Back in December of 2024, I was granted the privilege to review an album by The Erly titled “Salem Lights”, originally released on September 4th, 2024. I would love for you all to give that album a listen, as well as read my review HERE! But now, we are back for a short write-up about the music video for their song “Let It Roll”. This music video was released on April 25th, 2025 and stars all four members of The Erly (Collin Mattiford, Trevor McDonald, Fran Gleason, Simon Kauffman Hurst). I would also like to acknowledge the incredible crew that came together to create such a well-done, beautifully cinematic video:
Director: Gabe Brusky
Director of Photography: Loki Ferno
Editor: William Kaftan
1st AD: Luca Clesceri
1st AC: Kyen Ditzenberger
Gaffer: Max Kinstler
Best Boy: Riley Killian
Production Assistants: Cory Chu, Terry Lee
To be clear, this “review” portion will mostly be focused on summarizing the video (however, you should just go watch the video for yourself, because words will not do it justice, and a lot of amazing people came together to make this piece of art and it is worth a watch!) opposed to a straightforward review of the song specifically; as mentioned before, if you'd like to read my thoughts on the song (and the entire album), you can read the post I previously published for The Erly. This article will primarily be focused on giving flowers to the music video, as well as having a very nice chat with the band during our interview, which was absent from our last review. Now that I've gotten that all out of the way, I am incredibly excited to talk about the “Let It Roll” music video! This video opens with a shot of an ice-filled glass being poured with liquor, cutting to Collin drinking alone as the bartender is quick to refill the glass. As Collin descends the stairs to a bowling alley, there are spliced in visuals of the band performing their song. Collin saunters through a moderately populated alley and is reunited with Fran, Simon, and Trevor, all decked out in their matching blue and white striped bowling attire. For a relatively simple premise, the attention to details and shot compositions in this video are absolutely astounding. The lighting, the wardrobe, the acting, the set decoration, the variety of shots, the editing, and so much more, are all done spectacularly; every single aspect of this music video oozes absolute professionalism and perfection. As Collin picks up his bowling bowl and “lets it roll”, the gang gives a standing ovation and a stagnant Collin turns around to display a grand smile. There are recurring shots of this half-drank glass edging the corner of a table, waiting to come crashing down, and parallels are drawn through match cuts of the lone glass into being sipped on at the bar. The smoky, orange atmosphere of the band performing is stunning and perfectly encapsulates the environment of an old-school, dingy bowling alley, but with a fantastic aesthetic and gorgeous coloration. Collin displays an absolutely infectious smile as his friends cheer him on and I absolutely love the division between the blue accents of the bowling ball and uniforms partnered with the orange scenery. The glass of alcohol finally topples over, all the ice has melted by this point, as recurring strikes are X'd on the score sheet. I believe this is a visual metaphor to establish that Collin's character does not have the urge to drink when he is surrounded by people and passions that he loves, but when everyone leaves and the lights shut off, it's back to the darkness for him. I imagine I'll just be repeating myself at this point, but I really cannot express how amazing this video is. It captures a comforting, yet somber, nostalgic vibe, drone shots are used to an incredible extent, I really can't say enough positive things about it all. I would love for all of you to check out the video, and please continue reading down below for my interview with the members of The Erly and stars of this music video, I am confident they'll have some wonderful and fascinating insight and stories to share about this entire process.
Interview:
Hey, guys! It's so good to have you here to tell me all about your art today. I absolutely loved this music video, as well as your album “Salem Lights”! When did the concept for this video first arise, and who was the original instigator of this idea?
Trevor: Back in October we were on tour for “Salem Lights” where we met a ton of wonderful people like yourself. We landed on our third to last stop on tour in Milwaukee called the Falcon Bowl. With help from our friend Kevin Vargo we were able to put on our show in this little green-room deemed the “Falcon Nest.” We got to talking with the manager about how sweet and old school the place was. After a couple schlitz we wandered down to the basement where they house the 6th oldest bowling alley in the country. We took one good hard look and loved the vibe. I don’t even think it took us hitting the stairs to agree we should shoot a music video for let it roll. I’ll admit, I believe I was the one that made the joke cause bowling/ rolling you know?
