Judah & the Lion are on their way to becoming kings of the jungle. The Nashville-based band - although, each member originating from a different corner of the country - has enjoyed profound success since breaking onto the scene with their debut EP, Sweet Tennessee in 2013. The record served as a launching pad for the quarter who’ve since released two full studio albums, Kids These Days and Folk Hop N’ Roll. Known for their versatility and blending of multiple genres, Judah & the Lion are one of the few band’s today that lives up to the hype of being considered a trailblazer.
We caught up with banjoist Nate Zuercher on one of Judah & the Lion’s few off days to discuss touring, Folk Hop N’ Roll and the beauty of living on a bus.
In 2015 you guys played 150 shows! That’s incredible. How does that compare so far to 2016 especially with the release of Folk Hop N’ Roll?
2015 was a wild year! We love being on the road and playing shows, so even though we were all over the place, we were in our element. This year has been busy as well with the release of our latest record. We’re in the middle of our Folk Hop N’ Roll tour right now and loving it. The set we’ve been playing is one we’re really proud of and can’t wait to bring to North Carolina!
What’s the best part about being on the road and a few challenges that come with living in a compact tour bus?
The best part about being on the road is getting to see old friends and make new ones. We love getting to know the people that our music has made an impact on. We’re so grateful for the opportunity to travel and play music and know that we couldn’t do it without our fans.
We travel in a 15 passenger van, named Cletus. She has been with us since the beginning. Some challenges would be the compact space so we can’t spread out much and also we don’t have a refrigerator so we can’t store food. Makes it a little more difficult to save and prepare food, meaning we eat out all the time.
Are there any cities on the road that you’ve fallen in love with?
There are so many places we’ve had the opportunity to travel to and have fallen in love with. My favorites would be Boston, Charlotte, San Diego and Vancouver.
There is definitely a difference between Folk Hop N’ Roll and everything else Judah & the Lion has released. It’s not quite as folky but still a fun album. Can you talk about this divergence from that original sound?
We still feel like we’re growing into what the “J&TL sound” is. We all listen to and love different kinds of music. With that we wanted to try to make a record that incorporated bits and pieces of what we are all inspired by rather than staying inside a box of what we have done in the past. We also wanted to get more adventurous and try new sounds with the banjo, mandolin and drums. We ran the banjo and mandolin through guitar amps and added effects as well as using some electronic drum sounds, giving some added energy and a bigger sound than anything we’ve made before. If someone has been to one of our shows, our new record might make more sense to them. We wanted to make a record that would translate really well to our live show.
You guys recorded this album in two weeks! Can you talk a little bit about what the process was like?
We did! It was a speedy process but we liked that for this go around. Our producer, Dave Cobb, works quickly and wants to capture ideas the moment they come to fruition. We didn’t delay or take time to overthink any part of the record and because of that ended up with a very honest snapshot of where we were and what we were going through at the time. This is the 3rd record we’ve worked on with Dave and have gotten comfortable with his style which i’m sure contributed to getting things done in 2 weeks. He knows how to pull the best out of each of us individually and loves to try new things so we felt like he was the perfect fit for Folk Hop ’N Roll.
Where do you see Folk Hop ‘N Roll going? Do you see it ending up on the same charts as Kids These Days and Sweet Tennessee? Do you see it touching new genres? Creating a new genre for the pack to follow even?
There’s no knowing where this record will take us! I think it’s likely to be on some of the same charts we’ve been on but definitely see it moving into something new. The record is very much a new sound for us and maybe for people listening as well. Only time will tell if it becomes something new for people to follow but for now we’ll just keep playing the best shows we possibly can and making music thats honest to us.
Last year you guys played at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville twice - once with Mat Kearney and the other time with Ben Rector and you have a headlining show in February - is that a big deal for Judah & the Lion?
It’s a HUGE deal. Truly will be a dream come true. It was amazing to be able to play there and open for some of our favorite artists but to have our own show there and that people would show up is incredible. Each of us have hoped and dreamed that this day would come and now that it is on our calendar, we can’t believe it. So thankful for the opportunity to play at the Mother Church!
Since you’re the bearded one of the group does that make you the lion to Judah and the Lion?
Yes.
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