An Interview With The Trio of Three Brothers, COUNCIL On Their Latest Music Including Their Single ‘Born Ready’ That Was Recently Used for the FIFA 2019 Women’s World Cup Broadcast!

Get to know the band, Council!

This trio is made up of the brothers Patrick Reeves (vocals, bass, piano), Andy Reeves (guitar & backing vocals) and Doug Reeves (drums & backing vocals). They grew up farming on their family farm outside Syracuse, NY and taught themselves how to play and write at night after work.

They have put out one EP not too long ago and it was produced by Justin Gray and mixed by Mark Needham.

However, more recently, they released the single “Born Ready” on June 21st. It was produced and mixed by Matt Squire. It was used for FIFA 2019 Women’s World Cup Broadcast on Fox and for FIFA’s official use as well. It also will be used for the 2019 Men’s CONCAF Gold Cup.

Another single they currently have out now is “Rust to Gold.”

Check out the video here:

Council is singed with Forecast Agency, who represents brands, and is working with them to do high profile collaborations with companies like BOSE and Express. In fact, BOSE has agreed to sponsor their recent tour of NYC this spring and into this summer. All footage will be used on BOSE.com and their socials.

Check out other press and links on Council Here:

National Editorial Support

https://www.iheart.com/content/2019-05-29-council-opens-up-about-rust-to-gold-their-journey-as-a-band/

National YouTube Support

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baLRqq-sLys

Born Ready Link(New Release):

https://soundcloud.com/councilband/born-ready/s-zefhX

Spotify Link:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3N7z79Am2V9dxOxd8K2HVo

Learn more about Council in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! What is on tap for the rest of your day?

Pat: No problem at all, we are very familiar All Access so glad to be chatting.  Andy can correct me If I’m wrong but I think we are all headed back to do some more writing, where upon making my first suggestion Andy will tell me to leave, haha.

Andy: That actually is pretty accurate but we have a lot of songs on the back burner so writing is definitely the priority today and most days.

Now that we are into the 6th month of the year, how would you say that 2019 is treating the band so far? What have been some goals this group has had this year? How close are you to reaching them?

Doug:It has been going great. It feels like it’s going by so quick. We were finally able to release our official video of Rust to Gold, which was definitely on the list of things we wanted to do. We had some success with syncs like the Winter Olympics, both Mens and Women’s FIFA World Cups, American Idol etc and wanted to get that video to our fans. 

Pat: Some other goals were to release our song Born Ready and 2 more songs by the end of the year. We also wanted to sign with a agent, thus making our booking lives a lot easier.

Andy: We did just release Born Ready so that has been exciting. It’s received great support from Apple, which is huge for us. We are close on the agent ,but it hasn’t been one of those things that we dwell on because we were fortunate enough to  of book our own pop up tour around NYC for the summer and have BOSE sponsor it. It’s really been so much fun and made us realize how much we love to play with fans being able to literally be part of the show. 

Pat: I think we will also hit those other 2 releases and then , as any independent band would say, we’d love to secure a record/publishing deal.

Can you recall the moment when you thought you could be in this group together? Was it hard to think of a name that you could agree on? Has anything surprised you about this musical journey so far?

Pat: Yes, when we first picked up our instruments and none of us could play, we were having a drink and between the 3 of us we agreed we might just be the best band in the world. I knew that total disregard for common sense and lack of understanding of how hard it would be to learn how to play and write and sing would make for a perfect fit. 

Doug: I actually remember that but I think in my head I was more thinking I’ll get rid of the other 2. When the world hears my amazing singing voice I won’t need the baggage. I ended up the drummer, ha.

Pat: The name was quite a challenge and something most people not in a band don’t understand. You’re choosing your skin per say and it’s often times the fist thing anyone will ever know about your band.

Andy: We had tried so so many names and read into why they might be good and Pat brought up Council. He did give a solid pitch and did mention the roundtable and how we all make decisions together.

Doug: You could tell he really wanted it and honestly it was the best option so we all agreed that if anyone came up with something better we would switch it. We are still Council.

Andy: Our journey started with teaching ourselves to play so I’d have to say learning your instrument was something that at least to me was way more than I expected. I’m not a natural but I thought a year in Guitar Magazines would be writing about me and I can still go to any local Guitar Center and get pissed at the talent I see. 

Pat: There are no directions for starting a band so I think addressing singing a couple of years in caught us all off guard. It shouldn’t of but it did. If only we had a 4th brother the journey could of been much smoother than Andy and I doing tryouts to Doug to see whose the best of the worst. Very sad affair but I did edge him out.

