The Reklaws – Hometown Kids

By starrymag | November 24, 2017

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A: Somewhere between the new modern pop and countrified lyrics. Synth’s and pedal steel all the way. We want to keep pushing the envelope of Country Music in every way.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A: Sam Hunt has paved the way in this genre like nobody ever has, we have idolized him since he dropped Between The Pines. Jake Owen with his summer anthems and the Dixie Chicks with just amazing songs, all artists we dream to follow the same paths as.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Hometown Kids.”

 

A) We sat down with two of our now good friends, Travis Wood (a/k/a “T Buck”) and Gavin Slate, whom we wrote “Hometown Kids: and many of our upcoming releases with. The first time we went to write with them they sat us down and straight up asked us “Who are you guys?” and nobody had ever approached us in a write like that. By the end of a 7.5 hour write, “Hometown Kids” was complete and since the day we wrote it, no song captures what a weekend with The Reklawsis like better than Hometown Kids.

 

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

 

A) Lyrics like “We’re the spark of a lighter, smoke from a bonfire, blue jean all nighter” you can already see that particular summer night in a backyard where everyone of our listeners has been at one point. We wanted to connect with our fans in the most fun way possible. When we play the song live we see the reaction from the crowd because we bring 110% every time “Hometown Kids” starts.

 

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

 

A) The director who shot “Hometown Kids” was Ben Knectel, who has done videos like “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen and many other of our fellow country artists. We have worked with Ben before and crazy enough he’s from Cambridge Ontario where we live! We really wanted to put our town on the map and capture exactly what a weekend with us is like. We had a house party at a fixer-upper that our dad bought and needless to say we destroyed the place by the end of the shoot.

 

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

 

A) The process changes with every write; it really depends on whom you’re writing with. Jenna and myself (Stuart) both show up prepared with ten to fifteen song ideas we have written down, from titles to half written chorus’s its different every time. Some people we write with have just the track made before to see if everyone is into it. Others will just throw out ideas and we will talk about titles for hours before we write anything. It’s all about who’s in the room.

 

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

 

A) I am just getting into the production side of things. For the most part now we try to have a track guy in the writing process because demos on a real microphone that have a beat are a lot easier to see the potential of a song compared to a guitar track on an iPhone voice memo.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live The Reklaws performance?

 

A) We bring our A-Game to every concert. If it’s a fans first time seeing us we want them to feel like they know us as friends by the end of the show. There is also #StageBeerPong that goes down at the rowdier shows. We do our best to not let it get out of hand! [laughs]

 

Q) When can fans look forward to an EP or album from you?

 

A) Early Spring of 2018 we will have brand new music out. We’re not sure if it will be an EP or an album, but regardless they can expect it then. We are so excited about it!

 

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

 

A) Last summer we signed our deal with Universal Music Canada at our cottage in Southampton Ontario. We literally signed the deal and went straight to play a sold out show at the town’s Hockey Arena. We have been playing that venue every August and it gets better every year. That is for sure one of our favorite spots. Another would be Boots and Hearts Music Festival. We have played there four years in a row up until this past summer. They have been so great to us all these years and we can’t wait until we get to go back.

 

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

 

A) Jaren Johnston of The Cadillac Three is a monster song writer. We’ve hung out a few times, but we are waiting on the day we get to sit in a room with him and write a smash.

 

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

 

A) There’s a new girl named Tove Stryke. She is gonna be the next big thing. The song “Say My Name” by her is amazing. Also, Sam Hunt’s much anticipated sophomore album is gonna be unreal and we haven’t heard one track yet – we just know.

 

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

 

A) Social media changes the game for artists nowadays. The music industry had a bit a falling when records and CDs stopped selling due to digital streams, but social media picked it right back up. The interaction you can have with fans and keeping people in the loop of where you’re going and when they can see you is so much more efficient through the social media platform.

 

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

 

A) To everyone who has supported us we want to say from the bottom of our hearts thank you and to buckle up with us cause this is just the beginning.