King Calaway is more than an all male country music band but a group of multi talented people that are bringing a fresh and unique sound to country music. King Calaway is made up of five voices from all across the globe, by name they are; Chris Deaton, Chad Michael Jervis, Simon Dumas, Austin Luther and Caleb Miller. King Calaway isn’t just looking to be another country act they are looking to stand out producing great music for people to love.
With the release of their new EP, “Midnight” we caught up with King Calaway to talk about all things music, how they all came to know each other and what inspired their new EP.
Courtesy of King Calaway
Chris: “Being from Nashville, I grew up mainly on country and rock. My dad and I would always show each other music, and still do!”
Chad: “I’ve wanted to be a musician and performer since I was eight years old and heard Elvis Presley for the first time. I was so enamored by his singing and the way he commanded a stage. I knew immediately that was what I wanted to do with my life. So I started singing, picked up the guitar and a few years later gave a crack at writing my own songs, and here we are!”
Simon: “I grew up in Gibraltar (UK) with a lot of music happening around the house. My brothers and I were in a band growing up and used to love playing along to bands like the Eagles and America,”
Austin: “I grew up playing multiple instruments but really loved the combination of rhythm and melody that the bass guitar utilized. I also loved playing everything from soul/r&b, funk and jazz, pop and country.”
Caleb: “I started playing guitar when I was four years old! I learned from my Dad at a young age, and never lost an ounce of passion for music. I began playing in different bars at the age of thirteen. Throughout my teenage years, I was in multiple rock bands, but always wanted something more.”
BC: How did you form, ‘King Calaway’?
Chris: “I met the guys through my dad and Jon Loba (The president of BBR Music Group). I’ve known John Loba for a while. He had seen me play with other acts and bands in the past.”
Chad: “We all connected through mutual friends and met in Nashville in a rehearsal space a few years back to see if we could make a band. We immediately connected and synced with each other when we started playing, as if we had been playing together for years. We knew this was something we couldn’t pass up on.”
Simon: “We were introduced to each other through mutual connections in the summer of 2018 here in Nashville.”
Austin: “We all had mutual friends that eventually got us together in Nashville.”
Caleb: “We met through mutual contacts who introduced us to each other. We met up in Nashville, played some music together in a band room and decided this could be something that we were all interested in doing!”
BC: Were there challenges that came up while you guys were just getting started?
Chris: “We were labeled as a boy band early on. No hate to boy bands but it is just misleading to people. We are a band. We all play our instruments, and you don’t want to see us dance!”
Chad: “I would say the biggest challenge when we started releasing music was that we were immediately labeled as a ‘manufactured country boy band.’ At first we had a laugh about that, but I feel it took a while for people to take us seriously as musicians and as a band. I think once people hear the new tunes, they’ll understand who we are and that we’re all very serious about the music we make.”
Simon: “I guess for me a challenge was getting familiar with Nashville life. I’d always wanted to live here someday and when it happened I was so excited to join the songwriting community.”
Austin: “There weren’t any major challenges. We all jumped in and got to work! At least, that’s what it felt like!”
Caleb: “Absolutely! It took some time to figure out who we were as artists and the sound that we wanted to chase. But after finding our true identity in our music, there’s no better feeling.”
BC: What’s it like being in band versus what you think being a solo artist would be like?
Chris: “I love being in a band. Having brothers to climb this ladder with really helps. We are all in it together!”
Chad: “You’re never alone, and you have people with you who know exactly what you’re feeling and are sharing the same weight as you.”
Simon: “The banter is great on the road, I’m sure being a solo artist is fine too but honestly it’s just so much fun when we are out doing shows together. All the inside jokes, and the sense of togetherness.”
Austin: “Being in a band has pros and cons compared to being a solo artist. One thing I love about being in a band is the camaraderie. Anything we do, all the traveling, checking into hotels… it can get stressful with early call times and hectic flights, but it never feels like it because we’re all in it together. We just have a laugh and get through it.”
Caleb: “I’ve been in bands my entire life, and I wouldn’t change anything about it. The unity and brotherhood that comes with this band is irreplaceable.”
BC: Do you think your music has changed since when you first started versus now?
Chris: “I think the music has changed in a good way. It is still KC but with a little shift. I love what we are doing now, and I can’t wait till the 27th so everyone can hear our new EP.”
Chad: “100%. We’ve matured as performers, musicians, singers and songwriters. We have a better sense of who we are and what kind of band we want to be.”
Simon: “Yeah! I’d say King Calaway has matured as a band and that translates in the music we are about to put out.”
Austin: “Our music has absolutely changed since we started! The first record was all outside cuts. We love how it turned out but we also knew that we wanted to write the next record (which we did!) We also honed in on the “KC Sound” and really wanted to bring 70’s Laurel Canyon and California country influences into this project.”
Caleb: “The music has changed as much as we have changed as people. I believe that, throughout the career of this band, our music will always evolve and represent who we are as musicians at that point in time.”
BC: With live shows coming back what are you most excited for?
Chris: “Seeing the fans! And playing our new music for them. We have played a few shows and people really responded to new music.”
Chad: “Seeing old fans of ours and making new ones. Just being around so many people again is a beautiful thing, and to hear them sing our songs back from the crowd is the most surreal feeling.”
