Rising from the red dirt clay of Mobile, Alabama, The Red Clay Strays have captivated audiences across the USA with their authentic sound. Their debut album, ‘Moment Of Truth,’ has become a sensation, driven by the breakout hit single, ‘Wondering Why’.
With an electrifying stage presence and an eclectic rock-n-roll sound, the band is hailed as one of the most thrilling breakthrough acts of 2024. Frontman Brandon Coleman’s charismatic persona and soulful vocals have mesmerised audiences, likened to the fervour of a Southern preacher.
Recently signed to Thirty Tigers, The Red Clay Strays are set to unveil ‘Moment Of Truth’ to a global audience, with a physical release in the UK on May 3rd. UK fans can anticipate an exclusive limited-edition transparent Root Beer colour vinyl, alongside the standard Seagrass vinyl pressing, available worldwide. The band have also been confirmed to appear at this year’s Long Road festival in August and will be playing a series of their own headline shows around the festival too. We were thrilled to catch up with guitarist Zach Risel and bassist Andrew Bishop to talk all about these things and more!
Thank you for your time today, guys. We’re thrilled to be able to say you are coming over later in the year for the Long Road festival and some shows of your own. How are you both feeling about that?
Andrew: We are VERY excited. It’s something that we never would we could achieve or that would happen for us. It’s kinda surreal, I guess, but we can’t wait.
Zach: I’ve always wanted to go to Europe but I didn’t know that the first time that I would go would be with my band! That’s very cool.
The buzz around the band and your exposure over the last year has been amazing. Do you keep waiting for someone to pull the rug out from under you or for MTV to jump out from behind a tree and shout ‘Pranked’!
Both laughing.
Andrew: We’re very grateful and feel very blessed for what we have right now but we do know that it can disappear just as soon as it came, you know? Anything can change tomorrow and it could all be gone.
Zach: Everyday you gotta wake up and pinch yourself, man, and not take it for granted.
After pinching yourself you should also tell yourselves that you deserve the success you’ve achieved.
Zach: Maybe a little bit but we’re also aware that it could all go away again at any moment.
Your music is really undefinable in terms of genres, which is a factor in your success right now, as the lines between genres blur. Is that something that is important to you?
Zach: As a band and as a group of individuals, we love all kinds of music. In my head there are only two kinds of music: good music and bad music. I don’t know what makes the difference between the one or the other but we all come from different musical backgrounds and it all kinds of meshes together really well for us.
Andrew: We’ve never strived to be in any one genre or another. We make music for ourselves not what we think other people will like.
Let’s dive into the making of a Red Clay Strays song a little deeper. Who comes in with lyrics, melodies and how does the whole process go from the germ of an idea to something concrete?
Andrew: We have two main songwriters in the band. Our guitarist Drew Nix and our vocalists’ brother, Matthew Coleman. Brandon (Coleman) also writes a little bit, as we all do but they are the two main writers. Matthew and Drew will send an idea over to Brandon and the rest of us so that he (Brandon) can make sure it’s lyrics he can sing and is happy with. Sometimes once we all get into the circle together, Drew’s original idea will get flipped on its head once we all start playing and exploring as a whole.
Zach might come in with a solo from somewhere or someone else might have an idea that takes the song in a different direction, it’s all very organic.
Zach: A lot of it is throwing stuff at the wall until something sticks.
Andrew: We also kinda let the live shows drive the creativity because we like to play the songs live before we record them so we watch the audiences reaction to them and will tweak or change things accordingly.
‘Moment of Truth’ has been out for two years now. Does it feel strange that the songs are resonating with new people two years after the album came out?
Andrew: It does feel like the album has had something of a re-birth, almost. If I’m being honest, we don’t like listening to that record now……..
Zach: I’m not a big fan (laughing)
Andrew: It kinda all feels a little fresh again now it’s having a second life but nothing beats the live sound of those songs, that’s where they sound the best, when we play them live, because the recordings of them don’t.
Zach: The songs on the record are great but the way the album was recorded and produced is a dis-service to the songs. I love playing them.
Were the ‘Western AF’ sessions an attempt to re-imagine or refresh 4-5 of the songs then?
Andrew: I wouldn’t say that was the main plan but we were excited about that opportunity. We also wanted to do one of those sessions, we love those guys, but it was cool listening to some of the songs re-recorded in a slightly different way. But as Zach says, it’s our live shows that we think make us stand out – we want the songs to sound better live than how they have been recorded.
Lynyrd Skynryd have been a huge influence on all of us in the band and they are a superb example of a band whose live show sounds like their albums, but just better! It means something when you can take something you did in a studio and do it live, not everyone can do that. Some artists can’t repeat the magic and the smoke and mirrors that happen in a studio live on stage but we’re proud that we can.
It sounds to me that you guys have got a killer live album coming down the line at some point in your careers!