Collin: Fran was the "original instigator" for the video. After seeing the bowling alley in the basement, the idea started forming to film a music video around the concept of a game of bowling.
Fran: Thanks for having us back! We were on tour, promoting our new album Salem Lights, and had a show at The Falcon Bowl in Milwaukee. After load-in and sound check, we wandered downstairs into the bowling alley. It only took one glance to realize it was perfect for a music video. Our song “Let It Roll” immediately came to mind. The song would not only match the scenery perfectly, but also felt like the perfect personification of Salem Lights. So, to make a music video in such a historic spot for this song in particular made us very excited.
This video has an incredible aesthetic and atmosphere, however there are certainly some melancholy undertones, in your own words please tell me what this video means to you and how you've each interpreted it.
Gabe (Director): A lot of the visual atmosphere came from our decision to shoot at Milwaukee’s historic Falcon Bowl. Operating since 1915, it has a distinct character that’s hard to find in most modern bowling alleys. We didn’t use any elaborate lighting setups—just a few accent lights here and there. I wanted the space itself to carry most of the visual weight. The wood paneling and intimate layout created a perfect setting to reflect the tone of the song. To me, the song feels like a reflection on the speaker’s past as they come to terms with their lifestyle. The room’s bright, saturated orange casts their vices in a warm, almost comforting light. I aimed to reflect this unreliable narrator—he fills his score sheet with strikes, even though we see him throwing gutter balls. He’s disconnected from the people around him, lost in his own world. As the video ends, the alley lights shut off, but he remains there, unmoved.
Collin: The video itself deals with going through emotional lows while basking in external highs. As seen through the fake smiles after getting strike after strike.
Fran: I think Gabe and his crew did a great job of depicting something relatable for a wide array of experiences. For me, the video portrays commitment to decisions made, good or bad, and how one has to roll the dice, roll the bowling ball, and double down in life. I believe the main character (Collin in the music video) is having a hard time with the burden of making such decisions. He’s surrounded by a crowd cheering him on, but he feels alone, not quite sure how to navigate life. He turns to booze, gambling, any vice to just escape what may come with strikes and gutterballs. The highs and lows.
Trevor: Let it roll depicts the main character going through the motions of sanity and self. If you had a good game or a bad game (made a good choice or bad choice in life) you still have you in the end. I like to think the ending is still open to interpretation. Us being the band yet also the bowling team in the video shows a very real-life scenario. We do enjoy going out together outside of band practice and touring for the occasional drink, catching a show, and on special occasions, we started enjoying bowling. I made it a point on the list of my bachelor party that we start at the bowling alley, and we have been hooked to play together ever since. Let it roll and the game of bowling genuinely go hand-in-hand. Much like letting life take its course, in bowling after the ball leaves the hand it really could make any decision. Though the player was the one that guided the ball down the alley the ball could make a last-minute choice, so you are left to just let the ball roll. I’d like to think it compares to the choices made leading up to a decision in life. You are the controller of that narrative, and if you don’t like the anticipation of an outcome you got to let it roll. With bowling you always get another frame and see your outcome so far. If its all success you almost wonder, “Did I deserve this?”
You had quite the crew working with you to bring this video to fruition, how did you come across all these talented people? Do you have any fun stories about anyone throughout the process? Is there anything special that someone brought to the table that you would like to shed light on?
Gabe: This was such a fun set to direct. The crew was a great mix—veterans of the Milwaukee film scene, friends from film school, and a few people who had just started their film journeys. Everyone brought their own energy and enthusiasm, which made for a really low-stress environment. That, to me, was the best part. One thing I really appreciated was how collaborative the process felt. Everyone was eager to pitch in, problem-solve, and make the video better in any way they could. It created a relaxed but focused atmosphere that made the shoot a joy to be part of.
Collin: We met Gabe, the director of our video, through Kevin, a regular booker at Falcoln Bowl. He's been helping The Erly for a while and was able to help us get in touch with Gabe. We had to get strikes for the video. I attempted 3, just to practice, and couldn't get any.
One of the crew members walked up and proceeded to get strike after strike. They got their shots pretty quickly once he started. The crew were very chill but very professional.
