With their soft voices and mellow sound, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors will take the stage at the Jefferson Feb. 19 in support of their 2014 release, “Medicine,” an upliftingly fluid album with an occasional twinge of sadness and regret. Arts & Entertainment spoke with Holcomb about his roots, musical message and love of life.
Arts & Entertainment: Music seems to have been a large part of your life since birth — you were born in Memphis and currently reside in Nashville. How has Tennessee’s rich musical culture shaped the music you write and play?
Drew Holcomb: I am certainly a product of my geography. Growing up in Memphis, the music and history in my hometown dominate a lot of our regional identity. The same is true in Nashville. However, just like most kids raised in the 90s, I was exposed to as much Radiohead as I was Elvis, and as much Nirvana as I was the blues. More than anything, I grew up going to see a lot of bands and artists live, and that become an enormous part of my desire to be a musician.
A&E: Your style is a little eclectic; aside from solid indie and rock styles, you show strong mainstream country influences, ragtime rhythms and a folky spirit in your tunes. Can you talk a little about artists who’ve influenced you?
DH: We were a road-trip family, so we had lots of my parents’ music in my childhood. Dad loved Dylan and classic 70s rock, and my mom loved Motown. Then as a teenager I was into everything from Zeppelin to Pearl Jam to Van Morrison to Ben Folds. In college is when the singer-songwriters really crept up on me.
A&E: Your upcoming release, “Medicine,” is your fourth studio album as a band. After such a long career of music making, how do you feel this album is different from others? How are you keeping your style exciting and interesting for listeners? This release is calming and exciting at the same time, which speaks to your talent as a lyricist and your band’s solid cohesion.
DH: It’s our fourth studio album as a band, with a Christmas record and a live album in between. This album is our most confident and most mature. I am in my 30s and know exactly what I like, and how to pursue that as a writer has become more interesting as the years go by. Recording-wise, we only tracked one song at a time, until that song was finished, and we made the whole record in 8 days. We love making music, and enjoy the creative process. Lots of bands seem to stress about that but thankfully that is not our story.
A&E: You seem to have a deep sense of the message and emotion each of your albums presents. What would you say is the message or feel of “Medicine”?
DH: That we need each other, that life is hard but ultimately full of good things, and music is one of those good things.
A&E: Have you been to Charlottesville before? Any memories or favorite places you’d like share with us?
DH: This is our third time, and only second time headlining. I think Charlottesville is one of the great historic college towns, and its seems like y'all really love live music. I see it as a place we will keep coming back to.
Holcomb can be seen at The Jefferson Theater Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. Fans and live music lovers can gather to see how, as Holcomb puts it, “Music is Medicine.”
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