Southerland Interview
by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International
Southerland bonded over their southern small town upbringings, which they inject into the heart of their traditional storytelling and musical foundation. In “Along Those Lines” Southerland goes back to 90’s country roots with references to country legends Tim McGraw and Alan Jackson. While “Little Bit of You” reflects the duo’s innate ability to melodically blend modern and classic country into the perfect feel-good love song to unwind to at the end of a long day.
Christian Lamitschka: How was the last year for you? What were your highlights?
Southerland: It was actually one of the best years of our careers in Nashville so far as crazy as that sounds. We did a ton of writing and got some great songs out of it. Chris also got engaged!
Christian Lamitschka: What inspired you to become an artist/songwriter?
Southerland: We both just have always had a love for music and being creative and performing live.
Christian Lamitschka: Are you doing anything to take music beyond its current borders or are you happy where it is?
Southerland: We would love to do some overseas touring! Hopefully those opportunities come around soon, we can’t wait to get back on the road.
Christian Lamitschka: Who inspires you musically and how deep do your musical roots run?
Southerland: We’ve always loved Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, George Strait, etc… Chris grew up in a very musical family with his grandfather, uncles and cousins all playing guitar so he kind of fell into it because of that. Matt was involved with music from a young age and performed at events in his hometown.
Christian Lamitschka: What is your favorite song among all the songs you have recorded and what’s the story behind it?
Southerland: Chris’s favorite so far is a song called ‘Came Outta Nowhere.’ It’s a song that describes life in a small town and how much we are dependent on the people that keep the wheels turning. Matt’s favorite is a song called ‘Might As Well Be Us.’ It’s one of those songs that when we wrote it, it just felt right.
Christian Lamitschka: What moments in your career stand out in your memory as highlights and achievements which you are proud of?
Southerland: Signing our first publishing deal was a big accomplishment for us.
Christian Lamitschka: What can your fans expect to see when they see you in concert?
Southerland: We hope that our live show comes across as authentic and genuine to who we are not only as artists with the influences that we have, but also who we are as normal guys.
Christian Lamitschka: Describe what a perfect day is like for you.
Southerland: Writing a good song, playing to a sold out crowd, drinking a cold beer with our buddies… there’s a lot of answers for that one!
Christian Lamitschka: Fans are always hungry for good road stories. Do you have one you can share with us (come on don’t be shy)?
Southerland: There’s a lot of those haha. One that comes to mind right now is how we played a couple of hours on the tailgate of a truck in the parking lot after we finished a show because some of the people from the crowd wanted to hear more and they brought the beer!
Christian Lamitschka: What message would you like to send your European fans?
Southerland: We hope to see y’all soon! Like we said before, we’ve never toured outside of the U.S. but we know there are some hardcore country fans in Europe and can’t wait to bring the music to y’all!