Doug: The journey has so many ups and downs as well so I think that is surprising. One minute your song is being used around the world and you think you have finally turned the corner and you realize you’ve only just begun. For us it’s been better to always realize there is more work to do and never stop learning and taking advice. This makes the journey much more steady and tolerable.

How do you think your hometowns have influenced the sound and how you all carry yourselves in this group? If not, what do you think does influence this group?

Doug:  Coming from Baldwinsville, NY(just outside of Syracuse,NY) people are hard workers and genuine. I think we definitely fit that. We learned hard work early on from our dad and uncles on the farm and it has stuck with us in our musical career. 

Pat: I think we always feel like we have something to prove and I don’t know if that’s a hometown thing or setting our personal expectations so high. But, I think Upstate NY has persistence and resilience and those definitely are characteristics that apply to our musical journey and seep into how we carry ourselves.

Andy: I think as far as sound it was mainly influenced by our dad’s taste in music. We liked what he liked and he played music from the 50’s on to what was current. He had a massive record collection of 45’s and normal records and would play music for hours and ask us about the lyrics and how we felt when certain songs played.

Pat: Looking back it’s pretty amazing because growing up all 3 of us were athletes. None of us touched musical equipment and the only musical person in the house was our sister Kim.(We have 2 sisters Kim and Kelly) But our dad would continue to spend time introducing us to old and new music and giving us his thoughts on why certain songs worked and didn’t work. To grow up watching and listening to The Who, Queen, Neil Diamond, Meat Loaf, The Bee Gees, and U2 we were fortunate. It’s something we now draw upon when writing because we can go back to those songs and we all speak the same musical language.

I always like to ask bands if you all hang out socially apart from the music? In other words, when you aren’t working on music, do you guys enjoy hanging out for fun? As brothers, I am sure you do!  😊

Pat: That is a interesting question. And no surprise we do hang out together. We are literally attached at the hip so if you or anyone else wants to hang out with me I’d love to get a break from these guys.

Doug: Yes, take him off our hands. 

Andy: We do but they I try to avoid those two chuckle heads.

Let’s about your newest music. What has been inspiring you guys lately?

Andy: I think in general the amount of music being put out and how all genres have been blending together has been so inspiring. For example, if you’re listening to an Alternative station/playlist it has pop, urban and even EDM aspects. It’s great to be able to listen to all types of music and see that sticking to a formula isn’t the rule anymore.

Pat: I agree with that as well. Inspiration for me has been coming from putting on playlists that I’d never normally put on and finding all the great work being done on these tracks. It makes you want to up your game. That wouldn’t be so prevalent if everyone was forced to stick to their certain genre and not incorporate other genres. It’s a great time to be a artist for that reason.

Doug: I think also we always use personal aspects in our music and that is the one constant. Inspiration can come from life experience, failures, love etc and that inspiration will usually always be around for us to draw from in one way or another.

How does it feel to have your new song, “Born Ready” be used for the FIFA 2019 Women’s World Cup Broadcast on Fox and for FIFA’s official use too? How did this particular song come together? Could you have ever predicted that it would be used for something like FIFA?

Andy: It feels amazing. Always is surreal that people like what you are doing and then use it for the world to hear.

Pat: It’s always a surprise when a sync happens and always feels great. This song started with Andy laying down a very dirty synth. It was something darker and actually less melodic than we had previously been doing.

Andy: I had this idea in my head but I think Doug and Pat were kind of like “what does he see in this?”

Doug: Once that was down and Andy had developed some lyrical ideas I was able to drop some hip hop loops underneath to create a vibe.

Pat: We had the title from a discussion we had like a year before and I was like let’s direct the lyrics to this title. We knew we wanted to describe that feeling of being run over(figuratively) by life and having a moment of self empowerment when you say to yourself “I was born for this. I’m Born Ready to take all this sh.. that is thrown my way and get the best of it and thrive.”

Doug:Of course none of us would of predicted the syncs. We are usually writing thinking this is something that people can relate to. But with that way of thinking you inevitably write something that works on many different levels. 

Pat: Being former athletes we knew once the song had the bones fleshed out that the song was a pump up type of anthem so we were just hoping people would see that it’s a call to embrace who you are and who you think you are born to be. 

Can you talk about some other songs that you have put out? What are some that you are especially proud of today?

Doug: I think the song ‘Rust to Gold’ is something that we are all extremely proud of . It was our first release and really started things for us. It has been used in a lot of big events and that is something that you can’t ever predict. It was our first taste of some success and I think gave us the confidence to continue on the journey.