They were able to get a full rail track for the camera set up in a matter of minutes.
It was really cool to watch them move things around for each shot.
They all worked great together as well.
Both with us and with each other.
When someone needed something done, it was done.
Trevor: That also was largely due to Kevin Vargo behind the scenes. He got us connected with Gabe Brusky. We had a call with Gabe and all that we knew was that we would have a couple filmers, some extras, and a storyboard written for the day of shooting. It was all music to our ears because we knew it was going to be a wonderful time filming! A lot of the people behind the scenes were colleagues of Gabe so we had very little to worry about with sourcing. Most everyone we filmed with that day, we met that day. Bright and early on a cold Sunday morning in January. He certainly is the unsung hero of the music video. All those excellent shots you see are his. “The bowler” Gabe needed 3 shots, A strike, an average shot, and a gutter. It was pretty entertaining watching a filmer operate a drone to follow the ball down lane. I think we captured decent reactions but an actual strike is pretty hard to recreate. You almost have to over accentuate for it to be convincing on camera, so watching Collin absolutely gutter off camera and then we cheer was rather ironic. The scene where the drink is falling off the score table consists of: Gabe himself shaking the table (which you can see in frame), me on one side holding a towel under the table, another guy holding the other side of the towel and then I believe Luca or Loki filming less than inches from me. After we finished up filming we did catch a quick couple pitches down the lane and wow was it old and wonky. You would have to accommodate for the slope in the lane. A genuine strike on that lane became all the more impressive. My final tid-bit on behind the scenes is mind you it is an authentic bowling alley so we were advised to wear bowling shoes just to be on the lane, pretty funny to watch filmers and light crew move around either in bowling shoes or just socks.
Fran: We met the director, and now good pal, Gabe Brusky, through our behind the scenes operator, Kevin Vargo. We gave Gabe the green light to bring on his incredible crew. Everyone was super professional, friendly, and creative. We were there to accomplish a super intense task: finish the music video before the bar at Falcon Bowl opens. It was a major feat and everyone brought their A-Game. They certainly made our (the band) job easy. Lots of great memories from filming. It’s hard to narrow down. It was amazing and hilarious watching the stand-in bowler for Collin, who you see landing strikes and spares on screen. Since the bowling alley is still in its original state from the early 1900s, it took the bowler a minute to adjust to how different the lanes were made back then. Kevin Vargo was definitely the chaperone for Falcon Bowl, so it was funny seeing him get on us about wearing bowling shoes in certain areas (understandably so). But to be honest, to be there watching the professionals doing their jobs to film and set up scenes was such a treat. I’m so happy to have just been a part of this and it was incredible to see what they could do for our song, Let It Roll.
I love the concept, the song itself, and the execution, it looks like it would have been such a blast to film this. How did you acquire the location? How long did it take to film? Were you all pleased with your silent acting? Were there any nerves going into the filming of this video? Tell me all about your experience!
Gabe: Thanks to some solid pre-production, I felt confident going into the shoot—we had a clear vision and knew we’d be able to get some great-looking images. The only nerves came from the time constraint. We had a six-hour window to shoot everything, which can be tight. But it ended up being just enough time, thanks to a focused crew and some great extras. Everyone worked smoothly together.
We did have to scrap a few shots that involved rolling a dolly down the lanes. Out of respect for the condition of the lanes and safety concerns, we decided it just wasn’t feasible. But overall, it was a smooth and productive shoot.
Collin: We were able to get Falcoln Bowl through Kevin. He books bands there regularly and was able to reserve a day for us. All in all, it took upwards of 10 hours. We were pretty much on schedule all day. Never too far behind or ahead. A very productive day.The acting was pretty fun. The only things we had to focus on correctly were the shots where we played the song.
Everything else was just done one step at a time. No real nerves were ever felt. Whether it was the band shots or the bowling and bar shots, it all felt like a natural process. I had to be in each scene. But it was basically bar shots, bowling shots, and then band shots. A very relaxed but fun day.
