This past week, Nashville’s latest up and rising band, The Kingston Springs, paid a visit to Auburn University. Playing at Phi Gamma Delta’s biggest bash of the year, Fiji Island, the guys made the party one to remember. And remember them, you should! This band is well on their way to the top. Similar to The Black Keys and The Kings of Leon, their laid-back style and unique melodies will keep your feet moving and your ears wanting more. After the show, Her Campus got to sit down with two of the band members, Matt and Alex, as they talked about their history and passion for music. Be sure to check them out at their next big event, The Hangout Festival, in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
HC: Tell me about your band.
Matt: We’re four guys. We like playing music. And that is it, as far as the band goes. What would you like to know more specifically about the band?
HC: How did you all come together and what inspired you all to make music?
Matt: We all came together in high school. We just play music together. Everybody didn’t really know exactly how to play instruments. We just kind of knew how to play some songs. And so, we would all just start jamming in the basement together. Then one day we were like, “We should probably just write our own songs.”
HC: Who typically writes the songs?
Matt: Usually it’s two people, James and Ian, who write the majority of songs.
The Kingston Springs 2012 album
HC: What inspired you all to make music?
Matt: There is a lot of inspiration. For me, as a drummer, it was Levon Helm. But as a band, it’s hard to say. At the beginning, we kind of just influenced ourselves, because when we started writing music, it was really different. When we heard it back, we realized it wasn’t too terrible and we got excited about it. So we kind of inspired ourselves and pushed ourselves as musicians too, because there are a lot of people in the band that have played longer than the other ones. We all taught ourselves how to play and taught each other how to play different stuff. So, yeah it was more of like an inspiration of all of us. There’s a lot of different inspirations, like we all love different styles of music and (expletive). I guess that all came together and blended pretty well.
HC: Why did you all name the band The Kingston Springs?
Matt: We went through at least a hundred or so just terrible names, like The Ostrich Farm. It gets worse, like The Orange Sun. I don’t want to get into it; it was bad. We all were walking around in school, I think, I can’t remember, when we came to the conclusion, after so long. I think it took like a month or so just to get the name. Then we were like, “(expliotive) it. Let’s just name our band The Kingston Springs”. Honestly, a lot of people didn’t like it at first but oh well.
HC: Is there anyone in particular who influenced you all?
Alex: There’s a few. One of them being Bob Dylan. The Stones, The Rolling Stones. There’s a guy named Link Wray; he’s a guitar player from the ’50s and he has a big influence on us too. You know, we really listen to everything. We even listen to hip-hop, ’80s, like a Tribe Called Quest. Whatever is good, I think, has influenced us over the years and there is a lot of good (expletive).
HC: What is your favorite thing about playing for a live audience?
Alex: Well, it’s great when you’re playing music to people who know your music and they’re getting into it and stuff. It’s a good experience to share. Like even tonight, us playing to people who are dancing. That’s awesome. I love it when people start grabbing their girlfriends or boyfriends and start jamming and stuff. It’s like (expletive) yeah. That’s awesome. People jamming and people dancing, just having a good time.
Left to right: Alex, James, Ian, Matt