By: Danielle Boise
I’ve been listening to Whiskey Stills & Sleeping Pills quite a bit, I love how the songs flow from one another seamlessly in quiet and manic swells. There is something hopelessly romantic about the album. I love the bluegrass, rock roots of Whiskey Stills & Sleeping, what direction will your new material go in?
Well, we definitely aim to keep the flow and manic swells part. The new stuff is a bit darker and more introspective, yet the elements of bluegrass and rock are still very prevalent. We’ve made it a point to use our bluegrass instrumentation in new and interesting ways, adding extra dimensions to the ‘bluegrass’ sound and keeping things modern.
…Just kidding. It’s actually a Huey Lewis and the News cover album.
You announce in the middle of January that with a successful Kickstarter campaign that a new album is pending. How is the recording coming along? Can you give us an expected release date? And do you have a title yet?
Recording is going great! We were unable to locate Steve but found a sexy Spanish mandolin player named Esteban that filled in nicely. All of the tracking is finished and we’re moving on to editing and mixing. Tom Drummond (of Better Than Ezra fame) is producing the album and we’re really impressed with his work and dedication. I can’t give you an exact release date, but it should be available for all your summer cruising needs. So far the frontrunner for the title is “Target Audience Magazine.”
With a fresh crisp sense of high-energy infused into each song, how do you hold onto the vitality of your sound when recording new material?
The new material may be darker and more emotional, but the energy is still very present. We’re also getting a lot more comfortable taking the energy level down, allowing for more intimate sections in songs. The dynamics add a lot. If the track is still lacking vitality after that, we just play it twice as fast. That usually does it.
What’s the best part of performing live vs recording in the studio?
When you are playing live and you just nail a song, the crowd lets you know and it’s one of the best feelings you can imagine. In the studio, when you nail a song, Tom just gets on the talkback mic and says, “Good job. Let’s get one more.”
Starting February 28, you will head out on the road for a couple of dates. How do you prepare to be out on the road for any length of time? What most are you looking forward to being out on the road?
Mostly a lot of stretching. And tongue twisters. We love just getting out on the road and stretching and doing tongue twisters. Also, we can’t wait to see all the silly stuff we can find in rural gas stations. It can get pretty weird.
Finally, what are you looking headlong into 2014?
It seems like we have more fun every year. This year is obviously huge for us because we will release our first full length album. Can’t wait to see what happens.
Seven Handle Circus Tour Dates
Feb. 28 – Charleston, SC @ The WindJammer
March 01 – Augusta, GA @ Sky City
March 07 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
March 15 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah St. Patrick’s Day
April 04 – Macon, GA @ Cox Capitol Theatre
April 05 – Lafayette, GA @ TDawg’s Back Porch Hootennany