Fran: If I was in Collin’s shoes, I probably would’ve been nervous, as he was the main actor in this video. Simon, Trevor and myself were definitely more of a supportive cast. Everyone on set was very welcoming, though, so nerves were never an issue. I just had a lot of fun. Collin knocked it OUT OF THE PARK with his acting.
Trevor: Thank you, yes it was quite fun to record! It was a rather easy going experience; we didn't really have to lift a finger for much. It was a good 8-10 hour day. I think we started at 8 and wrapped up around 6. It's pretty hard to pull out the acting that early in the day. Mind you though it looks like night time most of this was filmed between 10-11 in the morning with the performance stuff closer to the afternoon. I think our only nerve was getting everything we needed in a timely fashion and what we were working with. Once we got going it was really just sitting back and watching this giant crew move in unison. Thankfully they had some time to set up in the morning. We left Valparaiso, IN at about 5 in the morning and trekked up 3 hours and were able to get a bit to eat while they set up.
Are you all fans of bowling in general? Are any of you any good, or did it take you hundreds of takes to get a strike on camera? Approximately how many gutterballs were shot throughout the duration of filming?
Gabe: I’m definitely a fan of bowling, though I don’t get out to do it as much as I’d like—haha. I think I peaked at around 18 years old when I got a turkey and bowled a 160. These days, I’m usually fighting to break 100. Filming the gutter ball shots was a lot easier than filming the strike, especially since I wanted a few clean strike shots for coverage. I think just about everyone on the crew got a chance to try for a strike, which made it a fun part of the day. It took us about 20 to 25 takes to nail the shot we needed.
Collin: We all enjoy a casual game of bowling. We're not league players by any stretch of the word, but we all have fun with a good game once and a while. There were probably around 10 strikes throughout the course of the shoot.
Trevor: It was something we had talked and joked about for years that we should go bowling. We finally scratched that itch about a year back now when I had a bachelor party. We had such a blast of course we questioned why it took us so long to come around to the idea. We found it wasn’t completely out of context to shoot a bowling alley style music video as bowlers. When we get older I could definitely see us frequenting our local spot by the name of Chippewa Bowl in South Bend, IN. I think 90% of the balls we actually bowled were definitely gutters at Falcon Bowl. That lane was like an obstacle course. So yeah we were definitely not the strikers for the music video. My guess was probably no more than 8 rolls were a strike for the actual guy rolling.
Fran: I absolutely love bowling, but I am nowhere near good at it. I am lucky to even get more than one spare or strike a game, but I have a blast sucking at bowling. It’s more about hanging out with the buds and having a good time rather than being good at it! I did not partake in bowling while the cameras were on, but afterwards, all of my attempts ended in the gutter.
You also have a music video for “55 On The Other Side” which is off of the same album as “Let It Roll”. How did you decide which songs you wanted to film music videos for? Were there a lot of discussions or any arguments about it, or was it a pretty easy decision for you all?
Collin: Picking a song for a video all depends on if the music itself can inspire any kind of visual aspect. Picking which songs was a pretty easy decision. We all generally agreed what songs had the best video potential.
Trevor: 55 is definitely our lead single from this record. There was no doubt we wanted some car involvement in that video. We took a day off of work on a Wednesday and shot most of that video (clearly with green screen) in Collin's backyard. With a gig happening the same day the struggle was the weather, but I don’t think anyone was arguing about having a free day to shoot a video, have some lunch, then play a gig. Let it roll was mainly because of the location. We never intend to write a tune for a music video, but we felt it was inevitable. This is our first slow tune to ever hit a visual media platform.
Fran: It was inevitable for a 55 On The Other Side music video, as it is the lead single and main ambassador for the album Salem Lights. So that one by default gets a video. We didn’t have any intention of creating another music video for a song on this album. This one was a happy accident.
I've already reviewed your album “Salem Lights” but unfortunately didn't have you here for an interview, so I'd like to take a few moments to touch base on that album as a whole! How long did it take you to write, record, and release the album? How does the writing process work for you, does one person bring in lyrics and everyone else adds their instruments or is it entirely collaborative in every aspect? Do each of you have a favorite song on the album?
