Musical duo Rightfield, comprised of Reed Hoelscher and Jack Blocker have recently released their deluxe album 'Rightfield, One' - a culmination of their successes and failures in the creation of the band.
Their goal is to be timeless - to make music that will be remembered for the next 50 years, not the next 50 days. Recent tracks from the album have garnered much attention and proven setting up success for the deluxe version. 'Gone!' has amassed more than 530k streams alone whilst significant playlisting includes Spotify’s 'Soda' and Apple Music’s 'Morning Coffee'.
We had the chance to speak with the pair as part of our Get to Know series...
How did you meet and when did you start making music together?
"We grew up playing a bunch of sports together, then reconnected at the University of Arkansas. Neither of us knew that the other was into music so when we discovered that the other had a "hidden” talent we started jamming and writing together for fun."
Is there a story or meaning behind the band name?
"We were watching a Rangers game in Jack’s dorm room and we thought Rightfield was pretty timeless and it wasn’t taken already."
Where are you from and what’s your favourite thing about it? Do you feel as though your surroundings have inspired your sound in any way?
"We’re both from Dallas, TX. We love that it’s a big city with tons of diversity, great venues, food, and great sports teams, but also rests in the south where we both feel a strong connection to the way of the blue collar man and the history of the cowboy. Our surroundings have 100% inspired our sound and we hope to dive into our background even more."
Who are your biggest inspirations, musically?
Reed: "City and Colour, Dope Lemon, Travis Tritt, Poison, Senses Fail, The Maine."
Jack: "Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons, Willie Nelson, Frank Ocean, Danny Brown, The Pharcyde."
Who would be your dream artist or group to collaborate with?
"The Smashing Pumpkins."
We love your new track ‘Birthday Party’! How has the reaction been so far?
"Thanks! That’s probably our favorite track yet. We hope other people feel the same way. We think people are really excited by the direction that we are taking our sound."
Tell us a little about it!
"We recorded the guitars out of an iPhone and the vocals with a cheap broken mic. The story is about an experience one of our friends had at a birthday party. Inspirations would be Soccer Mommy, Loggins and Messina, Coin, and Dope Lemon."
It’s taken from your deluxe album ‘Rightfield, One’. How have you found making an album and trying to be creative over the past year which has been really difficult for artists?
"I think having no opportunity for shows made the album process much easier. There’s much less to focus on and prepare for. Plus, you get to dream about and long for playing the songs live while writing which helps add some magic and inspiration."
Do you have a favourite track or lyric in particular from the release?
"'Birthday Party' is our collective favorite. A close 2nd is 'Himalayas' because of the dynamic rollercoaster it takes and all the influences we combined to make it happen."
Are there any key themes, stories or inspirations that run throughout?
"The theme of the album is the 11 best songs we made during that time period. The focus was making a genre-bending album combining all of our influences that we grew up listening to. The next album will not be(:"
What’s coming next for you guys?
"We have some singles releasing this summer then we’ll be touring all fall (come see us) and recording our next big project this fall! Expect the songs to have more magic!"
'Rightfield, One (Deluxe)' is out now.
Listen HERE @iloverightfield
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