Purity in music is lacking more often than not. Songs are overproduced, lyrics are contrived and there is just no depth to many songs these days. The Railers, however, has created a rounded out, pure, sweet southern sound that is different and refreshing.
Just seeing The Railers live it is evident that the band members have fun and really enjoy what they do. The passion that each band member puts forth when they perform is hypnotizing and will draw you in. The Railers have songs you can connect with, have fun with and dance to and the fun the band has on stage is easy to get swept up in.
Without seeing the band live you can still connect with the band via social media. They are all extremely accessible and endearing and their passion for their music is staggering. The band is willing to work morning, noon and night if it means its playing music. From doing the 24 hour road race with Hunter Hayes to touring to recording to making silly ‘Covers Undercover’ videos, this band is always playing and making music.
Pop-Break had the opportunity to speak with The Railers at FarmBorough about the insane adventure that was the 24 Hour Road Race with Hunter Hayes, playing shows with no sleep or no audience, how the band randomly ended up on Nashville, embracing how they are “idiots” and, of course, when we are getting new music.
I saw you guys when I covered the Hunter Hayes 24 Hour Road Race show and I was like I love them! You guys blew my mind. I was like The Railers, they totally won the show for me.
Jonathan Lawson: What show were you at?
Asbury Park, Stone Pony. You won the day for me. The one where they actually set the record. It was so late and I was like why am I here? And you guys played and that energy man. I loved it!
Jonathan: Yes! We were dead.
Cassandra Lawson: We were chugging red bulls in that truck on the way.
Jonathan: That day for us winded up with us being awake for 48 hours.
Cassandra: We had to play a show after that.
Jonathan: Get this, we got up that morning in Nashville and drove to Atlanta, got on a plane, flew to New York City, got in a Sprinter van, drove up to Connecticut then Asbury Park, Philly.
Jordan Lawson: Philly was the last show.
Jonathan: Got back on a plane, flew back to Atlanta, did a show with Corey Smith in Atlanta that day.
Cassandra: It was a wrap of a tour so we had an after party after.
Tyler Oban: They came in our dressing room and were like, ‘Don’t you dare fall asleep! We have an after-party!’
Jordan: You guys need four more hours!
Wow you guys don’t need any alcohol or anything! You were probably already loopy.
Jonathan: We were already drunk by the time the show just on life.
Oh my gosh, that’s crazy.
Jordan: Livin’ the dream.
Well if it makes you feel better you guys were totally awesome in Asbury Park.
Jordan: Thank you, thank you.
So did you guys ever expect to play a country music festival in New York City?
Tyler: No!
Jordan: This is awesome.
Cassandra: I’m so glad because it’s a whole new breed of country fans. Kind of poshy but fun and if they like something, they’re going to tell you. If they don’t like something, they’re going to tell you.
Jordan: They’re New Yorkers, yes.
We’re honest.
Cassandra: I love that!
Jonathan: For us, New York has a pretty special place because when we launched to do our band full time, Kenny at Bitter End, who is now dead, was like the first guy to book us as a band and so we came up and we did.
Cassandra: You say passed away, not dead.
Jonathan: Passed away, yeah.
Jonathan: We came up and did like a Wednesday at 3 o’clock.
Jordan: The club wasn’t even open yet.
Just for you guys?
Tyler: The door says like doors at 7 and we played at like 5 and…
Jordan: We’re like who does that? And so like the seven people we knew in New York, we’re like you should come right now.
Tyler: We made friends here and that night Kenny was like, ‘Tonight you’re the kings of New York. All the drinks are on me.’ He said, ‘This is your New York City home, anytime you want to play here you just call me.’
Jordan: He stayed true on it every time I’d call him I’d be like we’re coming through Thursday he’d be like okay I’ll move some bands around.
I know you guys do your ‘Covers Undercovers.’ I love them like I loved watching the one you guys did in DC, which I think was the Imagine Dragons song. That video, I was cracking up. I was like what are they doing? It was hysterical.
Jordan: It was alright!
How do you guys pick the songs and come up with those videos?
Cassandra: We’re just idiots.
Jordan: Don’t quote us on that.
Jonathan: You can quote us on that.
Jordan: We’re idiots?
https://youtu.be/h4rAb0OEHfk
Cassandra: We’re just goofy. We’re goofy people. To us, it’s more important being real to our fans than anything so why try to be all like oh I’m really cool when you’re just goofy.
Jordan: I think it was just a spur of the moment thing because we were just driving around DC we’re like okay we’ve got to film something and it was just spur of the moment. We just started talking like Canadians taking a tour of Washington DC.
Cassandra: Welcome to the White House.
Jonathan: And the house of the internet.
Jordan: All of our information was false.
I loved to see the President motorcade. That was delightful.
Jordan: That was the best.
I love the “Honey I’m Good.” Are you guys just kind of picking what’s hot right now or?
Jonathan: No. It’s what we like. It’s all stuff we like.
Cassandra: We’re all fans. It all depends on what’s our thing at the time.
Jonathan: It’s no fun playing a cover song that you don’t like!
Cassandra: I had to kind of force them to do Motownphilly.
I was right there with you! You guys obviously had your hit, “Kinda Dig the Feeling” on Nashville. How’d you hook that up?
Cassandra: We didn’t even know.
Jordan: That was a surprise to us.
https://youtu.be/Fl714hJcLlo
Really?
Jordan: Our managers called us the day before and was like, ‘Oh by the way, your song [is on the show].’
Tyler: [He said] ‘You should watch Nashville tomorrow night.’ We’re like why and they’re like because you’re going to be on it.
Jordan: We’re like, ‘Yeah I haven’t been caught up with the drama. I don’t know if I can watch this current episode without watching the previous ones that I missed.’
Tyler: I know that’s like spoiler alert!
I know! (bro)
Cassandra: But we were during a bar fight so I was pretty happy that it was in a really cool scene.
Well you guys did your EP about a year ago?
Jonathan: About a year ago.
When are we getting a full length album or a new EP?
Jonathan: We’re getting ready right now to go into our last round of recording.
Cassandra: We drive straight home tomorrow and then we go straight into writing for the last batch then we go straight into recording so we’re this close.
Jonathan: We’re hoping to have another single out in the next few months and then hopefully having a project out by the end of the year. That’s what we’re hoping so don’t quote us on that.
Tyler: We’re just a band here so!
Cassandra: Don’t call the label and be like no no they said!
For more on The Railers, check out their official website.
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