Collin: The album took a little over a year to complete. It was pretty much a group effort through the whole process. Typically, one person will bring in lyrics, and that person will usually sing the song. Whether it's a chord progression or a vocal melody, the song usually weaves itself around the core idea that is brought in. My favorite song is probably 55 On the Other Side.
Fran: Salem Lights was definitely an album-by-accident. We released our previous album Culture Fever in November of 2023 and then we immediately hit up producer Paul Bennett to record some demos in my basement. It was totally relaxed. Within the first session it changed from demos to actual recording. No one really said “We are recording an album.” It just sorta happened. Next thing we knew, we had 20+ songs recorded over a few months of weekend sessions. It is a very collaborative effort and each song was written differently. The constant, however, was that whoever writes the majority of the song will sing lead vocals. Everyone has their musical role and they are in charge of coming up with their own parts, but we are all very open to ideas from the other players. Egos rarely show up - so it is a true safe-space collaboration. As for a favorite song off the album, it is super hard to pick. But my favorite Collin song is either 55, Let It Roll, or Reading The Call. My favorite Trevor song, by default, is Sally. But that song is my favorite of his so far. He did an incredible job with that one. As for the songs I wrote for the album, it is a tie between OH10 and Oh Well. Oh Well’s lyrics and melodies came to me out of nowhere during a rehearsal. So, that serendipitous nature will always cast a spell over that song for me. OH10 is a phrase that my Uncle Fred used to say all the time as a nickname for Ohio. I didn’t know until after the fact (as in like a month ago) that he used to repair and sell wristwatches. So, the lyrics about selling watches take on a new meaning now.
Trevor: We took maybe no more than 4 months to record Salem. It was a strong collaborative process with loose ends of an idea for a new album. Mixing and mastering took equally as long, but the vision became clearer once we found our core songs for the album and then niched them towards releases and singles. In total we had the album out in no more than 10 months time. Our collaboration would stem from musical ideas or self written music brought to the recording process. Quite often during this album it would be: wake up with an idea, have it recorded by the end of the day. Collin played a major roll in quickly writing lyrics in between us figuring out the songs. We had no studio so we did not have to worry about time restraints. We’d leave a weekend and have upwards of 6-8 songs recorded. I think we finished with like 19 songs before we landed on these solid 10 tunes. We all pitched in for lyrics at points, but also did not want to worry too much about the flow until we fully got to listen back to the track. It was a pretty constant basis of, lets try it and if it works it works. I love that 55 was actually going to be a slower tune. I think we naturally fell into the double time for it to the bpm you know so well now. That's by far my favorite tune off the album. I never get tired of playing it. It's so much fun just to listen to as well.
You have been touring and playing countless shows, it seems like you guys always have something awesome happening! Do you have a favorite venue or city that you've played in? Where would you love to play if you could pick any spot in the world?
Trevor: We have quite a love for many venues. There are some spaces with great folks both stage crew and crowd alike. Most recently, we’ve made the trek to Nashville to the Basement. I would say that has been my favorite to play. So many legends have graced that stage and it certainly feels as such. Though the stage is small and maybe no more than 3-4 inches off the ground. I feel the pressure as if everyone has a microscope to everything I play.
Collin: The Basement in Nashville has been good to us. The people there really show up to experience live music and see real musicians that just arrive, plug in, and play. Red Rocks and the Ryman Auditorium are top picks for me. But, even places like Lincoln Hall in Chicago would be cool.
Fran: I have to agree with Trevor and Collin, The Basement in Nashville may be my favorite venue, but it is so hard to narrow down. Milwaukee is always a favorite city of mine to play in. It is such a good hang. But my favorite of all time is probably the now-closed Garage Arcade Bar in South Bend. That place was second home to us as a band. We almost played 30 shows there and it very much felt like our “Cavern Club”. We miss it dearly. As for where I would love to play in the future, I agree with Collin, and our keyboardist Simon, about Red Rocks. It is the ultimate musician's dream. Others include The Troubadour, The Ryman, Beacon Theatre, and The Vic.
How do you all get along when traveling on the road together? Are there any funny stories you'd like to share, maybe any stories about you all getting on each other's nerves in goofy ways? How has that dynamic been for all of you?
