The C2C Sit Down with 49 Winchester
On first listen “Fortune Favors the Bold” was a record that we were captivated by instantly and when we named our favourite records of 2022, the fourth studio album from 49 Winchester was right up there in the top three. The six piece from Castlewood, Virginia who started as a group of neighbourhood friends in their teens made their first trip across the pond for this year’s C2C: Country to Country festival and already have their return planned for Autumn where they will join Luke Combs in Europe for his world tour.
During the festival in London, the band played a number of sets at the O2 Arena and after speaking with lead singer Isaac Gibson over Zoom last year about (read HERE) it was the turn of Chase Chafin, Bus Shelton and Justin Louthian to speak with Jamie to talk about this first trip to the UK for the band.
During the festival in London, the band played a number of sets at the O2 Arena and after speaking with lead singer Isaac Gibson over Zoom last year about (read HERE) it was the turn of Chase Chafin, Bus Shelton and Justin Louthian to speak with Jamie to talk about this first trip to the UK for the band.
Thanks for taking the time to chat guys. I managed to catch your set in the Barrelhouse earlier where I think you showed everyone what 49 Winchester are all about. It’s first time over here, so what are you first impressions of London? I’m guessing snow when you arrived here wasn’t something that people had prepared you for.
“Ha ha, it’s definitely been very chilly and rainy so far, but the experience has been awesome with getting to see the city a bit and taking the train around. We’ve mostly been good with getting the tube. Out of all the rides, we’ve only missed one stop so that’s pretty good I think.”
That’s good to hear. The main thing with the underground is as long as you stand on the right-hand side of the escalator and don’t make eye contact with strangers, you’re generally fine in London.
“Well, that’s the best advice we’ve received so far.”
England is a very strange country from your guys perspective because we’re kind of backwards to the States. Here the northerners are more friendly and hospitable than the south, where as people from down here tend to look down on people from the north. As a whole though, looking at the UK, I’m guessing you guys have heard about these wonderful audiences and the crowds here. Did your first set today live up to it?
“Yeah, for our first set in a new continent and our first international show really ever, I mean it was a huge crowd and really respectful crowd. People were getting into it, they know the songs and it was really exciting.”
A lot of people pick up on audiences here being very respectful and doing their homework on what people have put out, but you guys aren’t this quiet little act who are really stripped back so hopefully you really did see that for you guys who bring all this energy, this crowd is definitely a party crowd too.
“It’s just so cool that people really knew the songs and it looked like they were having as much fun as we had.”
“Fortune Favors the Bold” will be the record that most of the people will have heard and probably the first introduction which was definitely one of my favourite releases from last year. It was your first release through a label, so there was a slight difference with the process, but Isaac had said when I spoke to him that New West are awesome and there wasn’t a difference in terms of creativity. You guys have always been in this band and you’re not playing in other bands, so you have this constantly evolving sound, but do you think that your close to settling on this and that this record really now shows the true identity of 49 coming out in the music?
“I don’t know if that’s necessarily the case because I think it really is going to keep evolving. You can’t really put us in one line of music and the further that you go back in our discography it just goes all over the place. The next record will probably be a lot of heavier stuff and different sounds like southern soul then rock and roll, we’ll always continue to change the sound. It will always sound like 49 Winchester, but we take influence from everything, we’re not going to be a cut and dry country band because between us we love rock and roll, hip-hop, jazz and everything. Each band members individual preference to music is so varied.”
I like that, it must be really great in the writing room to not have ideas and influences coming from one musical background, where someone can think about jazz, and someone listens to hip-hop.
“I love it, It allows us to put our own piece of the puzzle together when we’re making the songs and bring in those different backgrounds of songs that we listen to.”
