Interview: The Southern Gothic Discuss The Release Of Their Brand New Single “Past Midnight”!

The Southern Gothic (Connor Christian: Lead Vocal, Piano, & Guitar, Quinn Loggins: Bass, Guitar, & Backing Vocals, Yannie Reynecke: Lead Guitar, Mandolin, & Backing Vocals, Shawn Thacker: Drums, & Backing Vocals) have just released their brand new single “Past Midnight”, which is set to feature on their forthcoming EP ‘Burnin’ Moonlight’ & have each kindly taken the time to speak with Fierce & Fabulous Revolution about their latest single.

Hey, The Southern Gothic, thank you for agreeing to this interview, can you start by telling the readers a little bit about yourself?

Connor: Hello! Thank you so much for having us, and yes, I’d be happy to. The Southern Gothic started in Atlanta, USA by Shawn and myself, out of the ashes of another band. We toured for a solid 6 years, averaging nearly 200 shows a year, building a following across the US. In 2013, our 2nd album New Hometown, was a surprise Billboard hit, which allowed us to spend several more years of touring, often with some really great acts. We took a break and I moved to Nashville and spent a couple years writing songs for other artists. Last year, Shawn and I started jamming again, and we brought in some friends from here in Nashville to bring back the sound and feel that’s always been Southern Gothic, and see where the music was going to take us a couple years removed from the road.

How did you all first discover your passion for music & knew that it was a career that you wanted to pursue?

Quinn: I grew up in a musical family. My father, Dave Loggins, was an artist songwriter in Nashville, so I was exposed to music at an early age.

Shawn: As far as my passion i think it was probably the first time i got my hands on a real instrument. I always loved music as a kid and would raid my parents, aunt and uncles’ record collections all the time. Occasionally, my dad would take me over to his friend Quick’s house. He had a couple of electric guitars and they would turn me loose in the music room and I couldn’t get enough of them. Any time after that I would light up when I could get my hands on an instrument, especially drums. As far as career, it was after my first few gigs with my first band and getting the feeling of performing for a crowd that I knew I didn’t want to do anything else but play music.
Connor: Well, I’ll say this. When I got married years ago, my Mom gave my wife, a book full of pictures, artwork, etc, from my childhood. On the first page there was a large piece of colored paper, folded in half, and on the outside it said “Miss Lombardi’s 1st Grade” – What do you want to be when you grow up? I opened the paper and there was self-portrait done in coloured pencils, of me holding a microphone and saying “I want to take Michael Jackson’s place”. I’m not totally sure what that means, but it’s always been inside me and I’ve always known!

Yannie: It started in elementary school, when I was put into strings class and played cello. Soon after that I was given a guitar by a family friend and that’s when the obsession with music started. I knew it was what I was going to do for a living when I was still in highschool, and gigging in bars and getting paid for it. I was sold pretty early on.

You are set to release your brand new single “Past Midnight” on October 23rd. How did the idea to create this single first come together?

Connor: I wrote this one with my buddies Mason Thornley (who I’ve written a LOTTA songs with), and Keith Hetrick who moved all the way from LA to Nashville (for reference that’s farther than London to Moscow) only to become one of the biggest new KPop producers in America. (Again, for reference, Korea is the other direction, haha). But we were in my studio, strumming around and kicking around ideas. Somebody started singing the whoa-whoa part. We were vibing and the melody started coming together. The feeling was kind of magical, and we turned that vibe into lyrics about vibing. It all came together in a few hours. Once Keith took it home and started working on the demo we knew we had something really special.

What was the main inspiration behind this upcoming release?

Connor: When we put out New Hometown, a 20-song monster album, and there were really only a couple of love songs on the whole thing. This record, we went the other way, kind of writing about the whole life cycle of a love – from “Past Midnight” about those first buzzy moments of meeting someone fantastic, through the comfortable times in “Classic” all the way through letting go in “Villain”. I feel like these songs really hit all the big moments in the relationships in my past.

What does the song personally mean to each of you?

Shawn: Past midnight to me is one of those songs that you’ve lived. You’re out somewhere, meet someone and the sparks start flying, there’s magic in the air, the weather is perfect and all the possibilities of new love start to unfold.

Connor: It’s tough to say it much better than that!

If listeners could take away anything from this song, what would you like it to be?

Connor: A melody you can’t shake, a vibe that won’t quit and a little less couch between you and that special someone.

This song is also from your upcoming EP ‘Burnin’ Moonlight’. What sort of things can we expect from this highly anticipated release?

Connor: You can expect a more muscular, rock focused version of the band we’ve always been. The same voice, the same energy, but a new, more contemporary SoGo. However, the biggest change from the last record, I think, is all the incredible Nashville songwriters I’ve had the pleasure of working with on these songs. Where I used to write most of the songs alone, I had amazing co-writers on every single one of these tunes. Since I wrote “Up On Your Love” one of the co-writers has picked up an Emmy, and another, Russell Sutton has a song, “My Boy” by Elvie Shane rocketing up the charts here currently. Speaking of Elvie, I wrote “Gravity” with him. Keith Hetrick was nominated for a Grammy, and of course Quinn co-wrote as well as produced “Villain”.

What are some of the things you each enjoy outside of music?

Yannie: Outside of music, I love spending time with my dogs, two long haired dachshunds, Otis and Ella. Also my Fiance and I enjoy getting off the couch to go sit at a movie theater instead.

Shawn: I love hiking, biking and the outdoors, dogs, skateboarding, history.

Quinn: I’m really into drawing these days.

Connor: Well, I spend a lot of my free time with my beautiful family, my wife and 3 daughters. I obsessively collect Nikes (and other sneakers if they’re REAL cool) and baseball caps. I play in a pretty competitive basketball league which I love despite being sore all the time. I do make time to run every day and get some reading in as well.

What advice would you offer to someone looking to pursue a career within the music industry?

Shawn: Don’t do it for money or fame, do it because you don’t have a choice, if you’re not driven to do it to the point where you don’t have a choice, then keep it a hobby. But enjoy it either way.

Quinn: Be ready to work harder than you ever have, and wear as many hats as you can!

Connor: Always make sure someone in your band is the business guy, that someone is keeping you organized, and staying on top of the things that need to do that no one tells you about. It’s the side that us creative types often don’t give enough attention to.

Yannie: Be a good person and be a good hang.

Finally, is there a message you would like to share with the readers of Fierce & Fabulous Revolution?

Yannie: Be kind to each other.

Connor: We hope to meet everyone reading this on the road next year and we hope you love the new EP. Stay safe, and look out for one another. We’re way more alike than different.

You can check out “Past Midnight” on Spotify below.