Colony House interview: Nashville band's new album, Ryman

Table Of Content

• An Oral History of Laurel Canyon, the 60s and 70s Music Mecca
• Colony House Live, Vol. 1
• Sources Gave an Update on Hugh Jackman's 'Love Life' After Fans Raised Concerns About His Well-Being
• Taylor Swift Charts 32 Songs on Hot 100, Including Every Track From ‘The Tortured Poets Department’
• Reynolds, McElhenney Bring Wrexham Playbook to Club Necaxa
• Colony House: Nashville rock band's new album is a love letter to Tennessee (and Opryland)

The Colony House is a rustic event venue featuring versatile indoor and outdoor spaces influenced by Anaheim’s craftsman style architecture. Finally, the Beatles and the Beach Boys influenced each other from across the Atlantic over several albums. The exchange began when Brian Williams of the Beach Boys sat down and listened to the Beatles' album Rubber Soul in awe. The record was a major inspiration for the layered tracks of Pet Sounds, while Pet Sounds was in turn an inspiration for the Beatles' next album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Some cities are rooted in music history, like Detroit with Motown or Seattle with grunge rock. “When we stopped trying to define ourselves, there was so much freedom in that when you’re not trying to stick on certain labels and creatively let you let you off the hook somehow,” he continued.

Colony House brings 'landlocked' surf rock to the Grand Ole Opry - Tennessean

Colony House brings 'landlocked' surf rock to the Grand Ole Opry.

Posted: Fri, 12 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

An Oral History of Laurel Canyon, the 60s and 70s Music Mecca

Chapman spoke to how being raised in Christian homes — especially the home of a very well-known Christian artist — shaped the band’s worldview. Chapman was very adamant that through the writing process of Cannonballers, Colony House realized they still have a lot left to learn. The bandmates revisited their old stomping grounds, taking in the Nashville skyline, attending shows at venues where they first started out, visiting the skate park for hours upon hours at, even catching up with old, old friends.

Colony House Live, Vol. 1

Books and documentaries have mythologized and romanticized this woodsy canyon nestled behind Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood Hills. “I’ve been trying to challenge myself as a songwriter to leave a few more dots in songs,” Chapman said. I think for me and the rest of the guys, the culture we grew up in made us feel like we need to filter things through a certain lens and find a definitive answer.

Sources Gave an Update on Hugh Jackman's 'Love Life' After Fans Raised Concerns About His Well-Being

The Ryman, of course, is another Nashville landmark filled with memories for Chapman, who sings of “chasing our dreams down the interstate” on the new album. He remembers going to shows often with his dad, and using funny names for their orders at San Antonio Taco Co. before the show. I’m like, ‘Man, if it’s a shadow, then it’s a nice shadow to be in because I just respect him so much,” Chapman says of their dad.

Taylor Swift Charts 32 Songs on Hot 100, Including Every Track From ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

Even the Beatles, who were the world's top band, were enthralled by the sounds coming out of sunny California. In the cultural consciousness, music from this forested neighborhood became as synonymous with flower power as the peace sign or the Woodstock music festival. The writing in particular brought out a wide range of emotions for the band. For Chapman, it was the first time he’d sat down to fully process a lot of changes he’d faced over the last decade. Growing up in their 20s, falling in and out of love, getting married, setting goals and watching their dreams come true alongside their best friends — it was an emotional season for the band.

Reynolds, McElhenney Bring Wrexham Playbook to Club Necaxa

One of the biggest lessons the band is still learning is who they want to be. Returning to their hometowns allowed them to reconnect with their younger selves in an empowering way. Over the years, Chapman shared, he found himself saying yes to things he hadn’t dreamed of, for better or worse. And while he’s happy with where he ended up, he’s entering a new season with a new perspective. As we were working on these songs, we all had smiles on our faces and tears in our eyes,” Chapman said.

Live Albums

Although the city center of Los Angeles was only a short drive away, the Laurel Canyon musicians skipped the clubs of the city and instead held house parties, took mind-expanding drugs and jammed together day in and day out. The free flow of ideas meant the musicians influenced one another, sometimes "stealing" musical concepts or ideas from one another — a kind of exchange that was embraced and accepted. It can be nerve-wracking to release songs that are full of questions instead of answers.

Colony House: Nashville rock band's new album is a love letter to Tennessee (and Opryland)

For more than a century, musicians have taken inspiration from “Wabash Cannonball,” a classic folk song popularized by Roy Acuff and The Carter Family. The album’s breakout single, “Silhouettes,” which was the most downloaded song on SiriusXM Alt Nation, led to their television debut later that year on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers. They followed up with their sophomore LP, Only the Lonely, in 2017, and their third album, Leave What’s Lost Behind, three years later.

The band has a surprising ‘60s-rock-inspired undercurrent, evident in the surf guitar licks, tightly wound melodies and peppy tempos of several “Cannonballers” tracks. Initially built in 1948 as a tractor factory, The Colony House is now a bespoke event space that can accommodate parties of up to 500 guests. The foyer with filament bulb light installation and custom entry wall design will make an impression. The Great Room’s bow truss ceiling is a centerpiece of the main event hall, while centuries-old wood planks on the stage create a timeless backdrop for ceremonies and performances.

In the film, Neil Young's departure from the band Buffalo Springfield marks the end of the Laurel Canyon scene. Neil Young is not interviewed in the film, but his guitar can be heard throughout it. As the credits on the film roll, recent footage of Young alone in a recording studio seems to symbolize how many Laurel Canyon musicians broke away to make music on their own. Until this period "bubblegum-pop" — a musical subgenre that emerged in the 60s and was targeted at teens — was the primary pop sound. But with the Laurel Canyon scene came a more sophisticated message, with socio-critical voices coming into prominence. Bands set lyrics by folk icons like Pete Seeger or Bob Dylan to music in new ways.

Chapman knows that fans often turn to music and artists for help figuring out life. Colony House fans have been integral to the success of the band from the very start, all the way back in 2009. While they were still in high school, brothers Caleb and Will Chapman teamed up with Scott Mills and Parke Cottrell to form their indie rock band. For over a decade, the Nashville-based band has traveled the world together, sharing their one-of-a-kind surf-rock sound with millions of fans.