Pat: Definitely Rust, and ‘Rise above it All.’ Rise came at a time when we were doubting if we made the right choice leaving the farm and we were cramped in a 1 bedroom in NYC and just looking for any reason to go back home. The song came along quickly and definitely was a bio of sorts so I think that type of transparency is something we can look back on and be proud of.

Andy: Just to be different I’ll say ‘All For You.’ These were all songs off our first EP. ‘All For You’ again continued that theme of being transparent and I think let fans know how vulnerable we were feeling at the time. Whether it was through break ups or doubting our decision to move to NYC it was all there in blood on the EP.

Did anything surprise you about the process of putting together your debut EP? How long did it all take?

Pat: I think how professional a song could sound surprised us. We were so used to our demos and when we worked with producer Justin Gray these songs really took life and had a feel that we couldn’t achieve without his help. He’s a monster in the studio and really brings out the best in the people he works with.

Andy: I think what surprised me was how many decisions need to be made good or bad. Song choice, what sound you ultimately are looking for, song order etc. I had thought about these things but not as deeply as we ended up doing.

Doug: For me it was not over listening to the versions of the song as they went through the process. Justin warned us not to listen to the first round of production on the songs because you end up thinking it’s either changed to much or you love it and don’t want it to change more. Well there was constant change all the way up to Mark Needham’s amazing mixing job and  I was definitely an over listener. 

Pat: The whole process was actually pretty quick. We did pre-production for a couple of days with Justin and spent about a week recording. Some in his home studio and the rest at East West studios. 

Andy: East West has such a storied past and it was amazing to be in the rooms where legendary artists were recording some of their biggest hits.

Generally, how do you go about writing your music? Do you write together or separately?

Pat: Usually I’ll start it off with a chord progression or a sample or something that gets Andy’s attention. He’s hard to win over, ha. Then he, and this is 100% true, kicks me off of the very song I started as not to ruin it. 

Andy: Well you make it sound worse than it is. But yes essentially If it’s something I’m into then I don’t want to hear his lyrical ideas or melodies until I get going and I tell him to go find something else to do for a while. 

Pat: I concede usually because I think it’s cool to have him liking what I came up with and I think he usually comes at it from such a different way than I do. That’s what makes it more interesting.

Doug: Once there is a chord progression or synth etc I’ll either drop in loops or samples and create a vibe for the track. I may go to the drum set to show Pat and Andy what i’m thinking. It’s sometimes easier than punching in drums.

Andy: Once that all happens we put a working title on our white board and it’s open season for anyone to work on. Usually we wait till we are feeling inspired and we’ll all go write lyrical ideas and start working on more specific melodies. Usually it’s a process. It’s not that it’s a stiff process it’s more of the fact we usually have multiple songs we are doing so we find its best to work on the material you are most excited about.

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

Doug: I love being on stage. I love seeing the songs we spent so much time with come alive. It’s such a great feeling.

Pat: I love being on stage and equally love writing new music or the process of it. It’s like you never know what you’re going to end up with and that feeling is exciting.

Andy: Alone, far away from these guys where I can be with my thoughts and just be. 

Pat: Always have to be difficult.

Andy: I knew he’d say that. I think on stage is where the action is. It’s where the song comes to life and where emotionally you can connect with people. It’s a special place.

Where can fans see you perform next? What do you think makes for an ideal show for this group? What has been a favorite show of yours in the past? What has it been having BOSE sponsoring your NYC tour?

Doug: We perform multiple times this week from Penn Station, Central Park and Union Square on our pop up tour. We also have a July 8th show at Port Authority Sing For Hope stage from 5-7 pm. Feel free to show up and be on the stage with us. We will be doing this all summer. So if you see three guys with instruments and look remarkably similar then you are in the right place.

Pat: An ideal show would be where every fan knows our songs and we are able to interact with them. A lot of our show is moving around so we really love being close to people. We have been opening for bands like the Strumbellas, so often times we go out there and try to win them over. They haven’t heard our songs so we want the songs to come across as close to the album as possible and to give them a show.

Andy:  I think playing with the All American Rejects was my favorite show. Not only because it was sold out and for 2 nights but because the crowd really embraced us both nights and took us to a place we hadn’t been.

Pat: I loved those shows. I think also some bar shows like at The Delancey or The Bitter End where early on no one came out to see us and yet we still played like we were playing to an arena. It’s in those moments we grew and agreed there are no nights off because we didn’t get the crowd we were expecting.

