Animal Years – Talkin’ To You

Q) Who are your greatest musical influences?

A) My biggest influences from the start have been singer/songwriters like Martin Sexton, Jackie Greene, Josh Ritter, John Mayer and Loudon Wainwright III.

Q) Tell us the story behind your new single “Talkin’ To You.”

A) We recorded “Talkin’ To You” in February of last year and it’s the first song we’ve released in three years. The song is about a guy who goes on to do big things and all of a sudden all of the people who treated him poorly in the past have come out of the woodwork to be his friend again. I think a lot of people can relate to this one way or another.

Q) Will there be a music video for the song in the near future?

A) Yes! Coming soon.

Q) “Talkin’ To You” is the beginning of new material that will be released throughout 2021. Is this a new album and if so when can fans expect it to be released?

A) We will be slowly releasing songs over many months in 2021. The singles will eventually be released as an album that will include additional songs.

Q) With the new music on the way, is there any particular song or songs in the new material that you loved recording the most?

A) “Haines St. Station” was a really fun one to do. The song is packed to the brim with emotion and it’s gotten a lot of praise when we played it on tour. It was especially exciting to watch our producer, Paul Moak, play a really nasty guitar solo at the end of the tune.

Q) What do you hope fans take away from “Talkin’ To You?”

A) We really just wanted an upbeat song that you can dance to. I hope everyone has fun belting it out and moving around to it.

Q) Since live music has been put on hold, has the band had the opportunity to perform any virtual shows via social media for fans?

A) We’ve done a fair amount of live streams, but we live in different areas of the country so it’s not necessarily that easy. I’m grateful for the technology but nothing beats the real thing.

Q) What do you miss most about performing live and which venue has been your favorite to perform at to date?

A) Interacting with fans. When you live stream, the song ends and there’s silence. You quickly learn just how important it is to play for real people in a room. I can’t wait to get back out there.

There are so many great venues, it’s hard to pick just one. It’s not a venue, but playing Firefly Music Festival with Bob Dylan headlining was a career highlight.

Q) Having the chance to open for Blues Traveler on tour, is there anyone you would love to either open up for or co-headline a tour with?

A) I would personally love to tour with Joseph, our good friends in Bailen, Young The Giant, Kings of Leon – any high energy band really.

Q) 2020 has certainly been a whirlwind year in many ways! Aside from music some of you took the opportunity to become active in national issues, including a 62-day occupation of the Tennessee state capitol to protest police brutality. How did becoming more active members of the community push you musically and has it spawned potential new songs addressing those issues?

A) To be completely honest, l didn’t think at all about music when we were busy with that. Becoming more active and doing more volunteering has made me a better person, but l haven’t yet seen the effects it had on my music, if any. I want to make sure I’m not being opportunistic and pandering if l decide to write about my experiences being put in jail, etc… If something genuine pours out of me I’ll certainly entertain it, but l think we’ve all been too busy to even think about it.

Q) With the current state of affairs, how has music helped you in getting through this year?

A) Not playing music and staying home has been a welcome break. I’ve found that doing more things outdoors has been the key to me getting through this year. Music is always there whenever l need it, but without many opportunities this year I’ve realized that there are tons of other things l can do to keep me feeling sane and fulfilled.

Q) Who are you currently listening to?

A) The new Nas Album, Sir The Baptist, Hozier, Tracy Chapman…My Spotify has no limits to what I’ll listen to.

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters of your music?

A) Thank you for emotionally and financially supporting those of us that are struggling right now. We’ll be back as soon as it’s safe.