To have the chance to sit down with these guys after three years since we first chatted was phenomenal. An hour before their show in Las Vegas, we had a quick moment with John Strickland, lead singer for Lullwater. The Athens, Georgia based group is another unbelievable find from the hidden gem music city. Athens has brought forth some amazing bands over the years with the B52’s, REM, and The Drive By Truckers as the best well known. The band is a bit spread out these days, living in Athens, Savannah and Jersey City. Still rehearsing in Athens, they pack up, hit the road and have enjoyed a great beginning of 2017 touring different parts of the country.
At the time of our chat, the band was currently on tour with Another Lost Year and Never Say Die. All three bands are completely in a league of their own and a must see live! From experience, a lot of bands sound incredible on recordings; then you get to a live show and wonder what and who you were listening to on that CD or iTunes. Not these guys! The are even more astounding on stage! “We have been touring on and off the past few years and it’s always great to have those moments with each touring band of brothers,” states Strickland. When asked about road tales, favorite cities and venues, it can always be an eye opener or a jaw dropper, however, the reply we received was a story in itself that we may have to go back for the full details! “We’ve played so many unbelievable venues and yeah, you do kind of walk away from it feeling fulfilled and awestruck. I would have to say another surreal place we have played was in El Paso, Texas. Not necessarily for the venue but the experience that happened that night. We were on tour with Candlebox and I got to sing with Kevin Martin and Dave Krusen on drums during our cover of Pearl Jam's Release. A complete and surreal experience that brought me to tears. My adolescent self was dumbfounded,” laughs Strickland.
Lullwater is ready for the stage and our chat is short lived. One last shout and they are bounding onto the stage. “After we finish this tour, we will head back to Georgia to finish our new video and work on a few current projects. Be on the watch for it to be released soon and I hope everyone enjoys it a much as we did making it,” smiles Strickland as he head to the stage. If you haven’t take the opportunity to see or listen to Lullwater, now is the time. “We want people to relate to our song and connect to them. If they get something emotional from the music, then we have succeeded. I simply want all we encounter to feel something. I hope we rock peoples faces off and it makes them feel more alive in the process. We are in this for the long haul and with every passing experience, I know that we are connecting with people. That my friends, is simply inspiring,” adds Strickland.
Courtesy of the AXS press release...
John Strickland, lead singer and rhythm guitarist for Lullwater, one of the hottest bands to come out of Athens, GA in quite some time, recently chatted with us about the timing of the release for the band’s latest video “American Glutton,” which exclusively premieres on AXS today. The track is the fifth video off of the band’s 2015 album Revival. “American Glutton” is a controversial, in-your-face kind of commentary on the current political climate. Lullwater has found a way to convey their passion over such subjects to the masses by using their talent and pure, raw emotion. They are also one of the industry’s hardest-working bands out on the road today.