Made up of three veteran songwriters, Brett Boyett, Troy Johnson and Scott Lindsey comes a band that brings a sound of rock, pop, and R&B but still has the raw country flavor. (Two members of the band) forming over a writing session as they both shared creative visions. Boyett and Lindsey wanting to form a band got in touch with Troy Johnson for his vocals adding a third band member.

The guys have written for artists such as The Chicks, Keith Urban, Cassadee Pope, James Taylor and Lauren Alaina among many more. They have also given their talents to writing and producing music for feature films, and television shows.

The band is set to release their first album as band later this year and you can get a taste of the album HERE.

Hey Ya’ll! So happy you guys could chat with us for a little. Can you each give us a taste of your up-bringing with music?”

Scott: “My dad is a singer/songwriter. He wrote some with Tommy Collins and Tommy hung out with Johnny Russell from time to time, so, I was around those Hall of Fame-caliber guys from a very young age.” Scott recalls, “That’s when I discovered my love for songwriting as a craft.”

Scott is also comes from the same town as Bill Monroe

“Well, I’m from Beaver Dam. Ky and Bill were from Rosine - literally five miles apart,” He says, “I guess just being around bluegrass my whole life I picked up banjo and mandolin. So, I guess I never knew any better. I thought everybody played music, basketball and baseball.”

Brett: “ I always interested in music growing up. I used to play alto saxophone and competed in classical piano as a child, but, the truth is I was always fascinated with the guitar.” Brett tells us. “I bussed tables for an entire summer in high school in order to buy my first guitar at a pawn shop.”

And as for songwriting?

“I had written a few songs in my high school band, but I really spent time learning how to write when I went to college in Texas.” Brett says, “I met a man named James Hollie through a friend of mine who used to play for George Jones and Tammy Wynette and he encouraged me to move to Nashville and start my writing career. It was there that I met several hit writers, including Vernon Rust, and that’s where I began to hone my craft. I did as many co-writes as I could while working on my voice,. Nashville was a great place to learn that.”

Troy: “I grew up in a pretty musical family. My mom was a great singer and did a lot of preforming when she was younger She pulled my dad into it when they met. They were in a vocal group when I was a kid, and I would sit in on rehearsals as a toddler. They also hired themselves out for weddings and events. The main song request for my mom was “Evergreen” by Barbara Streisand and my dad would sing “Lady” by Kenny Rogers. It still makes me chuckle when I think about my dad doing that.” Troy laughs.

“I was always singing growing up and performing at school and church. As a teenager, I got into keyboards and started learning chords and writing songs that way. It wasn’t until I got to Belmont, here in Nashville, that I started getting serious about writing. It was there I realized you could actually make money just by writing songs. That was very appealing, and the reverence and camaraderie of the songwriting community had me hooked on that path. I put together a demo of about four songs with some college friends as players using “downtime” at Soundstage on the row and about a year later landed my first small publishing deal.”

Since you all started songwriting son young can you share a little of the process of what writing songs is like for you?

Scott: '“It’s always different for me. Sometimes it’s a hook I keep messing with within my head. Sometimes when I’m thumping around on an instrument (usually a guitar), a melody or a line will fall out and I’ll paint the picture in my head and brainstorm every angle that I can tie into the story or hook idea. Sometimes, I’ll just be going about my day walking or driving but always thinking about the song. Sometimes, I can’t sleep because the wheels are turning. I’ll get an idea and I’ll jot it down, record it, or text it to my co-writers. The texting drives Troy crazy by the way.” Scott laughs. “But I’m always writing.”

Brett: “My process is to sit with my guitar and come up with something musically that is interesting and unique. I’ll then hit record on my phone and sing different melodies to it. Sometimes I’ll have a title in mind but usually, the title comes from the emotion I feel as I’m singing. I try not to think too much. I try to let the music just flow. I’ll then sit and start working on the lyrics. That can take two hours or two months. It takes what it takes. If I’m on a deadline, I push it, but usually, I like to have it come out organically.”