I have friends that saw you guys at Americana Fest in Nashville last year and other people that are in Nashville next month when you are back at the Opry, then for me it’s really satisfying when you mention an artist that friends may not have heard of before, then they come back after checking you out and tell me how right I was. I have to remind them that I listen to a load of music and write about it a lot so I like to think I know what I’m talking about but for anyone that didn’t catch your first set, they will hear from other people about this huge sound that you guys have and an intense level of energy which you’re going to get to bring to that big stage in there later in the year. You all must be so pumped to be heading on the road with Luke which includes two sold out nights here at the O2.
“It’s huge, It means a lot to us, his support has been really cool and we’re just as excited as everyone else, it’s a hard seat to keep.”
Luke was actually the first artist that I ever interviewed.
“We keep hearing his name around C2C, he must be a legend around here.”
Yeah, you never know he be one of those guys that could turn out to be a mega star one day ha ha. What I think is the coolest thing about Luke Combs as an artist and a guy is that everything that people imagine about him and want him to be is that and he just is Luke. When I met him and walked into this dressing room with no idea what I was doing, I definitely still have no idea what I’m doing now but he’s just so laid back and that is who he is, being so authentic and genuine. That’s the biggest thing I take about you guys and your music as a real similarity on that level.
“I feel that we feel the same way, everything that we do is authentically 49 and we’ll never really change that.”
There are a couple more sets across the weekend and tonight after the arena is a slightly longer one than the others, so are you guys finding you can mix things up a bit more for the shows over here?
“We recently recorded a really cool old school cover for Spotify which is going to come out later this spring, I don’t really want to say too much yet, but we did get to put that in.”
Again, not asking you to say too much right now, but have we got a follow up record in the works?
“Yeah, it’s in the writing stage still but we have some new songs that we’ve been working into the set. We haven’t started recording yet, but we’ll be in the studio at some point this year. Hopefully this will be a huge year so I’s just about finding the time to get in and record.”
Totally, just the European run on its own, later this year is quite a long run but a great chance to see some more new places.
“We have a full summer also, leading up to it with playing all across America at big festivals, tons of our own headlining shows, shows with Dwight Yoakam and The Mavericks so, we have a lot of really cool stuff this year.”
That’s amazing. Coming back to end on being here at C2C, if there was one thing that you would want from people that discover you for the first time or come across you guys playing on one of these stages, what would be the thing that you hope they take away from seeing a band from a small mountain town in Virginia?
“We just want people to have a good time at our shows, hopefully hear something in the songs that they relate to. We hope people feel the energy of the brotherhood on stage and we hope that translates to everyone else because that’s real!”
From watching you play before, which was the first time that I had got to see you live, the fact that you are a full band who are always playing together you really see how tight you guys are. You can take a lot from listening to recordings, things on socials or live clips on YouTube but to actually see things live and in person that was definitely my biggest takeaway.
“That’s definitely our goal and we really are that brotherhood.”
Appreciate you guys, I’m genuinely thrilled you guys are here at this festival and you put out one of my top three records of last year. When people ask what you guys sound like, there is the natural draw to saying Whiskey Myers, Blackberry Smoke and bands like that.
“We had that tour with Whiskey Myers actually which was amazing.”
They’re so good and a band that have been coming over here very regularly and hopefully with this first trip and the tour with Luke in October will be the start of 49 Winchester doing that too.
“Absolutely, that sounds like a plan to us!”
After being a roaring success at this year’s C2C: Country to Country festival, 49 Winchester will return to Europe in September and October as they join Luke Combs on his 2023 world tour. The European dates commence in Oslo, Norway on September 30th before visiting Sweden, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland and five UK dates with Luke before finishing up with their own headline show at Lafayette in London on October 22nd.
“Ha ha, it’s definitely been very chilly and rainy so far, but the experience has been awesome with getting to see the city a bit and taking the train around. We’ve mostly been good with getting the tube. Out of all the rides, we’ve only missed one stop so that’s pretty good I think.”
That’s good to hear. The main thing with the underground is as long as you stand on the right-hand side of the escalator and don’t make eye contact with strangers, you’re generally fine in London.
“Well, that’s the best advice we’ve received so far.”
