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LADY ANTEBELLUM: HARMONIOUS COUNTRY TRIO
PCC TALKS WITH DAVE HAYWOOD
By Paul Freeman [June 2014 Interview] In 2006, when country artists Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott first got together for a writing session in Nashville, they had no idea how momentous the teaming would be. The trio found that their voices meshed just as well as their songwriting skills did. Calling themselves Lady Antebellum, they scored a hit single, “Love Don’t Live Here,” followed by their debut album in 2008. It went platinum and the threesome was named Top New Group by the Academy of Country Music and New Artist of the Year by the Country Music Association. A string of number one hits followed, including “Need You Now” and “Our Kind of Love.” After the birth of Scott’s daughter, Lady A had a bit of a respite. Now they’re touring again. And they’re completing their sixth studio album, the follow-up to 2013’s “Golden,” with new producer Nathan Chapman [Taylor Swift]. The single “Bartender” has already been fueling fan anticipation. PCC chatted with the amiable Dave Haywood. POP CULTURE CLASSICS: “Golden” is a fine album. It took the band in some different directions. From your perspective, how has the band continued to grow and evolve? DAVE HAYWOOD: It’s been fun just to have what I feel is like a new energy. If kind of feels like a new chapter in the Lady A world. Especially with the song “Bartender.” We all have a new vigor and excitement just to be back recording. Our commitment to writing was stronger than it’s ever been. We’re working on a new record right now. Even though I know we put out the “Golden” one recently and we’re super-proud of that, we’ve actually been working and we’re almost done with a new record that we want to put out, hopefully, later this year. ‘”Bartender” is that first sneak peak from what else is to come. And it’s been fun. We went in with a new producer and all had a new excitement. We wrote probably more than we’ve ever written in the past for a new project. I think having a moment to reset last year, helped kind of re-inspire all of us. You know, we had a couple months off, when Hilary had her baby. And so it gave us a chance to take a step back and take a breather and come back at this thing with a new vigor. PCC: Do you have an idea yet of where the album will take you, musically? HAYWOOD: Well, we’ve been working with a new producer. His name is Nathan Chapman. We’ve done all of our past records with the same guy, Paul Worley, who has been amazing for us. And we absolutely love working with Paul. But we wanted to get a fresh perspective and fresh eyes and ears on this. And I think Nathan’s had a way to really look at who we are as Lady A and what he loves about our group and the harmonies and the sound. And for him to be able to put his kind of spin on it - I think “Bartender” is a good example - he’s got a way to make things sound really big and really high energy. And I think, more than anything, we wrote probably more uptempo songs than we’ve ever written probably for any project. in our past. Just because, being on the road, having a new excitement, every time we’d start to write a ballad, we’d go, “No, no, no, no, no! Let’s not do that one today. Let’s do a fun one today.” And I think that hopefully shows on this record. There’s a lot more uptempos and fun stuff. And again, I think there’s a new excitement for us, as a band, out touring and being up there and wanting to have songs that really work live is really what we’re going for. PCC: How does the writing process usually take place within the group? HAYWOOD: Well, “Bartender,” to tell a little bit of the story about “Bartender” is a good example, I think. We write pretty much everything together and sometimes we’ll bring in an extra songwriter for a different perspective, too. But actually there’s a little groove, opening guitar riff on “Bartender” and it was just an idea I’d put down at home and recorded it on my little home studio and brought it out. And Charles had an idea in his phone of some titles. And he was like, “What about a song about a bartender? You’re talking to a bartender. You’re out doing whatever.” And sure enough, we picked right up with Hillary and with a guy named Rodney Clawson, we were out on the road, and wrote this song. It’s a real organic thing for us. A lot of times we start with melody and kind of a groove or a feel and then get into lyrics. But, yeah, we wrote that one out on the road and we were trying to come up with something fun. What are going to be the songs that will be fun to play live, fun for people to hear outdoors in an amphitheater, in a live show environment? Stuff like that. And we like to craft these things, just the three of us, or with someone else, and try to keep it real close to home. PCC: Even after all the success, do you feel it’s important to not play it safe? HAYWOOD: Yeah, absolutely. We’re always wanting to to try to push the boundaries of who we are. Being songwriters, I think it’s hard to stray too far away from who we are as a band. We always have three-part harmony and two lead vocalists, doing stuff back and forth. We always try to write about what we’ve gone through. So those are the core elements of who we are as a band. But we always try to push it - and a way for us to push it for this upcoming project was to really focus a lot on tempo, like I was saying. A lot of people know us for the mid-tempos and ballads, like “Need You Now” or “Just A Kiss.” You know, they are huge songs for us. But we wanted to have some tempo songs that people knew us from. So we really went in and committed to writing as much as we could fun stuff, cool tempo stuff, whatever we could come up with, we went with. PCC: As far as that vocal blend, is it a unique rush you get from the harmonies among the three of you? HAYWOOD: Yeah, you know, gosh, ever