Simon: “So excited to make new fans and to say hey to fans who have been with us for a few years. It’s such an adrenaline rush to be on stage. Also really excited to sing these new songs and hopefully hear people singing them back!”
Austin: “Other than the live shows themselves, I always love traveling to new places, meeting new people and experiencing what they love about where they’re from. We just played a couple shows in Idaho and learned so much about the area. Love hearing from fans about what makes their state or city the best.”
Caleb: “THE FANS! There’s nothing that compares to hearing a packed crowd singing our songs back to us.”
BC: You recently asked a group of fans of yours for their thoughts on your song that has not been released yet, how was that experience for you?
Chris: “That was really fun. It felt so personal us being able to sit down with fans and listen to music together.”
Chad: “So fun! We all hoped on a Zoom call with them and played them some tunes. I think they were definitely surprised and excited about the new direction we are on. It was great to hear their thoughts and insights on everything we’ve been working on for this EP.”
Simon: “It was a fun experience and very refreshing to for new opinions on the music (outside the industry.)”
Austin: “It went so well! It was really fun giving a few fans an early listen to the EP. They were so encouraging and gave great feedback.”
Caleb: “Amazing! We make music for the fans, so their opinion will always take priority for us.”
BC: What inspired, ‘midnight’?
Chris: “I think everyone & us (as a new band) can use a reset. A new day starts at midnight so we thought it was a special name to start this new journey. Also it is the first lyric in our new song “Heartbreaker”. We also lived together in the same house when we recorded this music in Asheville NC. And had so many great hangs at midnight.”
Chad: “Midnight means a few different things. First, it’s a reference to a lyric in one of the songs “Heartbreaker.” Second, when we were recording the album in Asheville, we all were living in a house together and had some of our best hangs and conversations at midnight. Finally, midnight represents the beginning of a new day, and with this new music it’s definitely a new day for KC.”
Simon: “Midnight is a taste of a wider body of work. It’s inspired by the journey we’ve been on since 2018, and us trying to make sense of the craziness around us from this past year.”
Austin: “Sonically, we wanted to bring a little California country into our modern country sound, pulling influence from the groups in Laurel Canyon in the 70’s.”
Caleb: “The past year has shown us who we are as musicians, and the figurative “midnight” is representative of a new day and a new chapter for King Calaway.”
BC: What can we be expecting from this new EP?
Chris: “Hopefully a little bit of everything. Some songs where the lyric really resonates with people. Some up-tempo that you can dance too. And some jam songs where we really let loose and played our instruments. Had a lot of fun making this EP.”
Chad: “Expect some songs you can dance to, get you in the feels, are a bit edgy, and make you feel like you wanna get in just a lil trouble.”
Simon: “four fresh new songs. Cool guitar solos, big choruses and an insanely cool collaboration with Lainey Wilson.”
Austin: “This EP has a little taste of everything from the full length. It has carefully written lyrics meant to be taken to heart and it has choruses meant to be blasted in honky tonks across the world.”
Caleb: “Songs that make you laugh, cry, dance and feel like you’re a part of King Calaway!”
BC: What does a dream headlining tour look like for you?
Chris: “We just played some shows with Gabby Barrett. Those were a lot of fun. Would love to see her and her whole team again!”
Chad: “A dream tour for me would be going out with the likes of Brothers Osborne or Chris Stapleton, they are two of my favorite artists in country. A dream venue I want us to play one day is the Troubadour in Los Angeles, it’s probably my favorite place to hear live music. It’s got such a rich history and it’s very intimate.”
Simon: “It would be awesome to travel the world and tour with some of our many friends in country music. Maybe Lainey Wilson? Runaway June? Keith Urban!? So many people we would love to go out with.”
Austin: “An amphitheater tour would be so fun. Red Rocks is definitely a venue I’d love to play. The Greek Theatre would have to be included too! Would love to share the bill with Johnny Gates.”
Caleb: “King Calaway and Keith Urban, playing every city in Ohio! Haha!”
BC: What can fans look forward to from you guys?
Chris: “Come see us live! You can follow our socials @kingcalaway to find out where we are playing!”
Chad: “We’ve got some really exciting things lined up for the future, so they’ll have to stay glued to our socials to find out what’s next!”
Simon: “Our EP, and more music later on.”
Austin: “Keep on the lookout for more tour dates!! And we’re going to try to consistently put out more music over the next year.”
Caleb: “Lots of new music and tons of tour dates very soon! Can’t wait to see all of the fans in person.”
BC: Lastly, what do you want to say to your fans?
Chris: “We love you guys! Thanks for staying with us through these crazy, uncertain times. We will see you soon!”
Simon: “We appreciate you for sticking with us through the down-time and creative time. And we are so ready to share new music with you. Thank you!”
Austin: “Thank you so much for hanging with us over this past year or so. It’s been crazy and we haven’t been able to see all our favorite people (you guys) but we can’t wait to hang out soon!!”
Caleb: “Thank you! Your love and support means the world to us and we wouldn’t be doing this without y’all! We love you guys!”
To know when new music will be released, tour stops and more follow King Calaway on their socials down below! On Friday 27th, ‘midnight’ will be available wherever you listen to music. You can stream King Calaway’s music on Spotify and Apple Music right now.