With new EP ‘Moving On’ out right before their Stagecoach performance, Mobile, Alabama natives Muscadine Bloodline were ready to carve their name on to country music great’s stone wall and shine underneath the California sun. Soon after their performance we sat down with Charlie and Gary to get a little background story on how they met.
CML: When the Stagecoach lineup was first announced one name stood out big time and that was Muscadine Bloodline and we have not been able to stop listening to you guys.
GS: That is awesome, Thank you!
CH: Thank you!
CML: You guys grew up near each other but never met until the music brought you together?
GS: Yeah!, we both grew up in Mobile, AL. We lived about three miles away from each other and never met until we both moved away. So we were there for eighteen years of our lives, never met, a lot of mutual friends and just never made that connection until we both moved away. He (Charlie) was having a home town show, that he was coming to from Auburn University in Mobile and he needed an opener, I got thrown in to a hat, we met right there and we still do that same show every year at the end of the year in Mobile at the same place.
CML: So you guys knew of each other?
CH: Yeah!, We had our separate solo careers if you will, so before maybe not knowing what we were doing, but figuring out the next step, we knew what we were doing for ourselves.
GS: We where playing bar gigs.
CH: College bars, fraternity parties and anything we could get our hands on.
GS: We used our connections to help each other out, pick each other up, then we started writing together and playing bar gigs together and we did that for about a year. I moved to Nashville soon as I graduated college in 2015 and Charlie moved up three months after me. We pulled the trigger and said Let’s do this.
CML: It’s been non stop ever since?
GS: We have not looked back ever since.
CML: Has it been fun time?
CH: Yes!, it’s been fun.
GS: Real fun, seeing it grow.
CML: Cool, You just dropped a new EP, exited with the final mix?
CH: Yes, yesterday was a heaven day for us. I would compare it to being better than most holidays and birthdays, release day is a special thing, not all people get to experience that special thing but artist and it’s a fun day.
GS: It’s cool to see your name out there with major label acts and stuff, and you are an independent band and as of right now you see yourself head to head with them. It’s pretty cool seeing all the hard work you put in from ground level and seeing come to live, our fans really came out to supported the record.
CH: Just like he said, and it’s also a great day for our fans to, and be able to say we were with them since day one. That is a really cool thing to watch and see the fans get excited about.
CML: We were able to catch your set and the fans were out there.
GS: We were surprised how many Muscadine Bloodline shirts were out there.
CH: Yes, we had some merch out there. It was great.
CML: Your songs are not so modern country as most of the line up this weekend, there is a big southern sound in there with a mix of many other sounds, what were some of your influences?
GS: I say really were we come from. A lot of different various artist that we looked up to, if you were with us driving down the road, it’s everything.
CH: It’s everything. Rap, rock everything you could think of.
GS: We just keep writing songs and some are a little heavier, sometimes a little bluesy. Maybe a ballot. Best song wins.
CML: There is huge collection of videos on YouTube of you guys, many different songs. Is there a creative process on writing, or is something like, hey I have a great idea, lets meet up.
CH: It varies day to day
GS: There is no true system put in place. A lot of days Charlie will have a line he came up with, and I’m a guitar player, so I write with the instrument. If start to write a song, let’s say with a phrase, it’s hard for me. I need to have everything. Have to have the music, have to the melody and that’s when I shine as a writer., but Charlie can come in and say hey guys I have this awesome idea.
CML: What can we expect from Muscadine in 2018?
GS: Tour, lots of touring. That’s we connect with our fans. We love to meet and greet with the fans. Our record was just released, so we are going to promote that and get right back in to the studio.
CML: Is there a specific band or artist you would love to hit the road with?
CH: There is ton of artist you would love to tour with, but honestly we enjoy headlining our own tour. Yes its smaller clubs and not big theaters or arenas. I really like the feeling of going to places with 200-300 there to see you. That’s why we enjoy touring. We are an independent band with no radio play, so the only way to share our music is to go out and play and interact with fans with free meet and greet.
GS: The fans drive everything.
CH: It’s growing so we will keep going, but to answer your question.
GS: Brothers Osborne
CH: We did a lot of shows with Luke Combs in the early days, I would not hate going on tour with him, he’s on fire right now.
CML: Is there someone you are excited to see today?
GS: Oh yes. Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves and Brothers Osborne.
By Ozzie & Vanessa – Staff at CML
For upcoming shows visit: muscadinebloodline.com
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