since the first day we started writing... and we all sang together, something just clicked. I mean, we feel lucky and blessed that we found each other, because somehow, when we all sing together, it all feels great. And it kind of feels like family harmony, in a weird way. It’s so weird for people to not have really grown up as a family to sound so similar to family harmony. And it is a rush. When we do stuff, one of my favorite things ever is when we get to play acoustic. And we do that actually in our live show. We have a way to get out close to the lawn and perform a couple of songs acoustic. And even do a song a cappella. And I love to be able to just have the voices carry us through. I think that’s kind of the core of our sound and what we’ve always loved. I mean, I grew up listening to The Allman Brothers, listening to The Doobie Brothers and Fleetwood Mac and those kind of bands that made that the focal point of their band. That’s kind of what we’ve tried to emulate for years. PCC: So if Fleetwood Mac was a key influence, it must have been an amazing experience, working with Stevie Nicks on the “Crossroads” TV show. HAYWOOD: It was. It’s true. I grew up on that stuff. Good gosh, to be able to work with Stevie Nicks, it was nuts. I mean, man! My favorite thing was, sitting around, she’d start telling these rock ‘n’ roll stories. And they’re like real rock ‘n’ roll stories. It’s not just like, “Hey, I saw Luke Bryan the other day at Starbucks.” It’s like,” Petty called me up and then I said, ‘Well, I want to go over to Joe Walsh’s.’” And like all these crazy, cool 70s stories [chuckles] that are so awesome to listen to. Musically, that was the biggest honor. Just to be around someone like that, of that level, and for her to respect who we are and to really believe in what we’re doing as a band and believe in the songs we’re writing, to get her stamp of approval on our stuff was kind of the highest honor. I really feel like it was one of those top of the top moments for us. How else do you get any bigger than someone you grew up listening to, trying to figure out lyrics and guitar chords on the radio, and they’re sitting there telling you that they really enjoy what you do, as well. So it was the top of the top. And she couldn’t have been nicer and more genuine to us. And I’ve got plenty of good rock ‘n’ roll stories that I can retell to my grandkids. PCC: A lot of those classic rock bands imploded after a while, amidst all the pressures. How have the three of you successfully balanced personalities and responsibilities so well? HAYWOOD: Yeah, that’s a great question. I think our core, for us, is, we’re friends, first and foremost. Charles and I grew up together. So I’ve known him since his face was filled with acne and he had braces in middle school - and I, as well. So we go way back and have known each other for a long time and been great friends. And once we meet Hillary, it just really felt like this really close friend, brother-and-sister relationship. And I think the one thing we all agree on is that we’re stronger as a group than we are individually. That’s what keeps us always pushing towards the band and not pulling away, splitting up to do a few crazy things. And it was interesting, when we were doing the “Crossroads” with Stevie Nicks, she talked about that a bunch. She was just amazed. She said, “I don’t see how you guys, you all like actually hang out and stuff. You guys always hang out? Oh, my gosh!” A lot of those bands in the 70s were so separated. It was like they couldn’t stand each other and they would just get on stage and perform and that was it. And that just blows my mind. We honestly do hang out. We go out with our spouses and go to dinners on our days off and do things we have the time to do. So I think, if we keep our friendship strong, hopefully we can keep doing this music as long as we want. PCC: When Charles first suggested that you leave Atlanta and move to Nashville, meaning you had to quit your job, were you completely confident or was that a scary decision? HAYWOOD: I was not completely confident. It was pretty scary to quit a job. You go to college and get a degree and finally get a job... and of course, my parents were like, “What in the world? To throw all that away just to go and write music? That just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.” It was one of those just gut decisions in your life. I think it was a big moment for me personally... And, even Charles - talk about scary, he went before me, without anybody. He went out before I did and convinced me to go to Nashville to write together. And it was tough, to go to a town where you know one other person, trying to chase a dream. And you don’t really have any money and any way to do anything, but just love music and want to commit to that. It was a big risk. But it was one of those moments for me personally, where I was like, “You know what? I’ve got to do it. I can’t live the rest of my life wondering -what if?” And I didn’t want to sit around, going, “What if I would have ever gone to Nashville? What could have happened?” And so, we wanted to give it a shot. And we worked our butts off, those first few years, writing and recording. And once we met Hillary, things really clicked, obviously. And that was where it all started to happen for us. PCC: When you first launched the band, how did your hopes and dreams compare with all that you’ve actually accomplished so far, the reality? HAYWOOD: It’s been nuts. I mean, honestly, I hate to sound like it’s all gravy, but it’s kind of felt that way. We got to play the Grand Ole Opry, which is obviously a big moment in country music, and a big stage in country music, pretty early on. And that was kind of the first moment I was like, “Okay, we played the Grand Ole Opry, I’m good. Anything else that happens from here on it, is icing on the cake.” And honestly, it’s exceeded what we thought. It