This past weekend had a massive supply of album release shows, if you weren't able to make it to anything, you missed out big time. The one I caught this weekend that packed The State Room was the release for Bullet & Belles new album, as the band played nearly 90 minutes of music with an encore. But prior to them playing for a good hour were The June Brothers (formerly known as Henry Wade), and we took the opportunity to chat Wade about the band and what they've got coming up, along with pictures I snapped that night.

The June Brothers
JuneBrothers.com

Gavin: Hey gang, first thing, tell us a little bit about yourselves.

Henry: First off, we're all in excellent shape. Peak physical condition. You never know when a situation may call for six-pack abs. Between the five of us we have a combined total of 30 abs. Seriously, though we're a five-piece Americana band from SLC. We try to incorporate vocal harmony into a lot of our tunes. Most of us have roots in classic country/rock/folk/blues music, and that probably has a lot of influence on what we do.


Gavin: When did you take an interest in music and what were your favorite acts growing up?

Henry: Music has been a focal point from a very young age. Growing up around musicians made learning to play a necessity, and listening to the music of parents and friends from the '60s and '70s molded an understanding of music that affects the music we write today. Long live Dylan, Allman, and Zeppelin.

Gavin: What was it like for each of you breaking into the local music scene?

Henry: It's been an eye-opening and involved process to get to know other local and touring bands, venues, and different sound systems/engineers around the valley. Getting to know other musicians pursuing our common goal has been amazing, and there is always interesting folk hanging out at venues to chatter with. There are so many great bands in the valley - it makes it fun to run into and play shows with bands you see around town.


Gavin: When did you all meet each other and eventually form the band?

Henry: We met in Spring of 2014 and hate each other. It's been an absolute nightmare.

Gavin: What's the process like for you when writing new material and then performing it with the group?

Henry: Usually Alex, Todd, Julie and I get together to write and flush out new material before bringing it to play with Columbe, our drummer. In most cases, one of us comes up with a primary melody line or riff, then we work together to build the structure and direction of the song. Writing as a group with collaboration has been refreshing, and really helps to push the song to be the best it can be.


Gavin: Last year you released the album Meet Your Creature, what was it like putting that album together?

Henry: Putting the album together was A TON of work, but one of the most fulfilling things I've experienced in my days. Recording with Joshua James, Isaac Russell, Timmy the Teeth and Even Columbe was more fun than one person should be allowed to have. It was incredible to work with professional musicians who are absolutely passionate about their craft and work hard to perfect it. It's a beautiful, gut-wrenching, and terrifying experience to bring songs to life, and I can't wait to do it again.

Gavin: What did you think of the public reaction to it when it was released?

Henry: I have absolutely loved hearing feedback from everyone who has heard the album. It's always scary to release something you've put so much of yourself into, but it's also an incredible experience to hear somebody's personal take on it. I'm always very interested to hear what a person's favorite song is because there's a lot of variation in the feeling of the album from start to finish.


Gavin: Are you working on anything new or just playing around for the moment?

Henry: We are always writing new music, and will be playing some of the new tunes at our upcoming shows to flush them out and polish them. We plan to start recording the second album towards the end of 2015 or early 2016.

Gavin: Any plans for a summer tour or doing anything out-of-state yet?

Henry: We are looking forward to 2015 being a year of touring! We have a couple small regional tours planned for this summer (Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming) but are planning a larger tour to hit as much of the west coast as possible this fall. We CAN'T WAIT get on the road again.


Gavin: What's your take on the way the local music scene currently is?

Henry: There's lots of genuine local talent, tons of great bands, but, unfortunately, there's not a lot of local support. There doesn't seem to be broad interest in seeing live local music except on weekends and bigger venues. We'd love to see musical curiosity beyond industry established acts.

Gavin: Aside yourselves, who are some of your favorite bands in Utah today?

Henry: So many, to name a few: Vincent draper, Bullets & Belles, Crook & The Bluff, Triggers & Slips.


Gavin: What can we expect from the band over the rest of the year?

Henry: We've been writing lots of new tunes and expanding our set. Lots of touring for the rest of the year, hopefully, we'll spend most of 2015 on the road. We're considering running for mayor as a band, it will be the first ever musical ensemble governing a human population.