Few Miles South~ Q&A

1.    Hello Blake & Tori, can you tell me about yourselves before you formed your country duo group “Few Miles South?”

Tori: We met in Los Angeles about six – seven years ago. We were both playing at a church. Blake was playing guitar and running sound and I was singing with the choir. I taught voice and piano as well as a yoga. Blake had his own recording studio and worked as a songwriter for a few different publishers. My background is mostly classical/formal training and Blake’s background is everything else. He learned guitar from his daddy and left home (GA) when he was 17 to pursue a music career in L.A. When we met, we found out we both loved country music and took things from there. 

2.    How did you guys form your group?

Tori: We started writing together to shop songs to other artists, but quickly changed our minds and decided to have a go at it ourselves. Blake had been in bands his whole life and I had sung with a cover band but never had my own project.

Blake: We recruited some local guys and started rehearsing and playing out. 

3.    How did you two come up with the name “Few Miles South” and were there any other choices you were going to choose instead?

Blake: The name just represents where we come from. Tori’s from Southern California and I’m from South Georgia, so “Few Miles South” just made sense. We had a list of other names, but I can’t remember them now. We even used band name generators online to try to give us some ideas. 

Tori: “Few Miles South” just seemed natural because it’s something we both have said often in conversation, mostly when giving directions.  

4.    What are your favorite songs off your brand-new EP Wiregrass?

Blake: All of ‘em, but my favorite to play live is “Grand Ole Time” and “Test of Time”. 

Tori: “$40 Room” and “Wiregrass” are my favorites. $40 makes me laugh and Wiregrass is so moody. 

5.    Where are some of your favorite venues or events to play at?

Tori: Festivals are always the most fun because of the energy. Anytime folks are engaged or dancing it’s contagious and that energy just gets passed back and forth. 

Blake: There’s also been some small bars and honky-tonks that have shown us a lot of love. We play a lot out in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain region. It’s beautiful out there. 

6.    Is there anything else coming up with your music in 2020?

Tori: We just got a side stage slot at Red Ants Pants Music Festival in Montana this summer. That’s a pretty big opportunity for us we’re really excited about. 

Blake: We have a UK radio campaign currently running to promote our EP, specifically the single “Let Me Come Back Home”. Also, since it’s looking like we will have a lot of downtime on account of the coronavirus we got plenty of time to write and will probably have another full-length album ready before the year is finished. 

7.    What is your recording process like when creating new music?

Tori: We’re fortunate to have a home studio so we can record whenever we feel like it. We try to pick one song to work on per day when we’re finishing a project. 

Blake: I engineer and record. 

Tori: He also plays most of the instruments. 

Blake: We hire friends and other musicians to play too. We were very lucky to get Michael Cleveland to play fiddle on four out of the five tracks on Wiregrass. If folks are unfamiliar with him, he just won a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album of the Year, (Tall Fiddler). He’s a beast. 

8.    Is there anything else you two would like to share?

Tori: We bring our dogs, Tater and Tot, with us everywhere we go. They’re a big part of our band behind the scenes. 

Blake: Check us out on our website, listen, follow and share please! Much appreciate y’all’s support. 

9.    What are some of you guys’ favorite quotes?

Blake: “Never, ever ever ever ever give up” – Winston Churchill 

Tori: “Practice and all is coming” – K. Pattabhi Jois

“The mountains are calling and I must go” – John Muir 

Few Miles South~ Artist Spotlight

Different south sides join in this unlikely pair created by South GA resident Blake English, and Los Angeles resident, Tori Lund. English & Lund met in 2014 singing and performing in at LA church and united over their love for country music. They started writing with intents to shop songs to other artists, but after a few years putting together a catalog, they decided to get a few local musicians and form their group.
Lund is a classically trained singer and misplaced old-timer country girl. She grew up playing on her family’s piano and rapidly picked up the guitar. Her passion for singing led her to get a Masters in Music, but after graduating she realized she did not want a career in the opera. She then started to teach piano and voice lesson, she stopped working on her dreams, until she met English who inspired her to write her music again. As a devoted reader, songwriting came mechanically, and she now pens the minority of FMS’ lyrics while working on catchy melodies with English.
English comes from family guitar players and songwriters and grew up listening to rock, country and rhythm & blues. As a multi-instrumentalist with a strong ear, he moved to LA in 2000 and signed his first publishing deal. He has since worked in his studio as a writer, producer and, engineer in many different genres of music. Some of his credits include Tori Braxton, George Benson and a Grammy-nominated album by Brandy. Getting tired by the publishing world and was looking for a change, he was ready to return home to his country roots and play live music again.
Few Mile South does it all, writes, records and produces their songs, which showcases both old school reminiscence and a restoring detour from today’s expectable pop-country sound. Their first single and music video “On Down the Road,” stayed on the Independent UK HotDisc charts for over 10 weeks and was awarded “Best International Music Video in 2017.
Lund & English quit their day jobs, packed up their dog Jojo (RIP), and hit the road. In February 2018, they put out a 5-track debut EP, “Might Could,” featuring their pal and well-known pedal steel guitar player Bob “Boo” Bernstein (Tanya Tucker, Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakum). A year after, they released their first full-length album “California I Ain’t, describing their versatility with blues and southern rock effects throughout. Their third project and EP, “Wiregrass,” was released in early 2020 and shares skillful solos (collaboration with Grammy award fiddler, Michael Cleveland) and divine vocals, which are staples in bluegrass music.
On March 6, 2020, Lund & English put out their latest ep “Wiregrass,” and you can listen to this great masterpiece on Spotify and iTunes. If you would like to find out more about Blake English & Tori Lund then check out this website at (https://fewmilessouth.com).

Social Media Accounts:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fewmilessouth
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fewmilessouth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fewmilessouthmusic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXSBz0RQurLsyu8a2QmRL3g