England is a very strange country from your guys perspective because we’re kind of backwards to the States. Here the northerners are more friendly and hospitable than the south, where as people from down here tend to look down on people from the north. As a whole though, looking at the UK, I’m guessing you guys have heard about these wonderful audiences and the crowds here. Did your first set today live up to it?
“Yeah, for our first set in a new continent and our first international show really ever, I mean it was a huge crowd and really respectful crowd. People were getting into it, they know the songs and it was really exciting.”
A lot of people pick up on audiences here being very respectful and doing their homework on what people have put out, but you guys aren’t this quiet little act who are really stripped back so hopefully you really did see that for you guys who bring all this energy, this crowd is definitely a party crowd too.
“It’s just so cool that people really knew the songs and it looked like they were having as much fun as we had.”
“Fortune Favors the Bold” will be the record that most of the people will have heard and probably the first introduction which was definitely one of my favourite releases from last year. It was your first release through a label, so there was a slight difference with the process, but Isaac had said when I spoke to him that New West are awesome and there wasn’t a difference in terms of creativity. You guys have always been in this band and you’re not playing in other bands, so you have this constantly evolving sound, but do you think that your close to settling on this and that this record really now shows the true identity of 49 coming out in the music?
“I don’t know if that’s necessarily the case because I think it really is going to keep evolving. You can’t really put us in one line of music and the further that you go back in our discography it just goes all over the place. The next record will probably be a lot of heavier stuff and different sounds like southern soul then rock and roll, we’ll always continue to change the sound. It will always sound like 49 Winchester, but we take influence from everything, we’re not going to be a cut and dry country band because between us we love rock and roll, hip-hop, jazz and everything. Each band members individual preference to music is so varied.”
I like that, it must be really great in the writing room to not have ideas and influences coming from one musical background, where someone can think about jazz, and someone listens to hip-hop.
“I love it, It allows us to put our own piece of the puzzle together when we’re making the songs and bring in those different backgrounds of songs that we listen to.”
I have friends that saw you guys at Americana Fest in Nashville last year and other people that are in Nashville next month when you are back at the Opry, then for me it’s really satisfying when you mention an artist that friends may not have heard of before, then they come back after checking you out and tell me how right I was. I have to remind them that I listen to a load of music and write about it a lot so I like to think I know what I’m talking about but for anyone that didn’t catch your first set, they will hear from other people about this huge sound that you guys have and an intense level of energy which you’re going to get to bring to that big stage in there later in the year. You all must be so pumped to be heading on the road with Luke which includes two sold out nights here at the O2.
“It’s huge, It means a lot to us, his support has been really cool and we’re just as excited as everyone else, it’s a hard seat to keep.”
Luke was actually the first artist that I ever interviewed.
“We keep hearing his name around C2C, he must be a legend around here.”
Yeah, you never know he be one of those guys that could turn out to be a mega star one day ha ha. What I think is the coolest thing about Luke Combs as an artist and a guy is that everything that people imagine about him and want him to be is that and he just is Luke. When I met him and walked into this dressing room with no idea what I was doing, I definitely still have no idea what I’m doing now but he’s just so laid back and that is who he is, being so authentic and genuine. That’s the biggest thing I take about you guys and your music as a real similarity on that level.
“I feel that we feel the same way, everything that we do is authentically 49 and we’ll never really change that.”
There are a couple more sets across the weekend and tonight after the arena is a slightly longer one than the others, so are you guys finding you can mix things up a bit more for the shows over here?
“We recently recorded a really cool old school cover for Spotify which is going to come out later this spring, I don’t really want to say too much yet, but we did get to put that in.”
Again, not asking you to say too much right now, but have we got a follow up record in the works?
“Yeah, it’s in the writing stage still but we have some new songs that we’ve been working into the set. We haven’t started recording yet, but we’ll be in the studio at some point this year. Hopefully this will be a huge year so I’s just about finding the time to get in and record.”
