River Town Saints – Long Time Coming

By starrymag | July 13, 2021

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) Rock, pop & country all mixed together.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Pretty wide; everything from Alan Jackson to Van Halen to Blink 182 to the Chain Smokers. We’re all interested in great melodies and that’s found across genres.

 

Q) How did the new addition of Chase change up your sound or play a role in your music moving forward?

 

A) He’s an incredible vocalist with a ton of great intuition when it comes to approaching a melody. Having someone that solid out front has allowed the rest of us to really dive into how we can harmonize. It has also allowed us to write songs that can be more vocal driven. He’s also heavily involved in the writing process so it’s the first time in five years the band has written everything together.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Long Time Coming.”

 

A) We got together with a songwriter and good friend of ours – Jason Blaine – in Nashville in May. Being from Canada, it was so nice to enjoy sun and trees and warmth because the weather is still cold and terrible in Ontario at that time of year. We were just stoked to be outside, drinking coffee on his back patio, catching up, etc. We were all going out fishing later that afternoon with some other Canadian friends who were visiting and figured we’d try to capture that vibe in a song. So, we just kinda started with this idea of hanging out on the dock with friends, listening to music and drinking some beers. Very much what everyone in Canada lives for since we only get about four months a year to do it (and that’s if we’re lucky.)

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) It’s a feel good, Summertime song which is a fairly universal concept. Who doesn’t like tunes, brewskis and getting out on the boat?

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) Obviously with COVID, we were pretty limited in what we could do video wise. So, Jeremy wrote a loose script and directed it, we hired a couple buddies to film it and basically just drank beer and played music and goofed off at Joe’s dad’s cottage all day.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) We’ll usually get together and see if anyone has any cool ideas for a song that we personally would like to hear or a cool melody or line they’ve had stuck in their head. For most stuff, we write the music and lyrics in tandem. In the case of “Long Time Coming,” we knew what we wanted to write about, so Jeremy and Jason came up with the little guitar line and the song wrote itself from there.

 

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) We’ve been fortunate to work with some really talented producers so far – Chad Carlson, Dwave Thomson, Jeff Dalziel and most recently Sam Guaiana. Early on we were less experienced and didn’t have as much input, but we’ve been lucky that we’ve always been able to trust the people working with us to do the songs justice. We’ve become more involved over time. It’s rare in country music, but we’re at a point now where we play everything on our albums, which really helps keep it “our sound.” Other than “Slow Kiss,” the Long Time Coming EP was recorded all on our own and mixed/produced by Jeremy.

 

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

 

A) Something like that…

 

Q) With concerts currently on hold, what do you miss most about being on stage?

 

A) The rush obviously. Being able to entertain people is so gratifying. Sometimes the songs connect with people and that’s really special, other times it’s as simple as giving someone else ninety-minutes to forget about their week and just enjoy some music. Also, we’ve made so many friends on the road. There’s nothing better than the hang with other bands backstage.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) Boots and Hearts is one for sure. It’s just the ultimate country music summer party. Cavendish festival out in PEI because the east coast of Canada is incredible. Anywhere in Western Canada because as Ontario boys we don’t get to see the mountains very often. There’s a place in the heart of cottage country here in Ontario called Kee to Bala. It’s sort of a rite of passage. It’s a big barn with a wraparound patio on the lake. Very charming. Every big Canadian band has played there at some point.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Luke Combs would be cool. Or Brad Paisley to play a guitar solo in a song. We’re all big fans of Maren Morris. Outside of country music, I think it would be awesome to collaborate with The 1975 but I’m not sure how that would work.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) Chase has been listening to Daughtry, Chris has been listening to I Prevail, Joe has been listening to Lennon Stella and I’ve been listening to Ingrid Michaelson – which is a pretty wide-spread. I think we all just appreciate anything that’s melodic or moves us, regardless of genre.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) I think it’s two-fold. Social media allows fans to see into the lives of the artists they follow. Growing up we were all interested in what our favorite bands were like to hang out with; socials give some insight to that. It also lets us be accessible to those same fans – we get to interact with them beyond the ninety-minutes on stage and in a much more personal, meaningful way.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) To everyone that’s supported us we’d say this: THANK YOU. We know it’s been a journey with lots of ups and downs, more than most bands even, but our fans have never strayed. That loyalty is what keeps us going, keeps us inspired to try and make great songs and put on great shows and keep the party going. As soon as it’s COVID safe to do so, we hope to get out there and see you all at some shows!

 

 

 

Answers By Jeremy Bortot (lead guitarist, harmonies, all around creative genius)