Troy: “I generally like to start with an idea, title, or hook. The music comes out of that for me. The cadence of the hook or how it’s said in normal conversation usually dictates the tempo and feel of the song. Pop music is a 1-4-5 animal so the music is usually the easy part. Although, a good melody is a little trickier. Melodies you can spend some time on. Lyric is my main concern because it can be so allusive and in Nashville, we’re not really writing as much as re-writing. I am proud to have grown up musically in a place where there is such an emphasis on story and lyric.”

With years of songwriting behind you, what would you say is your favorite song you have written?

Scott: “That’s a tough question. I have some favorites we recorded with Nashvillains. “Bonita” is one. A few others I like are “Girl Like That” which is recorded by a new country artist named Kevin Nichols and a song called “Walking Wires” which is recorded by a pop/rock artist named Ariel Bellvalaire. I also like “In Love With The Pain” which is a Black Stone Cherry song I co-wrote, and I like one Troy and I wrote with Kevin Costner and Jack Williams called “Won’t Stop Lovin You” for the Tales From Yellowstone album. There are so many that it’s tough to specify just one.” Scott says, “It’s easier for me to pick a favorite lyric – the second verse in a song we recorded with Nashvillains called “Hang.” The lyric says, “sometimes a sinner/sometimes a saint, sometimes it’s hard to tell which one you are/and which one you ain’t.” That lyric says so much in just a few lines. I’m really proud of that.”

Brett: “There are so many songs that I like for so many different reasons; who I wrote it with, who I wrote it for, what I wrote it for. I do love “Don’t Let Me Hang” on the Nashvillains’ upcoming album. Interestingly enough, a lot of my favorites in my career never get recorded. I do like a lot of the music I’ve written for the band Totsy and recently for the movie Forever My Girl.”

Troy: Like all Nashville writers, I’ve got a lot of favorites that have never been cut. It’s really hard to get a song on a record, man! I don’t know any writer that really has that one favorite of all time, but there are a few I feel like are worth mentioning... “Dirty South” - Lucas Hoge, “Back On A Dirt Road” -Montgomery Gentry, “Your Love Is Like Country Music” - Clayton Anderson, and I can’t leave out “Some Days You Gotta Dance” - The Chicks. I bought a house off that last one.” Troy laughs.

Songwriting is important to all of ya’ll, so what is really your favorite part about singing and songwriting?

Scott: “To me, you can’t have one without the other.”

Troy: “I guess my favorite part of singing is getting lost in the emotion of the story or mood of the song. It really is a transcendent art form and I am so blessed to have a modicum of talent to achieve that state. With songwriting, I like batting around ideas, coming up with a concept, and writing towards it. It’s like putting together a puzzle. I read a Woody Allen book a long time ago and he was musing on creativity. He said in the creative process that the “idea” is perfect and when you start stretching that idea into a consumable form it degrades. It’s an inevitable outcome, so your job as a creator is to maintain as much of that original essence as possible. I believe that to be true. I don’t know how good I am at it, but, it’s a worthwhile target to aim for and that’s part of the fun for me.”

Brett: “Creating something that emotionally connects to a listener. I love hearing stories from fans about how my music has influenced them or affected their lives in some positive way. It is a very cool feeling.”

What was the first song you wrote as a band?

Scott: “We wrote “There To Catch Me” in our first writing appointment as a group. Brett had this riff and we just started building the story and imagery from that riff. It turned out great. It’s a beautiful song and will be a single.”

Brett: “There To Catch Me” was the first song we wrote together. I had the music and melody and we got together and started to work out the lyrics. This is another one of my favorite songs on the record.”

Troy: “A song called “There To Catch Me”. When we first got together, we were aiming for movie and TV placements. I had this kind of despotic or apocalyptic scene in my head as we were writing, and I was just trying to capture that and maybe tie it to personal loss. We tried to leave a lot to the imagination to allow the listener to put themselves into the song. We’ll probably release that at some point this year. It’s got some great cello parts on it.”

That sounds like such an amazing song and we can’t wait to hear it! While we wait for your first debut album, what can you tell us about your new song, “Tumbling Down”?

Scott: “When we started writing “Tumbling Down” we were wanting a song for film and TV placement, but as we started building the story, we realized that some of our personal stuff was coming through. When we finished, we knew we had a song that everybody could relate to because sometimes things just don’t work out the way you want. That’s real life.”

