The Apache Relay was formed by chance in a Nashville college dorm when Michael Ford Jr. (vocals, bass) met Mike Harris (guitar, vocals). Ford Jr. happened to be looking for some musicians to help perform his own music live, when he heard about Harris’ newly formed band, The Apache Relay. Ford Jr. hired the trio, which also included Brett Moore (keys, guitar, mandolin) and Kellen Wenrich (fiddle), to back him at a show and it was immediately evident that the four musicians had a unique chemistry and were on to something special. Midway through touring in support of American Nomad the group added Ford, Jr's brother to the group. Last month they released their second album Apache Relay (check it and American Nomad out below while you enjoy the interview)
The group has toured all over America, opened for bands for bands like Mumford & Sons, played numerous festivals and now return to Atlanta this Saturday for the second annual Shaky Knees Music Festival. They'll be playing the Peachtree Stage at 1:30p. Do not miss it!
You Ought To Hear This: You all met at Belmont in Nashville. Did any of you know each other before that?
Apache Relay: Michael and Ben are brothers so they grew up together. I knew Mike Harris through a mutual friend in North Carolina. When I decided to transfer to Belmont midway through my freshman year of college, Mike and I roomed together and began shifting our priorities to music over studying.
YOTHT: If you weren’t in music, where would you see yourselves?
AR: Hmm, I can really only speak for myself, but I would be more involved in the design and construction of musical hardware such as amplifiers and effects pedals. These are purely speculations on my part, but Michael would be a painter, Ben would own and operate the best bar in Nashville, Kellen would be a jack of all trades building things by day and playing on sessions by night, Steve would be a brilliant audio engineer, and Mike Harris would be riding his chopper with his bros somewhere out west.
YOTHT: When did you each get your start in music?
AR: I believe Michael and Ben grew up playing music together in various bands, with some of the more notable ones being Blackbird, The Hollywood Ten, and Nerq Twins. Mike Harris' dad is great mandolin and guitar picker so I think he piqued his interest at an early age and showed him the ropes. As a local legend around the Lancaster, PA area has it, Kellen has been a violin and general musical prodigy since day 1, fiddling his way through contests and the seminal mid-2000's acoustic group Share The Bread. Steve Smith resorted to drumming out of pure desperation for something to do in Richland Center, WI. And as for me, I was raised on my parents' top notch record collection and watching reruns of Austin City Limits on a VHS my dad had.
YOTHT: What are some of your individual influences?
AR: I'm not sure about the other guys, but I'm currently drawing a lot of inspiration from all across the board: Our friends and great Nashville band Promised Land Sound, the great songwriter Mark Mulcahy, the most recent record from The Love Language, and playing mandolin again after a long hiatus from the instrument. I also think in general there's something to be said about being in a creative community like Nashville- being surrounded by motivated people churning out great art keeps you working.
YOTHT: How did you come about deciding on a name for the group?
AR: Honestly, Mike was out to dinner with our friend Gabe. When Mike expressed that we were on the hunt for a band name, Gabe instantly said "The Apache Relay...no one's using the MySpace.”
YOTHT: How do you feel about social media these days and your ability to connect with fans worldwide and vice versa?
AR: Its a really cool way to interact with folks and keep a finger on the pulse of what you're doing. Since we released a new record recently it’s cool to see people react to certain songs and some discovering the band for the very first time. It can be a really nice source of encouragement.
YOTHT: You guys went to California to record your latest album, how did this recording process differ from your first two albums?
AR: Going into making this record we acknowledged the fact that we needed to make efforts to grow beyond what we were already doing, not so much stylistically but more in the general craft of making songs. We needed the guidance of a producer and other folks involved in the production to essentially take us to record-making song-crafting boot camp because we were motivated to arrive at a new place as a band. As a young musicians, its easy to want to play your instruments all the time and crowd a song with too much sound, but I think as a band we want to make music like Dave Rawlings plays a guitar solo: all the right ingredients at all the right times and knowing when to lay out. To me playing like that is just more emotive.
YOTHT: Nashville is known for producing great musical acts, what influence did the city have on the group?
AR: Its funny, the world outside of Nashville has the city in a pretty small box in thinking that it only churns out songs about spring break and we all embroider skulls pierced by daggers on all of our shirts, but it’s so much more than that. Like I was saying earlier, it’s such a vibrant creative community with everyone doing something a little different. There's RayLand Baxter, who is one of the finest folk songwriters of our time and then there's Diarrhea Planet, who are saving rock and roll with four guitars, bass, and drums. But there are also troves of amazing visual artists and food artisans. We draw influence from all of that. Nashville isn't just the LeVoxian empire everyone thinks it is.
Follow us after the jump to hear more from The Apache Relay, connect with them on social media, and see where else in the US they'll be playing!
AR: That was taken at the house we were renting up in the hills while we were out in LA. Recording was a very strenuous process, so we would come back to the house at the end of the day and try to blow off steam by making each other laugh. Naturally, with a one story house in close proximity to a pool, one will climb on the roof and jump into said pool. We weren't trying to come up with a gimmick of an album cover, thats just a literal snapshot of what we were doing at the time. Oh, and Kellen is letting his mane flow...its undeniable.
YOTHT: Where do you typically find inspiration for writing?
AR: It comes from different places every time. Michael writes most, if not all, of the words with help from Ben and the rest of us try to paint around that. But we all have so many individual influences musically everyone brings something different...that’s part of what makes this band work. Little to no homogenization.
YOTHT: What is your favorite city to play? Festival? Venue?
AR: Without a doubt, Newport Folk Festival. Such a beautiful convergence of lineup, location, and logistics. We love being up in Newport!
YOTHT: What rituals does the group have on the road/preshow/recording?
AR: We all try to warm up and sing through some songs, have a few laughs, and huddle up. Chi-harnessing pre-show is important to get in the zone.
YOTHT: Do you all as a band have set goals? If so, what are they?
AR: I think our goals are simple and more big picture than specifics. We just want to create good music that feels good to us and hopefully other people get something from. If you spend too much time trying to force specific things to happen you set yourself up for disappointment. We're having fun getting to do what we do, making records like this one, and eating free pizza.
YOTHT: Are there any bands/artists you’re close to and share tour notes with?
AR: Any and every band we run into always shares the collective experiences that come with touring. Its funny, I feel like the outside world looks at bands and loves to categorize them by genre, assuming we don't really relate to each other, but the plight of a mid-level band is colorblind. Its all "man, you guys played there too? Could you believe that place?" or sharing great stories from the road.
YOTHT: Who do you see as the up and comers in music?
AR: There are certainly too many to list here, but my short list is Promised Land Sound, Blank Range, Mateja, and a young man named Renn who will be releasing some mind-blowing songs very soon.
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Tour Schedule
May 10 Atlanta, GA Shaky Knees Festival
May 14 Asheville, NC
May 15 Raleigh, NC
May 16 Charlotte, NC
May 17 Washington D.C.
May 20 New York, NY
May 22 Cambridge, MA
May 23 Philadelphia, PA
May 24 Pittsburgh, PA
June 4 Seaside, FL
June 6 Wilmington, NC
June 7 Norfolk, VA
June 15 Chicago, IL
July 5 Dixon, IL
July 12 Somerset, KY
July 27 Pittsburgh, PA
July 31 Indianapolis, IN
September 20 Shakopee, MN
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