Trevor: I think we travel quite well with one another! We have been on the road for a week straight multiple times now and don’t get tired with one another. We take turns driving and on off days on tour we find some fun / trouble to get into. We recently learned if you’re a touring band in Cleveland you can get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for free so we definitely utilized that opportunity when passing through. As long as we work as a team and keep each other occupied on the road it makes the travel time a lot less daunting. The craziest story is the day we headed to Akron for a one off show. We had a great time at the venue, left the venue and at about 2 or 3 in the morning on a rural highway in Ohio we hit a deer. Our tour vehicle, Collin’s personal vehicle, was totaled. The tow truck driver got the vehicle moved and we had to stay at a nearby hotel. Thankfully Collin’s dad is mechanically inclined and most of the next day was repairing it enough to be driveable. We drove back with the deemed totaled vehicle that same day.
Collin: We all get along great while we're on the road. We're all pretty good at making each other laugh. During an October tour, we introduced Simon, our keyboardist, to the entire studio discography of The Beatles. Touring together and having this much fun has only strengthened our dynamic as a band.
Fran: To be honest, it has been a breeze being on the road with these guys. We all love music pretty equally and are on the same mission, so the road is fun for us. It’s rare for us to get on each other's nerves, but if it ever does happen, we all seem to be pretty understanding. Being in a band can be very stressful at times, but it rarely comes out. One (now) funny story was driving down route 30 in the middle of the night through the mountains of Pennsylvania. I was driving and REALLY testing the limits of the van’s brakes, barely hitting the 25mph speed limit. Of course there was a box truck tailgating me during the half hour stretch. I definitely needed a drink after that drive.
What's next for The Erly? I am so excited to follow your musical journey, and I would love to know what else you've been working on behind the scenes (if you can share anything yet)!
Collin: We just finished recording a new batch of songs. We haven't decided dates for releases yet, but definitely expect new music from The Erly within the year.
Trevor: We are finished with tracking new songs. We don’t have much to share, but this may be our most dense work to date. We recorded at a professional studio in Chicago with the same engineer as Salem Lights. We will be announcing a tour in October and if you catch us at one of those shows we will most likely play some new songs.
Fran: We will be hitting the road a lot for the rest of this year and into next year. New music is on the horizon!
How did each of you get started with your respective instruments?
Collin: I had a DVD that taught me the basics of guitar and started to pick it up myself after that. I had always played around with the bass guitar. When our original bassist quit, I would fill in for practices and it eventually just stuck.
Fran: For some reason, I always wanted to play drums. Guitar, piano, or wind/string instruments never really spoke to me, so it was either drums or nothing. I vividly remember when I was like 7 or 8, watching MTV with my sisters and the “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” music video from the Australian band JET came on. I remember being floored by how cool the drummer looked and how awesome it looked to play drums. So, that was definitely the jumping off point. It was my 10th birthday when my parents surprised me with a drum kit. They are totally the reason I still play to this day, as they were super supportive from the beginning and never once told me to stop playing when I was growing up. Being introduced to The Beatles music and Ringo Starr’s drumming at age 15/16 definitely made me want to play professionally. Any other sort of occupation went out the window once I saw the skiing/Ticket To Ride scene in the film “Help!”
Trevor: I started playing at the ripe age of 12 after a science project on the study of sound gathering through an electric guitar. My father has been a service tech and salesman of guitars since the 80s boom of the instrument. I was very fortunate to grow up with well set up guitars and respectful family members. By the time I was 14 and being mostly self taught, I started playing in my local church band and jazz band in 8th grade. I took some time off with jazz because I was getting more experience playing in front of crowds with the church. That flipped when I became a senior in high school and knew I wanted to play music professionally. I’ve on and off taught lessons for a number of years. I majored in music with a focus in jazz guitar, and after graduating college I am still living out the exact dream I’ve had since I was 12.
How did you all meet and come together to form this band?
Fran: Collin and I met at a recording session while both of our separate bands at the time were breaking up. We were at the LaSalle Tavern in South Bend when we decided to exchange contact information. Less than a month later we decided to start a project together. Trevor joined shortly after through a Craigslist ad that we put out as a backup while we tried to source musicians through open mics, local shows, etc. Trevor’s resume came through amongst a lot of STRANGE responses on Craigslist. But, man we lucked out. I met our keyboardist Simon while filling in for a gig up in Michigan. He officially joined the band when we began recording the album Salem Lights.
