7 June 2024

What was the first song you learned all the words to?     I’m 90% sure it was That Old Wheel by Johnny Cash and Hank Williams Jr. wore out my grandad’s greatest hits CD just rewinding that song over and over.        A live show that changed your life?     Father John Misty in 2018. It was just well written song after well written song, incredible stage presence and I believe the first show I had ever seen where the artist did not do a single cover song.         A song that reminds you of growing up?     I guess ‘Stan’ by Eminem. My parents shaped a lot of my early listening and while my grandparents listened to country music, my parents listened to anything from punk to R&B. ‘Stan’ was a song my Dad played a lot in the van growing up, so it makes me think about growing up, plus it’s just such a well written story song. I know so many country and folk artists who love this track.       A song you can no longer listen to?     This is probably the hardest question you could ask me, because it’s so hard for me to not like a song, if the intention of the song was to make good art. Obviously, if a song is being mean or hurting someone else unjustly, I’m not going to like it, but usually I kind find something cool in any and every song. Sorry for the non-answer!        An album that made you want to be a musician?    ‘Live at San Quentin’ by Johnny Cash. Perfect mixture of humour, mistakes, passion and great songs.       What’s the best salsa recipe?    I am so glad you asked. Super simple, just tomatoes, red onion, garlic, lime juice (if you fancy like that) and coriander. What makes a big difference for me is adding some hot sauce. The hotter the better. I vary, but at the moment I’m using ghost pepper and mango hot sauce, but you need that kick, otherwise you’re just eating a slightly spicy salad.      How has country shaped your music?    Country as an idea has really shaped my music for the better, I think, it’s like my north star. I use a lot of different influences in my music, but I can always hone in on what makes my music feel country and it’s the story. I always make sure my lyrics are telling you something and that they are not just there to flavour the melody. A song for me should work with just a guitar as well as it is fully produced. That’s the feeling I’ve always gotten from country music.      You’re incorporating more rock elements to your folk/alt-country stylings with ‘Down’, how do you think country music is changing as a genre?   I think country music is always changing and always has been and that’s part of what makes it so great. Like I said before, I do believe at the heart of every country song is the story, but after that the flavours added can change so much. Look at artists like Buck Owens for example, a country artist through and through, yet the distortion and psychedelic style on ‘Who’s Gonna Mow Your Grass’ must have confused a lot of fans. Same with modern artists like Sturgill Simpson with Sound And Fury. Country music, even as far back as early Western Swing, strives on change and taking from what came before and what is becoming popular. That’s why it lasts, why it innovates and why it’s more exciting than ever with acts like Allison Russell, Adeem The Artist, Tyler Childers and so many others creating a scene and a sound I’m so happy to be around during.       What’s been your proudest moment in your career so far?     When an artist I really admired grabbed a cassette of my first album and said, “Thank you for making this”. It was so simple, but as someone who just adored physical music, and adored studying musicians of this person’s caliber, having this said to me was my proudest moment so far.     Read the full feature in our free digital magazine here: https://bit.ly/3WUe56j Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Hannah Larvin, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com