Year The Earth Stood Still project. We just dug away in the studio doing a lot of writing and recording. It was a really stressful time, not really having an income. Not being able to fund these records, but we figured it out.
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Those band meetings and business were tough. Some people really wanting to play shows, and others not feeling comfortable at the time. You know...it was definitely stressful on the band and the business. As soon as the vaccines came out, we had this fraternity date in Texas that had been postponed a few times. We finally got to go play that show in April of 2021. We've been trying to get back out there, as safely as we can, since then.
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I'm sure that was a great feeling to get back on stage. Never hurts when it's that type of private gig that you know is going to be a super rowdy occasion.
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Louis: It was amazing. We booked the gig and blasted down to Texas. I think we had a few other shows booked along the way, but you couldn't really make a well routed run at that point. We just wanted to go play the show. They had already paid a deposit, and we were ready to make it happen.
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Right on. Well, I'm glad you mentioned The Year The Earth Stood Still. I noticed that this wasn't the band's first double album / multi part album. How has this particular concept worked for KSC?
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Louis: It's worked pretty well. The first time we did it was by design. We had about 17 songs, and we figured we could divide those into two releases, which both had their own vibe to them. With The Year The Earth Stood Still, the whole preface behind that record is that we went into the studio with nothing written. We wrote and recorded the double album in six days in the studio. We did some overdubs and things like that afterword.
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Everything, pretty much, was captured and written over those six days. I believe this was back in July of 2021. We hadn't been playing live, and we felt there was a lot to create. So, it wasn't not intended to be a double album, but it also wasn't intended to be a double album. It was kind of ambiguous as to what the project would be until we got out of the studio and evaluated the material.
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So, you guys went in the studio with nothing, and ultimately wrote and recorded close to 20 songs?
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Louis: We did. I think it ended up being 16 or 17 total songs.
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That's one hell of a brainstorming session!
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Louis: It really was. We really didn't know what we were going to get. Maybe we'd get a full record. Maybe we wouldn't. We recorded at White Star Studio, where we recorded Space For Days several years ago. It's in Louisa, Virginia. It's out in the country, with places to sleep and stay for a bit. So that's what we did. That isolated atmosphere really helped get the creative juices flowing.
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I'd imagine so, man. That sounds like a really ideal situation for what you guys were hoping to accomplish.
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Louis: It really was. They had some goats out there. We released a video for "Say Hey" which featured some of the goats (laughs).
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I'll check that out. I noticed you released a studio cover of The Beatles' "Rocky Raccoon" back in January. Was this a cover that's been in the live rotation for a while?
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Louis: Yeah, pretty much. We had a few days off in Nashville, and we figured we'd try to get in the studio and record something. We've been doing that cover for many years. It seemed like the right one to record, and it's actually a first take. We knew what we were doing, which helped us knock it out pretty quick. We had two days in the studio, and we also recorded a couple of songs for an upcoming project called "The Untitled California Project." We're trying to coordinate that with a West Coast run later in the year.
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Sounds like you guys are really keeping the studio momentum rolling this year.
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Louis: Yeah, it's nice because we have a lot of great songwriters in the band. We don't really tether ourselves to a certain sound, so with anything that someone is inspired to write, we can generally find a place for it. The Untitled California Project, in particular...it's pretty silly. It's almost a bit of a joke, in a way, but we're putting the effort in to make it sound great. Hopefully people will get the joke. It's kind of similar to The Nautical Aquatical, which is the nautical themed album. We have some other themed releases that we're working on as well.
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I'll be looking forward to that. I know you're gearing up for a big run of shows, which includes Saturday, March 19that Avondale Brewing Company in Birmingham. This is one of many with Underground Springhouse. Atlanta's Bird Dog Jubilee is also on this show. Tell me a little bit about the band's history in Birmingham and the Southeast in general.
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Louis: We have played in Birmingham a few times. It's always been a great time. I know we've played WorkPlay in the past. We've also done Tuscaloosa several times. I believe we have another private gig in Tuscaloosa in April. We love playing in the South. The energy is great. The traffic is bearable, with the exception of Atlanta. You can cruise around the southeast a lot easier than the northeast. I'm really stoked to be heading down there this time of year. Our old keyboard player, Andrew King, lives in Birmingham.
