An Interview With The Folk-Rock Band, FATHER MOUNTAIN!

Photo Credit: David OD

Father Mountain is the best band you haven’t heard of yet, combining the vocal stylings of Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard with the buzzy emo vibes of Turnover. Add in The American Scene-esque hooks and you’ve got their brand new single, “Friends,” streaming now over on NYLON: https://goo.gl/ECcGYa

Their debut album, Apartment Living, will be out tomorrow on November 10th. It was produced/engineered by Matt McClellan (Being As An Ocean,  My Iron Lung, Capsize) at Atlanta’s Glow in the Dark Studios, and mastered by Jesse Cannon (The Cure, Animal Collective, The Menzingers, The Misfits, Basement, Brand New, Bad Books, etc.). It is an album that It spans genre classifications, embracing aspects of guitar rock and pop, which allows Father Mountain to resist being aesthetically pigeonholed.

Learn more about Father Mountain in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time today! Where does this interview find the band? Is there music playing in the background? If so, what is it?

Zane: Thanks for having us. Currently, I’m using my lunch break at work to catch up on old episodes of the podcast Radiolab. Austin and I work at a print shop here in Nashville. Podcasts and audiobooks really help the day go by when you need it to.

Austin: Father Mountain has been rather fluid over time, with a bunch of great friends filling out the rhythm section for Zane and me before Travis and Jesse permanently settled into the band. In the early days, we settled on our name in what might be the most classic way.

We threw around a bunch of names until we found something that sounded right. It doesn’t carry any particular significance for me, but I like to think it has the potential to become substantive for listeners. That said, I hope anyone listening to our music allows themselves the space to form their own idea of the name. I hope Father Mountain can become an epithet for the way our music makes you feel.

What are some words you would use to describe 2017? How differently did you all approach this year? What have been some highlights of the year?

Zane: challenging and exciting are the first two that came to mind. We had planned to have the album out in the spring but the timeline kept warping and stretching, the anticipation really started to weigh us down. But the record comes out in a couple weeks and I’m pretty stoked for people to hear it. We had the opportunity play a rad showcase at SXSW on our first venture down there and venture north up to Canada, which really just makes me excited to see what 2018 has for us.

Looking back on how you all decided to form this band, what do you think first made you all think you could do this and make music together?

Zane: oh I really have no idea. It just felt right. Originally the plan was to flesh out and write 5 songs before the group of us parted ways on different things we were pursuing. It just kind of made sense (and quite literally everything started to fall in to place) to keep writing the more we Austin and I would play together, which led to where FM is now.

How did you all first meet each other and come up with your band name? What other band names were you considering? How do you think your name sums up who you are and the kind of music that you make?

Austin: Father Mountain has been rather fluid over time, with a bunch of great friends filling out the rhythm section for Zane and me before Travis and Jesse permanently settled into the band. In the early days, we settled on our name in what might be the most classic way.We threw around a bunch of names until we found something that sounded right. It doesn’t carry any particular significance for me, but I like to think it has the potential to become substantive for listeners. That said, I hope anyone listening to our music allows themselves the space to form their own idea of the name. I hope Father Mountain can become an epithet for the way our music makes you feel.

How do you think you have all been influenced by being from your hometowns? Do you think that it has affected your music?

Zane: My parents moved us a lot when I was younger, which led to me moving and traveling a lot when I left home at 18. While nothing is all encompassing, the experiences definitely shaped the way I write with the group. I lived in fear of putting down roots for a long time, and that made understanding home very challenging and I feel it certainly has overflowed on us as a whole.

How excited are you all to be releasing your debut album “Apartment Living” next month? Did anything surprise you about the whole process? Were there any unexpected challenges?

Zane: Oh man, we are really overjoyed for it to be released. The whole process is something I still feel very much a part of, and I haven’t even had a chance to digest it all. It really is a full time job, on top of your full time job, and it’s all been worth it.

I know it’s hard to choose but what are some of your favorite songs on this album? Can you talk about how a few of them came together for you? What was inspiring you to make this collection?

Zane: Interestingly enough, other than the song “Closer” the album was written in the order you hear it. When I wrote grey and shared with everyone what it was about, it was decided that the record would continue telling the story started there. It isn’t a concept album or anything, it’s 10 songs written over 10 weeks reflecting on the past, our present and our desire for understanding, growth and clemency moving forward.

Alabaster is always a go-to for me because the original demo was (essentially) a completely different song. It’s still fun to listen back and hear the differences.

Now that the summer is over, what was something fun or exciting that this band did or tried? Did you get a chance to play out live much?

Austin: The last year has been a whirlwind for us. Last summer, we were finishing the writing process and preparing to head into the studio with Matt. This summer, we had the chance to play a whole host of new cities and meet a ton of new friends. We crossed an international border for the first time, and made some great memories in Canada. More than anything, most of our exciting milestones have been private this year. We got new jobs, secured raises, and saw small goals realized. We completed the transition to make Father Mountain the focal point of our lives. We had a lot of amazing opportunities to meet new friends and try out new songs, but we spent most of our time laying the groundwork for what we hope is a memorable record release.

Where do you think you are all happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere?

Zane: Nothing compares to yelling your heart out and giving it your all. In front of 20 or 200, in tune or out of tune. It’s often hard for me to get out of my own head and observe the world around me, but you keep pushing through trying to connect with others in clarity and if I had to look at music as my job, those moments would be my two week vacation.

How do you think being a musician and in this band gives you all the most joy in life today? With everything going on in the world today, how do you think your music is a reflection of these times?

Austin: To be honest, being a musician isn’t always the most joyful aspect of my life. It is, however, a way to engage with the world around me and present my voice to the world. When the news creates more fear than joyfulness, I see our music as a way to engage in conversation with the larger community. We are not a particularly political band, but I think the issues that penetrate our lives find their way into our music and, ultimately, into our conversations on the road. In a way, I hope art in general can serve as the antidote to a polarized society. I find tremendous joy in the idea that our music can serve to connect people.

Who are you all listening to these days? What artists have continued to inspire you and your music? Who would you absolutely love to work with in the future?

Zane: I’ve been kind of all over the place recently, but my current 3 in rotation are Noname, Microwave, and Rex Orange County. I’ve never given much thought to it, but It would be a dream to work with Scott Hutchison or Damien Rice. Both have had a huge part to play in the way I experience music, so, fingers crossed?

How do you think being a musician gives you the most joy in life today?

Austin: To be honest, being a musician isn’t always the most joyful aspect of my life. It is, however, a way to engage with the world around me and present my voice to the world. When the news creates more fear than joyfulness, I see our music as a way to engage in conversation  with the larger community. We are not a particularly political band, but I think the issues that penetrate our lives find their way into our music and, ultimately, into our conversations on the road. In a way, I hope art in general can serve as the antidote to a polarized society. I find tremendous joy in the idea that our music can serve to connect people.

-What advice would you give to a young band just getting started today?

Zane: Put your ego, your pride and all that selfish nonsense aside. Being in a band is both like starting a new friendship and building a business. It takes hard work, and even more diligence. Work together and be humble, and when you aren’t being humble…. be humble.