Doug: I would have to say our most recent show with the Strumbellas. Come on guys it was our homecoming. We just played on June 29th and the support from our hometown was amazing. More than we could ever expected. I need a moment to talk to these two. I don’t know how they could answer any different.

Pat: Yes, Yes Bose. So it has been amazing. We actually had developed this pop up tour idea with a friend, Allison Krupke. We had worked it out and to make it happen we realized we are going to need help. It’s not easy to do this type of show with just a traditional amp or PA. BOSE stepped in and gave us top of the line equipment that couldn’t be more perfect for this tour. It enabled us to hit every aspect of NYC in a very organic way. 

Doug: Having such a big name sponsor I think also helped open some peoples eyes as to what we are doing and how it really can be the future for up and coming bands to get exposure. We couldn’t be more happy to have them and their support.

Andy: Buy BOSE everything, haha.

Pat:Dynamite drop in Andy

How has social media impacted this band? How often are you all on your different sites interacting with fans?

Doug: Our achilles heal, social media. For us social media has actually been a bit of both good and bad. In the past we haven’t been dedicated to creating content or posting everyday etc. For us, so much of our time was spent learning music(I’m talking in general the instruments, theory, how to write, writing etc ) that we thought aww don’t worry about posting it won’t matter. We were wrong. It does matter a lot and we have now made it a priority.

Pat: Yeah, I think we didn’t realize how much social media could add to all the hard work we were doing behind the scenes. You work hard to have a chance for your music to be heard. Now we interact literally everyday across all platforms. Fans are everything to us. In fact it goes fans, god, good pizza, family than music. Specifically in that order, haha. 

Andy: Putting Pat’s stupid joke aside, interacting with the fans has become one of the best aspects to being a musician. They are passionate and insightful and inspire us to work harder.

We are currently living through a very trying and politically charged time right now so I am curious to know how you all think being musicians and in this band still gives you the most joy in life today? Do you find that your music is an escape to all the current events?

Doug: That is why you’re so good at your job. Great question. I’ll answer both together and say yes it is 100% an escape and still brings me the most joy. I want to say escape as in I’m or we aren’t turning our back on what’s going on around us. We are looking for the best way to put to words and music how we are feeling in relation to the current events.

Pat: We definitely are very opinionated on politics but I think we are better at always creating hope no matter the current landscape. We call it dark optimism. It’s putting reality into a catchy melody and music but often times the words and their meanings extend deep and are far reaching. Our music is a place to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a universal theme of the good will prevail.

Andy: Yeah, unfortunately today events don’t just end with hurt feelings they end in loss of life or blood shed or more division. To some extent it has always been going on but it definitely feels more charged today. Music is the great uniter and if we can play just a tiny role in giving hope or help someone get through a tough time or help someone find their own strength in the middle of this chaos well then we can say we are lucky.

What musicians have really been inspiring you since you first started making music?

Doug: I know they’ll agree and I’d say U2. I think they have been relevant for so long and have such a voice. They are political in a way that is team humanity. 

Pat: Although I like to disagree with Doug I would agree. You feel their passion in their music. Live, Bono is the best in the business. He’s all heart and emotion and although he catches a ton of sh.. he has done more for causes like Aids and third world debt than most countries. You have to tip your hat to a guy that can be so busy and still be on top of the music world after this many years.

Andy: Again I’m going to agree with that. No surprise there but I have an excuse we were raised together. Also, I’m going to say The Who. Pete Townsend is a genius who possess another world guitar talent. Their whole band is just incredible and they hit you in the face with their music and attitude.  

Doug: How could we not talk about Oasis. We have to give them some love. They are the brother band that inspired most I would say. Love their music and attitude. We can relate to the problems they have with each other. They kind of give you permission to be you and that’s why fans loved them.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

Pat: Not to sound cheesy but hope and optimism. We started this band to get more out of life than we had. To have that desire that we could do something great if we kept at it. I hope people see themselves in us and in our music and realize that no matter how many times you go down you have to get back up and eventually you will Rise above.

Andy: I hope fans see that we are being honest with them. Know that we sit there and put our experiences and thoughts into our songs in hopes that it resonates with them. This world is full of commonality. What we are going through is not completely unique to us. It’s essentially a lot of peoples stories and we are fortunate enough to tell it.

Doug: I feel like they both stole my answer. But I think clearly we want there to be optimism in the lyrics and empowerment. We like to tell that David vs Goliath story and we all know how it ends. 

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about this group?

Pat: This band is 3 brothers who want to set the World on Fire.