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You guys will love playing Avondale Brewery. It's such a well-run venue. The staff is amazing. There should be a really nice turnout for a Saturday show in March. I know plenty of people are really excited about this particular show.
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Louis: Woo-hoo! That's great to hear man. We are excited about it.
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Well before we wrap this up, what else is coming up for KSC that the band and your fans can look forward to?
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Louis: We're hitting the Southeast markets over the next few weeks. Next month, we're heading up to the Northeast. We'll be back in New York City. We have our first show in Portland, Maine. It's our first show ever in Maine. I'm a big fan of Maine. We're hoping to play as many festivals as we can this summer. Hitting up the West Coast in the fall. We're planning to make our way back out to Colorado as well. There should be an announcement for an official live release coming up soon. We will be announcing a new studio album pretty soon. We're still deciding on a final name for it. As I mentioned, we also have The Untitled California Project as well. Lots of studio releases and live releases. Lots of shows too.
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That's incredible man. New releases are equally exciting for the band and your fans. I'm sure you'll have the KSC fanbase fully engaged, while also reaching plenty of new fans this year.
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Louis: That's right. I also wanted to mention that we have Repsy and Relix Magazine presenting this March & April tour, which is really exciting. We have a full page in Relix Magazine, which people can pick up at our merch table. That was really cool to be featured in Relix.
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That's incredible. I'm sure it will be a successful tour. Really enjoyed chatting with you today. We're all looking forward to seeing y'all on Saturday, March 19th in Birmingham.
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Louis: Absolutely. Thank you, Jordan!
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Interview with Charlie Haas of Underground Springhouse
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We've finally progressed into a year in which the COVID climate seems to be headed in the right direction. Tell me about how the course of 2021 treated Underground Springhouse in general. How did you guys manage to stay the course?
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Charlie: It was certainly a big bump in the road for us, considering our busy touring schedule. Like all bands, we’ve had plenty of shows cancelled over the past two years, but we still managed to be pretty productive as a group. Writing new music and playing whatever shows we were able to at the time. We definitely improved a lot through that period of time, and it ended up being a nice break to regroup. But now we’re back at it and ready to hit the road again full speed.
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With the calendar seeming to have more promise and consistency in 2022, what is the band most excited about this year?
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Charlie: We’re super amped for our upcoming tour with Kendall Street Company. We’re hitting most of the Southeast, and they should be some of our most exciting shows yet. We’ve also got new music coming very soon, so we’re really excited to release some new tunes.
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It's been nearly a year since the release of your self-titled album Underground Springhouse. This was the band's first studio release sinceTom Fooleryin 2019. What was this recording process like, and how was it unique from those of the past?
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Charlie: Our first few singles and EP,Tom Foolery, were recorded in a home studio in a friend’s basement. The studio had decent equipment, but it was also pretty bare bones. After our first EP, we recorded our next singles and debut album at 1093 in Athens, which is a great and affordable studio space. That was really fun to be in a real studio and have access to a lot more gadgets and gizmos.
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On Saturday, March 19th, you guys return to Birmingham's Avondale Brewery for a big Saturday night show with Kendall Street Company. What type of history does the band have in Birmingham? How is this run of shows with KSC shaping up?
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Charlie: It seems we’ve played every city in Alabama except for Birmingham. This will be our first show there, and I can’t imagine a better way to do it than at such a great venue with such a great lineup of bands. This run with Kendall Street is shaping up quite nicely, and it sounds like both bands are gearing up for a hell of a time. We’re super excited.
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Let's say you were speaking with someone who is planning to attend their first Underground Springhouse show in Birmingham on March 19th. What should they expect from the moment you take stage until the encore concludes?
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Charlie: I’d tell them to expect some groovy original tunes, one or two surprise covers, and some saucy improvisation making for a funky tropical rock show.
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When you look at this year as a whole, how would you summarize the band's overall vision and goals for the course of 2022?
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Charlie: Our goal is to keep making the best music we can, both in the studio and on stage. We’re aiming to keep the train rolling and play as many shows in as many places as we can.
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Right on man. Well, thanks for taking the time to speak with me. Looking forward to this show. Best of luck with the entire tour.
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Charlie: Thanks so much for having me!