Founded in 2018, Whiskey Flowers started out as most bands do; playing covers for their own enjoyment.
After a few private gigs, they knew they had something legitimate. As a group of seasoned songwriters and musicians, including Justin Pines, Brian Isely, Bill Gallagher and Dave Santoli, it didn’t take long for Whiskey Flowers to define their sound. Mixing elements of Rock, Americana, Pop, Blues, Classic Rock, 90’s Alternative, and Folk into their songwriting. With three distinct songwriters, the range of influences the band has is obvious.
The buoyant soundscape that is their latest single “Just Another Day,” has us accepting the offer of this warm, sonic invitation from Whiskey Flowers. Commencing the track with a steady presentation of chugging guitar riffs and tightly formed rhythm, there’s no denying the infectious grooves that simmer in the stew of this track.
Riddled with transparency through the vessel of enticing tenors that are laced into the tightly formed percussion patterns, Whiskey Flowers has us riding the vibrato of “Just Another Day” with an eager mindset.
Incorporating the boisterous energy from the smoldering vocal performance in our grace, there’s a solidified hunger that lies upon the effervescent melodies we grasp onto. With the bolstered resonance leading into the bands' forthcoming album release of ‘The Long Road Back,’ you can’t help but wonder if the musical arrangements heard are a direct reflection of the meaningful body of work to come.
Allowing us to feast on the timeless quintessence that they bring to their music, “Just Another Day,” has us ready to hit the freeway with all the windows rolled down, and the volume set to full blast. Driving home that nostalgia in a way that sends nods of familiarity our way, we’ll happily cruise to Whiskey Flowers on repeat.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Whiskey Flowers! Congratulations on the release of your single, “Just Another Day.” Could you please share the background story behind the inspiration that led up to this release?
We were a cover band for 2+ years and the pandemic forced us to rethink ourselves. Bummed that we couldn’t practice live for an indeterminate amount of time, we had a majorly failed attempt at practice over Zoom. So, we made the decision to try our hand at writing some original songs. One of the reasons we wanted to release “ Just Another Day" as our first single was that it was the only song on the album that was written collaboratively, in-person before the world shut down.
The inspiration behind the song came from Dave, our drummer, who was feeling the repetitive nature of his day job and the routine that surrounds it. Who hasn’t felt that kind of monotony or automaticity before? It just seemed very relatable, regardless of what your “Just Another Day” is. We all get stuck in routines and like to complain about the monotony, but, in reality, we know it’s just another day.
We would love it if you could share a glimpse of the creative process that you embarked on when bringing this song to life! What was everyone’s role in giving life to the vision?
A thumbnail sketch of this song was brought to our first true band “getaway” in Brigantine, NJ in 2019. We all dug the bouncy chord progression and the working melody. When we ran through it together for the first time, it just felt good, like a power-pop/rock song with an attitude. It also had this 90’s alt-rock vibe like early REM or Green Day. Can’t go wrong with that sound.
We put together a decent outline for the song and came back from that weekend with a live demo and song structure. We sat on it for about 15 months, until we made the decision to start recording and since it was mostly written, started with this one.
This was our first foray into recording and helped us iron out our creative process in writing and recording from our own home studios. Dave tracked drums and sent them out. Bill tracked bass and we mixed that. Justin tracked acoustics. Brian tracked electrics. And then back around it went until we added all the layers and elements we wanted. It took a few weeks to do. We didn’t confer too much on what needed to change, we just played what we heard to play and it turned out pretty well. Perhaps one of the best decisions we made was to hire a close friend, Kyle Wareham, to produce, mix and master the song and the album. It took our sound to the next level.
A lesser-known fact is that the legendary drummer Mike Marsh (The Avett Brothers, Dashboard Confessional) laid down the final drums on this song. We all love the Avett Brothers and are honored to have him as a guest on our album, so we got a kick out of releasing this one. Mike, if you’re reading – you rock!
How does “Just Another Day,” shape your audience’s mind for the release of ‘The Long Road Back’?
From the opening drum fill, it hits hard and sets the tone for a great listening experience. The first 3 songs each feature a different singer, and we’re proud of that. We put a lot of thought into the order of the songs on the album. In today’s day and age, that’s somewhat of a lost art – most artists release singles. We wanted to follow in the footsteps of our musical influences so we think the songs and the song order tell a bit of a story.
Just Another Day is a solid way to introduce people to our music - upbeat, energetic, relatable, and has the elements of the kind of rock that we all like. It’s got a lively verse, imagery, sing-a-long chorus, and a bridge that builds up to a great guitar solo with a big chorus at the end.
As a band, what’s the most important message you would like to convey to your listeners through your music?
Music is meant to create experiences, memories, and evoke emotions. We hope that comes through in our songs. We’ve all got songs that as soon as they come on, we know exactly where we were and what was going on. Hopefully, our songs can provide that for someone.
This was a lifelong dream for all of us to write, record, and release a studio-quality album. It’s been a tumultuous, crazy year and a half on Planet Earth, and we hope these songs can become a positive part of our listener’s lives in some way. The days that have music in them are always better than days without music in them.
What's next for you?
First, we want to get out there and play some shows! We’re eager to meet fellow music-lovers, perform and see where our album takes us. Second, we’ve got a handful of songs in the bank along with a few new ones that we’ve written, so we’re already talking about album #2. It’s a ways off, but hopefully, we will be able to write, record, and produce our next album together versus independently from our own homes.