Andrew: Oh, we’ll definitely put out some live albums, for sure.
Zach: Definitely.
My favourite song on ‘Moment of Truth’ is ‘Do Me Wrong’ which gives me some serious ‘Stand By Me’ vibes. It must be lovely to play the bass on that song?
Andrew (laughing): To be honest with you it’s lovely to be able to play the bass on any of the songs! That song does get a good crowd response.
It feels like it was recorded in 1963. Was that a time and a sound you were trying to capture in the recording process?
Zach: It’s funny you should say that because the album was recorded in a completely analogue way on really cool vintage equipment which does lend itself to a few of the songs on the album. ‘Do Me Wrong’ is a great song and I think it is a good recording of that song.
‘She’s No Good’ must be a fun song to play live?
Zach: That one is a blast, it’s one of my favourites.
Andrew: We usually play that song after one of the slower songs so that it hits even harder!
Is there a song on the album that people like me haven’t talked to you enough about in the past two years in terms of something going under the radar that you’re really proud of?
Zach: I’d say ‘Killers.’ ‘Killers’ is my favourite track on the album. I love the story behind it and I love playing it, it’s a beautiful song…..
Andrew: I thought the recording of that one came out really well?
Zach: It sounds great.
Andrew: We had extra production footage of the Vietnam war to throw in on that song which makes it sound great. I think my answer to your question would be ‘Sunshine.’ It’s such a well composed song……a heavy song with a lot of meaning.
I love the ‘Western AF’ version of ‘Sunshine’ with just the piano………..
Zach: It’s such a good song.
Andrew: 49 Winchester were doing their ‘Western AF’ session and they introduced us to the guys and let us do one song with them which is what started that relationship. Our buddy Isaac (Gibson, 49 Winchester frontman) at 49th, he’s so great.
Zach: We’ve played a festival or two with them.
Andrew: When I think of Country music, that’s them right there, 49 Winchester. Those guys are doing some real Country music. Isaac has always been really nice to us and has treated us well, they deserve all their success.
Another advocate for the band is Bobby Bones. I’ve heard you on his show recently. Was that weird? Rocking up to the iHeart building in Nashville and doing a massive, mainstream, Country music show?
Andrew: Man, we hate Nashville, I’ll tell you that for sure. (laughing)
Zach: That show was, at, like 5am in the morning and we’d done a show the night before so we were all, like, delirious, tired! It was kind of a fever dream, appearing on that show!
Andrew: We enjoyed doing the show but I don’t think any of us got any sort of special feeling from being in Nashville. A lot of Nashville feels very soulless…… I mean, not to hate on it too hard because our whole team is there……..but I think a lot of people have this misconception that you have to go to Nashville to make it. We’re five rednecks from south Alabama, man, and we all still live there because Nashville is not the place you have to be these days.
Let’s talk about the next album, then, because it’s my understanding that it’s in the can and ready to go?
Andrew: Yep…………..I believe so……………(laughing) I don’t know how much information we’re allowed to talk about! What have you heard?
I know that Dave Cobb is involved….
Zach: Very much so. There’s night and day between the sound of ‘Moment of Truth’ and this next record.
Andrew: It was the best recording process we’ve ever been involved with.
Zach: It’s a lot more energetic, the fidelity is higher and it’s been mixed way better than ‘Moment of Truth’ was. The next album is a step closer to who we are on stage and our live show in terms of the energy and the feelings it stirs up in you when you listen to it. I love listening to this next record, I listen to it almost every day.
Andrew: I feel happy when I listen to these next songs and we’ve never felt happy before. Dave Cobb pulled that magic out of us and it was an incredible experience.
Zach: We’re pretty much playing the whole album live in our sets right now so you’ll get both albums if you come to see us!
You’ve played with some major stars in the past couple of years. Erich Church, Dierks Bentley, Elle King. Is there anyone you’ve looked at and learned from how they connect with their fans and how they treat their backstage crew?
Andrew: Good question, man.
Zach: I think Dierks Bentley for me. He treated us so well, just like one of his guys. We hung out on his bus and his whole crew were great, to a person. There’s such a family atmosphere with Dierks out on the road, which is what I want to aspire to as we grow this band.
Andrew: The way Eric’s crew treated us was great. We’ve seen bad crews out on the road but not with Dierks’ or Eric’s. It was a privilege to be out with teams like that, where everybody is happy for you to be there and wants to share their time, knowledge and success with you. Having a good road crew is some thing that is crucially important for any artist or band.
The Red Clay Strays ‘Moment of Truth’ gets a physical release in the UK on May 3rd via Thirty Tigers and their tour dates are below: Tickets on sale here
August 18th – Dublin The Academy
August 20th – Glasgow SWG3
August 21st – Manchester O2 Ritz
August 23rd – London O2 Shepherds Bush
August 24th – The Long Road festival
