Interview with The Sons of Liberty

Can you give us a brief history of the project?

The Sons of Liberty was formed in late 2014 and has been performing the best of Rock & Blues ever since. With a commitment to "Proper Rock & Roll", The Sons endeavor at every show to produce that driving Rock & Roll sound our fans love. The Sons began playing covers from ACDC; Stevie Ray Vaughn; The Rolling Stones; The Black Crowes; CCR; Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers; ZZ Top, etc... Shawn Smith and Randy Hughey - initially performing together in the UK circa early 2000's - realized they simply needed to reconnect with each other to work on original material. Their debut album, "Ride Off Again", is the cornerstone of the band's original music written by Randy and Shawn, which aims to continue the legacy of the great bands that influenced them: driving drums and bass, rocking guitars and soulful singing. The band continues to tour the United States Mid-Atlantic region and Shawn and Randy continue to write new songs.



What are the plans for the future for your project?

The Sons have a handful of new songs and are preparing for a second studio release in late 2018. Shawn and Randy will continue to write and the band will continue to record new music. The band has been growing into larger festival gigs and will expand their footprint for tours as the opportunities keep coming.



How does the band handle mistakes during a live performance?

You gotta roll with it! Mistakes should never break a great live show, rather they are part of it. Sometimes a bad mistake can turn into a great new way to play a song. Adjust as needed and keep on rocking, this isn't a recording, this is live rock and roll!



What do you think is the bands favourite moment/time?

At this point, finishing the album Ride Off Again was a huge moment for us. We learned a TON in the studio and throughout the process of getting that album released. Playing some of our bigger shows with hundreds maybe thousands of people enjoying our music is always a great high for us too though!



What has this projects biggest challenge been? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

Our biggest challenge has been solidifying our line-up. We've made friends, lost friends, and had to deal with tempers, poor fits...you name it. It's tough. Bands are fun and creative, but they are also a business. You can't have something holding the band back that you know can be fixed. At that point, it isn't personal, it's professional. Everyone needs to be on the same page. As the creative founders of the band, we (Shawn & Randy) had to make calls and decisions that got the band to where it is today. We couldn't be happier with how far we've come and the possibilities that lie ahead. Adding Rob and Charlie to the band has been fantastic, their abilities, professionalism and personalities just fit and we know we never have to worry about what they are doing.



What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?

Define what you want out of the band first. Are you going to be a cover band, a TRIBUTE band, all original? What STYLE(s) do you want to play? You going to record? Release albums officially? Tour? Where? How much time do you want this to take up? Make sure everyone is on the same page, and get good musicians that fit together personally. A great musician is nice to have, but if the personality doesn't fit with the rest of the band, it's going to cause more issues. A good musician can be a great musician in the right band.



Is there anyone you'd like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional (or any other type of) support?

We couldn't do what we do without the support of our families and our fans. We've come a long way in a few short years, from scraping to get gigs, to turning gigs down. Also, the other live bands in our area and the sound engineers we have worked with have all been great. It's a very supportive group of musicians and music professionals in our area.



How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with songs or a demo CD etc?

Fans can get to our music from all kinds of sources online. Website: www.thesonsoflibertyband.com iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-sons-of-liberty/id1158029870 Google: https://play.google.com/store/music/artist/The_Sons_of_Liberty?id=Akecoibuhihknuk3h3vsuiz2qcq&hl=en Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ride-off-Again-Sons-Liberty/dp/B01LXP4F5U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1475634581&sr=8-3&keywords=ride+off+again CDBaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thesonsofliberty We are also on Apple Music, Deezer, Spotify, Tidal, Napster, 8Tracks, iHeart Radio, Line Music, KKBox, Saavn, 7Digital and Anghami



Do you have any upcoming shows?

We are ALWAYS booking new shows, we have a festival gig in West Virginia tonight, and we have a full schedule next month. We've got more than a dozen gigs scheduled for next year already! Keep up with us on Facebook or join our mailing list from our website: https://www.thesonsoflibertyband.com/contact



Do you have any upcoming releases?

We plan to release a few singles, or maybe an EP by the end of this year. Stay tuned!



Any last words?

Thanks to the team at Stage-Plan for giving bands a great option for building, saving, and sharing stage plans. When venues need them, its nice to be able to create easy to see and read ones here rather than sketching them out by hand with handwriting nobody can read!