Brett: “For me, I was dealing with being very ill and I had some personal struggles going on at the time. I tried to put those emotions into the music and lyrics without being too specific so that others could relate to it too. This song is an accurate emotional roadmap of that time for me.”

Troy: “This was our second song and I guess we stumbled onto a theme because it too has those desperate ideas. Drama and wanting is a very attractive song subject. Everybody has those lost and lonely feelings, and I think those themes need a voice. Misery loves company.”

What is your favorite line from that song?

Scott: “ “Whoa oh oh”, that line is brilliant!” Scott jokes, “On a more serious note, the first line of the song. “Every road is just a lonely old blacktop / Heading someplace you’ve already been.” It’s a cool line and sets the story up perfectly.”

Brett:” ““I keep moving just to keep the past behind.” - I think it’s always important to move forward, learn from the past, but never look back with regret.”

Troy: “Well, it’s a pretty efficient lyric so not a lot to choose from, but I’d say the second verse or maybe those last couple lines. “Being born an angel was her only curse. Heaven don’t belong here on this earth.” The main character is forced to go on after losing someone too pure for a fallen world. The second verse finally lets you know who this guy is and what he’s facing.”

Ya’ll started out as separate songwriters, what made you want to form a band?

Scott: “ I have always wanted to be in a band with great musicians that write great songs, enjoy performing, and have great harmonies kind of like the Eagles.” Scott laughs.

Brett: “I had the band name and I had this idea for a dark country record. I’ve always loved that sound and noticed that there was a hole in the industry for this kind of thing. I had been waiting to find the right singer to team up with to move it forward and found that when I started working with Troy.”

Troy: “Money and fame!” Troy laughs, “Kidding, Seriously, we saw a niche and thought we might be able to fill it. These songs are pretty different, and we wanted to do them justice by putting them out there.”

The music industry can be hard sometimes, so we’re wondering…what’s one thing you like in the industry and one thing you don’t like so much?

Scott: “Both answers are the same–social media. I have a love/hate relationship with it. It helps to get music out to the masses quickly, but I miss the days of actually holding a physical product in your hand and reading the liner notes. There are also so many sites to maintain and keep updated. It’s hard sometimes, but it is a great way to meet new fans you may not have been able to get to in more traditional (old school) ways. As I said, it’s a love/hate relationship.”

Brett: “ I love the fact that we can immediately get our music out to millions of people via the internet. I love that we can reach fans across the globe with the push of a button. However, I would like to see songwriters and artists get compensated better. It has become increasingly harder to make a living, especially as a songwriter.”

Troy: “Well, as far as Nashville goes, I like that this town and the industry by extension is still grounded in “southern hospitality”. The Nashville music community truly is a big family. Everybody helps everybody else. It is still merit-based. Nobody gets something for nothing. You got to be good and know your shit. But, by in large, I don’t see a lot of backbiting and jealousy in the talent pool here. It’s a great place to make music. I’m not a complainer so when I experience things I don’t like I try to overcome or walk around them, but, an element of the system that’s been lost over the years is maybe artist development. I don’t know if there’s enough quiet experimentation going on where a record company might take a couple of years to groom an artist or band. People get signed based on their social media numbers and what wins on those platforms is loud and noisy. I don’t like that everything has to be in your face to get heard, but I don’t suppose that’s limited to the music business these days.”

Such incredible answers. I’m sure others your fans and other hard working artists would agree. Lastly, what can you tell fans about your upcoming album?

Scott: “I always say we have an album full of stories. Some are happy stories. Some are sad. Some are mysterious. Some are sexy. One is even about a prison break. But all are enjoyable. I think I speak for the other guys when I say that we are very proud of this album. We hope you guys enjoy it.”

Brett: “They can expect something completely original. They can expect a high level of meticulous care that was put into every aspect of recording, writing, and performing. We’ve never been about putting something out to become famous. We’re trying to make a statement and use this record as our voice.”

Troy: “We’ve got some great stuff on this record. Some really epic-sounding material, some fun sexy songs, and some romping aggressive outlaw type stuff. Brett really did a great job on the production and I’m excited to share it.”