From the Midwest to Citrus County, FL, the rockabilly trio Switch Blade Billi pays tribute to the sunshine state with their latest single and music video, "Florida."
Known for their blend of rock n' roll, country, bluegrass, and rhythm & blues, Switch Blade Billi isn't a band to miss as they never fail to leave listeners tapping their feet and getting down with their lively performances. Comprised of David Chaffin, Jason "Loobie" Luebbert, and Ross Reed, Switch Blade Billi is truly making their mark on the independent country-rock music scene.
Getting to the goods, Switch Blade Billi recently released their upbeat and hard-hitting country-rock single and music video entitled "Florida." "The song 'Florida' reflects on the long, tough winters that a lot of people have endured in the Midwest and how the dream of being on a beach somewhere is often fantasied about," states lead vocalist/guitarist Chaffin.
Written and produced by David Chaffin, the single "Florida" opens with Chaffin's raspy and vigorous vocals accompanied by his plucky and twangy electric guitar. While singing lyrics that dream of fleeing the Midwest's cold winters and wishing to reside in Florida, bassist Jason "Loobie" Luebbert makes his way in with groovy and heavy bass licks alongside Ross Reed's quick and energetic drum arrangements.
Peaking at the music video for "Florida," we're met with shots of Switch Blade Billi recording their single with the utmost energy, charisma, and joy. We love the BTS feel of the music video, as it gives us a glimpse of the band's dense creative process. Not to mention scenes of Switch Blade Billi strolling down the beach with a warm breeze and tropical trees, the video truly brings us straight down the I-75 and into the sunshine state.
Take a trip down south with Switch Blade Billi's recent single and music video, "Florida," available on all digital streaming platforms. Find the music video for "Florida" on YouTube.
We can't get enough of the energy and groove within your recent single, "Florida." What inspired your band to write a song about the sunshine state in all its glory?
This song was written to embrace the fantasy of being on a warm beach in Florida while enduring hard winters in the Midwest. It seems some winters we would go without seeing the sun for weeks and even months. Why did you choose to create the instrumentals for "Florida" to be so uplifting and high-energy? What was your group's creative process like when crafting the instrumentals?
You probably can hear some Rockabilly influence in this song which I would chalk up to Stray cats mostly. A little Jerry Reed in there as well. When fantasizing about being on a beach, while freezing in Missouri, the thought of it can be uplifting. So I guess it just came out that way.
Regarding your music video for "Florida," why did you choose to surround the video with BTS scenes of your band in the studio? Are these scenes meant to capture the excitement of fleeing the Midwest and taking a trip to the sunshine state?
This was the first album we recorded and I mainly just wanted to capture the experience. We hung out down there for a week and had some fun on the beach so it really just captured the whole process of making the album.
Did you have any help from directors or videographers when shooting the music video for "Florida"? What was your shooting process like?
We used the sound engineer’s film company, Bison Films, so it didn’t really interrupt our recording experience. I told him the idea of what I was looking for and he just ran with it. It was a lot of fun, to say the least.