We can’t say this enough, but hey friends: If you happen to have a band. And you happen to have a show coming up in or around Frederick. And you happen to want people to know about the show. Well, heck. We’d be honored to help anybody in any way we can. Enter Richmond’s The Shack Band, who reached out to us a few weeks ago about their upcoming show at Cafe 611. Coming to town with Asheville act Supatight, the “Progressive, Jazz, Funk Rock ‘n’ Roll” outfit (taken directly from their Facebook page) will be taking over Cafe 611 next Friday night with the show beginning at 8 p.m. Bass player and vocalist Mason Owen took some time recently to exchange an email or two in anticipation of the performance, and below is what we learned. We know it’s only Tuesday, but it’s never too early to start making some weekend plans, especially when you know these fine young men are coming to town, right? Right. Enjoy!
How and when did you guys form? Did you have any specific goals when you first got together and if so, what were they?
We mark the official formation of the band as August 2010. The band has roots dating back farther then that, but the Summer of 2010 was when we all moved to Richmond and started playing music full-time. It’s also when the core group of musicians started playing with our current drummer, who was already a Richmond native. Our goals have remained the same since we first got together. We all want to play music full-time and sustain a long-term career in music. Most successful bands work together well as a unit, and the formation of a collective vision from the get-go is key.
Have you been to Frederick before? If so, what do you think of the town?
We’ve played in Frederick several times and also have some really good friends who live there. It’s always a pleasure to come visit and stay with our friends and hang with their kids (they have three young kids who have already caught a number of Shack shows). We dig Flying Dog, too :).
What can we expect from your show at Cafe 611?
We’re playing with a great funk outfit from Asheville, North Carolina, called Supatight. We’ve known those guys for a few years now so it should be fun to pair with them at Cafe 611. We’ve also got a brand new album coming out on Aug. 29 that we’re calling “America.” We’ll most likely play all of the tracks from that record as well as some old favorites.
You used a Kickstarter campaign for your upcoming record, “America.” What made you guys decide to go that route? Were you ever interested in getting signed to a record label?
We wanted to involve our fans in the process of making a record. A crowd-funding platform like Kickstarter helps us do that. The music industry has changed so much over the years that the formula isn’t as simple as getting “signed to a record label.” We’d rather take a DIY approach and not be micromanaged by a label that doesn’t necessarily have the same vision as we do.
What is the music scene like in Richmond? Any good bands we should know about?
The music scene in Richmond has gotten huge over the past decade. You can go out any night of the week and catch great music in town. We’re good friends with People’s Blues of Richmond, DJ Williams Projekt, The Trongone Band, The Southern Belles, Proverbial and many more, just to name a few.
You signed to Nimbleslick Entertainment earlier this year. How did that come about and how do you describe your relationship with them?
I had personally been booking the band up until our signing and had developed a good relationship with Nimbleslick over the years. We knew that we wanted to work with a smaller agency that specializes in growing bands through strategic touring and promotion. I personally can already consider our agent a close friend and someone that I plan to keep working with in some way, shape or form for years to come.
Finally, what’s it like to play Floydfest? Was Pink Floyd a huge influence on you guys? If not, who was?
Floydfest was incredible. We played two sets in front of 400-plus people both days. The folks that attend that festival truly love live music and you can feel it the moment you step on stage. Not to mention Floydfest was easily the most well-organized festival that we’ve ever been a part of. As far as influences, we all have different personal musical influences, which is what I believe makes this band so unique. If I had to name a few bands that we can all agree on, they would be the Allman Brothers, Moon Taxi, Dawes and Jason Isbell.