Totally, just the European run on its own, later this year is quite a long run but a great chance to see some more new places.
“We have a full summer also, leading up to it with playing all across America at big festivals, tons of our own headlining shows, shows with Dwight Yoakam and The Mavericks so, we have a lot of really cool stuff this year.”
That’s amazing. Coming back to end on being here at C2C, if there was one thing that you would want from people that discover you for the first time or come across you guys playing on one of these stages, what would be the thing that you hope they take away from seeing a band from a small mountain town in Virginia?
“We just want people to have a good time at our shows, hopefully hear something in the songs that they relate to. We hope people feel the energy of the brotherhood on stage and we hope that translates to everyone else because that’s real!”
From watching you play before, which was the first time that I had got to see you live, the fact that you are a full band who are always playing together you really see how tight you guys are. You can take a lot from listening to recordings, things on socials or live clips on YouTube but to actually see things live and in person that was definitely my biggest takeaway.
“That’s definitely our goal and we really are that brotherhood.”
Appreciate you guys, I’m genuinely thrilled you guys are here at this festival and you put out one of my top three records of last year. When people ask what you guys sound like, there is the natural draw to saying Whiskey Myers, Blackberry Smoke and bands like that.
“We had that tour with Whiskey Myers actually which was amazing.”
They’re so good and a band that have been coming over here very regularly and hopefully with this first trip and the tour with Luke in October will be the start of 49 Winchester doing that too.
“Absolutely, that sounds like a plan to us!”
After being a roaring success at this year’s C2C: Country to Country festival, 49 Winchester will return to Europe in September and October as they join Luke Combs on his 2023 world tour. The European dates commence in Oslo, Norway on September 30th before visiting Sweden, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland and five UK dates with Luke before finishing up with their own headline show at Lafayette in London on October 22nd.
September 30 - Oslo NO - Spektrum
October 1 - Stockholm SE - Avicii Arena
October 4 - Copenhagen DK - VEGA Forum
October 6 - Hamburg DE - Barclays Arena
October 7 - Amsterdam NL - AFAS Live
October 8 - Paris FR - La Cigale
October 10 - Zurich CH - The Hall
October 11 - Brussels BE - Ancienne Belgique
October 13 - Dublin IE - 3 Arena
October 14 - Belfast UK - SSE Arena
October 16 - Glasgow UK - OVO Hydro Arena
October 17 - Manchester UK - AO Arena
October 19 - London UK - O2 Arena
October 20 - London UK - O2 Arena
October 22 – London UK – Lafayette (Headline show)
Their latest album Fortune Favors The Bold is out now via New West Records and available HERE. You can find full ticket information on these dates in Autum on their WEBSITE and follow the band socially through INSTAGRAM TWITTER or FACEBOOK
October 1 - Stockholm SE - Avicii Arena
October 4 - Copenhagen DK - VEGA Forum
October 6 - Hamburg DE - Barclays Arena
October 7 - Amsterdam NL - AFAS Live
October 8 - Paris FR - La Cigale
October 10 - Zurich CH - The Hall
October 11 - Brussels BE - Ancienne Belgique
October 13 - Dublin IE - 3 Arena
October 14 - Belfast UK - SSE Arena
October 16 - Glasgow UK - OVO Hydro Arena
October 17 - Manchester UK - AO Arena
October 19 - London UK - O2 Arena
October 20 - London UK - O2 Arena
October 22 – London UK – Lafayette (Headline show)
Their latest album Fortune Favors The Bold is out now via New West Records and available HERE. You can find full ticket information on these dates in Autum on their WEBSITE and follow the band socially through INSTAGRAM TWITTER or FACEBOOK
C2C: Country to Country will return to the O2 Arena in London and OVO Hydro in Glasgow on 8th to 10th March 2024 where the festival will also head to Belfast at the SSE Arena for the first time. Early Bird tickets were released on Friday March 17th where full ticket information is available on the WEBSITE and socials (INSTAGRAM / TWITTER / FACEBOOK)