truly has. There’s so many people in this town, fighting to get up there, to be able to do this, that I still can’t believe sometimes that we’ve been able to make it... and to be able to perform and still do it. And it has totally exceeded what we thought. In all honesty, it has. And so we don’t take it for granted. And I think that’s what keeps us going is we don’t want to take it for granted. We want to be up there and be appreciative that we can do this and to commit and work hard for it. PCC: Why do you think the pubic has responded so universally enthusiastically to the band’s sound over the years? HAYWOOD: I don’t know. It’s tough. I think, again, we’re songwriters and what we’ve heard from fans, especially around the world, it was an eye-opening experience. We got to tour through Australia and all through Europe and stuff. To be that far away from home and have people be able to tell you how much they relate to your songs, some of those moments are like, “Man, whatever we’re putting in our songs, the experiences that we’ve gone through, I guess are what’s resonating.” I mean, songs like “Need You Now,” when we wrote that, it was kind of some sucky line. It was like, “Well, it’s late at night, you miss someone, you’d probably call them up, if you’re drunk, right?” It was like “Well, yeah! Let’s just put that in the song.” And it was like, “Really? Who would put that in a song?” And it’s turned out to be one of those big lines in our biggest song. And I think that’s what people relate to is just our honesty of what we’ve gone through - a lot of love lost and love gained. A lot of songs that we’ve written have been about things that we’ve gone through directly. So I guess, somewhere in there, people find their own relatability to the music and I guess that’s why so many people have responded to it. PCC: Was it part of the plan, initially, to expand beyond just the traditional country markets? HAYWOOD: It wasn’t at all. Our first few singles were just in the country world. And we never thought we would have anything that would cross out of the country format to other formats. It was really pretty bizarre, once “Need You Now” started to pick up some steam at country radio, a lot of other formats started picking it up, too. And it was like, “Well, gosh, if we can have more fans, then by all means, play it.” And I think it’s been an exciting thing to watch - different ethnicities, different ages of people, all over the board, find out about our music, come out to the shows. And it’s been interesting to see the fan base grow. But it all took us by surprise. It honestly did. We had no intention of doing anything other than writing the core of who we are, which is a couple people from the South writing songs that we feel like are about our real lives, and wanting to stay in the country format with that. But it was an honor that they wanted to play it outside of that. PCC: Having achieved so much, what are the dreams and goals yet to be fulfilled? HAYWOOD: Well, I think there’s one word that we use a lot and it’s longevity. We’ve watched a lot of country bands before us. I mean, Alabama was performing last night, at the stadium, for the first time in 20 years for CMA Fest. And I read it this morning in the paper and I’m like, “Man, now that’s the kind of stuff that’s cool, that a band like that can show up and play a stadium and everybody goes crazy for them.” And how do you become a band that can do that for another 15 to 20 years or whatever? I think that’s the goal. There’s been some really amazing moments that we’re grateful to have and to have been able to accomplish. But I think now it’s about how we grow and continue to grow in our personal lives and still be able to play music and still be able to do this for as long as we want to. PCC: For you, to this point, greatest challenges and rewards in your life as a musician? The challenges - For a musician, the travel and logistical schedule are almost unbearable. You’re really out of town and gone so much. It’s hard to be away from family, hard to be away from the people that mean the most to you. That’s a tough thing to do, when I’m on the phone with my wife, trying to convince her, tell her, “Honey, I’ll be home, I promise, sometime in the next month.” Those are the hard moments for sure. But I think the greatest rewards are seeing people up close and personal and hearing the stories about how our songs have affected them. Those are the moments. There are meet-and-greets every night, backstage, when somebody says something like, “This song, ‘Hello World,’ I played it in the hospital when my Mom was going through some really tough times and it helped us get through.” It’s really like, “Oh, my gosh, we’re doing this for a reason!” And there’s people that are getting to hear our music that we’ll never even hear about, but it’s a huge reward when people get to share those personal stories with us about how the music has affected them.” PCC: You and your wife are expecting? HAYWOOD: Yes, we’re expecting a little boy this fall. So we’re excited - and personally, a little scared. But, you know what? It’ll be awesome. I’m excited for this new chapter. We’ve got some good friends with kids. I’ve gotten some good practice with Hillary’s baby on the road. So hopefully I’ll know a little bit of what to do, but I know there’s a lot that you have to figure out together. So it’ll be fun. PCC: Is part of what to figure out is that balance between public life and private life? HAYWOOD: Yeah, absolutely. It’s always a challenge. You want to keep some of those moments private, of course. But again, it’s something that I’m going to celebrate and be proud to share with everybody. So I’ m sure there’ll be plenty of photos I’ll be posting eventually. Once we have the baby, it’ll be so exciting, I probably won’t be able to contain myself. For the latest news and tour dates, visit ladyantebellum.com. |
