The Indie Rock Band, Colony House, Discuss Their Debut Album, Why They Love Johnny Cash and A Lot More!

The latest talented group to come out of Tennessee is the very awesome three piece indie-rock band, Colony House.

They released their debut studio album, When I Was Younger via Descendant Records on July 22nd.  The lead single from the collection is the infectious “Silhouettes”.

According to the lead singer/guitarist, Caleb Chapman, “Silhouettes is a steady reminder not to allow the dark moments in life to overshadow all the beautiful ones. It’s quite an interesting song and serves a very specific purpose on this record. For an album that has a fair amount of emotional twists and turns, this track is meant to be a constant.”

The band has a busy rest of the summer and fall on the road touring, promoting When I Was Younger with shows all over the US but they recently took some time to answer a few questions for me. Enjoy!

So when did you guys first decide that you wanted to be in a band together?

Me and by brother have been playing music together our whole lives… We have wanted to be in a band together for as long as I can remember. We met Scottie randomly about 4 years ago at my little sister’s birthday party and a week later he was playing guitar with us. Nothing has really changed since then.

How did the transition from ‘Caleb’ to ‘Colony House’ come about?

We just wanted a fresh start with this debut record. Nothing crazy went into the thought process. It was totally a branding thing.

We thought it would also be nice to have a band name that encompassed all three of us… thus Colony House (the apartment complex in Franklin, TN we all moved into when we started the band).

What ‘s the dynamic like having two brothers in the band?

Ah… the ole brother question. It’s about what you would imagine. A lot of stupid arguments followed by laughing and hugging. I believe that tension creates beautiful things… so having the brother dynamic is definitely a key ingredient in the Colony House sound. Me and my brother are best friends. We love each other a ton and want to see each other win in this life. I couldn’t imagine doing this any other way.

I have read that your band name comes from a humble apartment complex that at one point you all lived in. What makes that place so special?

Well for starters, it is in Franklin TN, the place where me and my brother were born and raised. And secondly we spent a lot of time in that place dreaming about the tours that we would hopefully one day be going on, the cities that we would hopefully be playing, and the people that would hopefully be hearing our music.

How has being from TN influenced the music you all make? Do you draw inspiration from other bands coming out of Nashville?

Tennessee has been home since day 1… literally. Our families are here, our friends are here, and so many memories have been made here. We write music about our lives and this is where our lives are and always have been.

There is so much great music coming out of Nashville these days… and the community of artists are the most supportive people in the world. It is really humbling to be cheered on by bands and songwriters that we are legitimate fans of. So yes, we definitely draw inspiration from both the music and the general spirit coming out of Nashville.

Congrats on the recent shout out in the newest People Magazine! That must have felt pretty awesome!

Haha… YA! It’s pretty crazy. I finally have something my little sister’s can show there friends to prove that there brothers aren’t just weird dudes holding on to their high school battle of the band days… (even though that’s exactly who we are)

You recently released your debut album, When I Was Younger! Congrats! How does that feel? What are some of the emotions you guys are feeling now?

It feels so good! We have had this record done for two years. So to finally be putting it out into the public feels like a huge relief / a nice breath of fresh air. The main emotions would be excited and thankful. Excited about all the kind things people are saying about our music and thankful for everyone who has been with us and encouraged us for such a long time.

What are your favorite songs on the album?

I would have to say, “Waiting For My Time To Come”, “Silhouettes”, and “Moving Forward“.

The lead single, “Silhouettes” is really breaking out right now. Can you explain to our readers how you guys decided to make that the lead single?

I think we all agreed that “Silhouettes” was a nice “hand shake” song, a warm “Nice to meet you,” if you will. We knew this record was coming out in the summer and it just really seemed like a roll your window’s down kind of tune.

What music are you listening to now? Any new artists out there that you are loving currently?

Hmmm… this is always a tough question. I have been listening to a lot of old Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, and Johnny Cash as of late. Our favorite record as a band that we have been listening to over the last couple of years now has been our friends Ivan and Alyosha’s “All The Time’s We Had” record. I’d say it is fair to still call them newish artists. But they are brilliant. We can’t wait for their next album!

Where do you get the inspiration for your music?

Family, Friends, Love, The joy’s in life as well as the sorrow’s. I could list a million different things… but those would be at the top of the list.

Living or dead, who is a musician that you would still love to work with and why?

Johnny Cash because he was an honest artist. There didn’t seem to be a glorious cover up for the hard life that he lived. I feel what he is saying in his songs even now decades after they were written and recorded. He was a man of faith and held fast to his convictions while still connecting with millions. Beyond that, he just seemed like someone that would have been cool to be around.

Watch this for more reasons why I would pick Johnny Cash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALGi0tcFCcw

When you aren’t performing, writing new material or shooting your reality series, what do you like to do for fun? How do you wind down?

We all have our own things… Me and Will like playing soccer with our brother-in-law whenever we get the chance when we are back in town. To wind down, however; nothing does a better job at that than a cigar and a glass of bourbon while sitting around the bonfire with our family and friends.