Collin: Fran and I met at a recording session for a mutual friend, Chris Kang, known now as Benn Park. We found Trevor through Craigslist after we put out an ad.
Trevor: As a junior in college I started “fishing” for an outlet beyond jazz band. I went and looked to see if there were any musician gigs listed on craigslist. Little did I know I’d spend over 7 years playing with this band. They had yet to finish their first album so I got in early, and jived with the sound. I haven’t really ever felt like I was out of my comfort zone, and I finally got to start enjoying gigging for the first time. I also used Tread Around as my submission to the band so I knew I was coming in hot. I already had a pretty good resume so the guys knew I wasn’t gonna be playing around, as they weren’t playing around either.
Who are some of your greatest influences and inspirations for making your music?
Fran: Dawes has been my favorite band for more than a decade and will continue to be for a long time. Dr Dog, Briscoe, Houndmouth, Travis, The Band, Jackson Browne, and Joni Mitchell are all big inspirations, too.
As for drums, Ringo, Levon Helm, Steve Gadd, Jim Keltner, Mike Clark, Art Blakey are my current and common favorites. I’ve been listening to Herbie Hancock quite a lot in the last couple years.
Trevor: One of my greatest influences is my father Reed McDonald. He’s been a guitar player for decades now and he respects every choice I’ve ever made as a musician. To be able to play with your own parent is a lot different than playing with a good friend or colleague. I find it funny how little we sound alike, but how we still can surprise each other. As for musicians and groups that have inspired me out the years:
Jazz: Pat Metheny, Lyle Mayes, Wes Montgomery, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Jeff Lorber, Michael Brecker, Jaco Pastorious, Herb Albert, Steely Dan
R&B: Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Thundercat, Dijon, D’Angelo, The Roots, NxWorries, Frank Ocean
Rock: Van Halen, The Police, Turnover, The 1975, Jeff Beck, Dire Straits, Los Colognes, Dawes
Jam: Grateful Dead, The Big Woo, Billy Strings, Umphrees McGee
Rap: Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, Mac Miller, Common, Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, Danny Brown, MF Doom, Kanye (Pre-2015)
Producers: The Alchemist, Pierre Bourne, Kaytranada, Sam Gellaitry, Sasac, Knxwledge, J Dilla, Q-Tip
Folk: Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Neil Young, Faces, Bon Iver
Country: Tyler Childers, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson
Pop/Indie: Charli XCX, Clairo, Pale Waves, JOJO, ColdPlay, Two Door Cinema Club
Collin: We all have our different influences. A common pool between the four of us would be The Beatles, Grateful Dead, Herbie Hancock, Talking Heads, Steely Dan, Dawes, and The Band.
Are there any people you would like to shout out? Friends, family, pets, gas station attendants, bartenders, anyone at all! Please go ahead!
Trevor: My loving wife Allison, My mother and father Reed and Laura McDonald, My Sister Amanda, Nate Michael, Kevin Vargo, Ben Cripe, Paul Magurany, My cat Cheddar, Albert Austin, Emily Burlew, and Aaron Hamilton for bringing us together!
Collin: A big thanks to Kevin and Gabe. We couldn't have gotten the ball rolling without them.
Thanks to the whole crew of the video shoot. They made the process very easy and fun. And another big thanks to our producer Paul, who helped make the song what it is.
Fran: I’d like to thank my parents, sisters, and bandmates. Also to Paul, Kevin, Mike, Emily, and Kevin. And to Gabe, Loki, William, Luca, Kyen, Max, Riley, Cory, Terry, and all the extras in the music video.
Thank you all so much for joining me. It is always a pleasure reviewing your music and getting the opportunity to interact with you. I am wishing you the best of luck with everything, and thank you so much, once again!
All: THANKS FOR HAVING US!
Thank you so much for reading, watching, and listening. If you'd like to hear more from The Erly, you can find all their links HERE!
