Drew Fish Band~ QA!!!

• Hello Drew, can you tell us all about yourself before you became a country musician? 

        I’ve played instruments and sang since I can remember and the band formed when I was in high school. Most of hobbies from then are still my hobbies now. I’m a huge fan of the outdoors. I enjoy being outside whether it is hunting, hiking, fishing, riding ATVs, boating, scuba diving, biking… When I have time off, it’s a safe bet that I’m spending time in the wilderness.

• Who are some of your musical icons?

        I grew up listening to a wide variety of music, everything from Elvis Presley to Blink 182, Patsy Cline to Queen, and Roy Rogers to Frank Sinatra. I have a lot of respect for people who really created their own sound. There are so many iconic country artists from the 80s and 90s that when a song comes on, you know exactly who the artist is even if you haven’t heard the song before. There are too many amazing artists to name them all, but two of my favorites are Keith Whitley and Randy Travis.

• What made you decide to have a career in country music?

        Cory Morrow invited our family out to a show and asked me if I wanted to get up on stage and play “Drink One More Round” with him. I had played songs in front of a person here and there before, but had never been on a stage or played for a crowd. The rush that I got from being on stage was something that I had never experienced before. That sparked me finding a couple of friends from high school that played drums and bass and the Drew Fish Band was born.

• What is the background story behind your latest single “Friday Beers?” 

        There is an Instagram account called @Friday.beers that I have followed for a couple of years. I was sitting down with Kyle Level and David Banning one day to write and threw the idea out to make a theme song for their page. I like cracking a cold beer open on a Friday and I think that most of our fans do too. After we wrote the song, I sent it to my brother to get his opinion on it and he happened to know one of the guys who started the page. He got us in contact, they loved the song, so we teamed up with them for the release.

• How would you describe your music in 3 to 5 words?

        Fun, positive, good timing, sincere

• What are a few of your favorite venues to play at?

        I was born and raised in Austin and hometown shows are always special. I went to Stubb’s to see a bunch of shows growing up. We’ve had every one of our album release parties there and we usually have my birthday show there. Coupland Dance Hall and Gruene Hall are also places that I grew up going to and will always bring back those memories. One of the coolest venues that I can think of is Old Saloon in Emigrant, MT. It’s a little place that’s 120 years old sitting just north of Yellowstone National Park in Paradise Valley. Standing on the outdoor stage and looking at the mountains around you is pretty incredible.

• What is your recording process like when creating and making new music?

        Everything comes down to the song. We are currently working on a new record and in the process of narrowing down songs and writing new ones right now. It’s all about finding the right songs that represent you as an artist, fit your sound, and compliment the record. Just because a song is a great song, doesn’t mean it’s the right song for you as an artist and just because a song works for you as an artist, doesn’t mean it’s the right song for a certain record. We start the recording process by looking at what songs we already have written, figuring out which of those songs will work for the album, and then writing what is missing.

• What is one of your favorite quotes?

        “What did you do today to set you up for tomorrow?” I’m not sure where it came from, but it has been one that has stayed with me for years. I believe that the only way that you can create success (whatever that success may be for you), is to work towards it every day and actively pursue your goal.

• Is there anything else you would like to share?

        We do a lot of work with military based charities and released a song called ’Stories Left Untold’ this past Memorial Day Weekend. 100% of the revenue from that song through the end of the year is going to Special Forces Charitable Trust to support our country’s Heroes. We have six Special Operations veterans in the video, one of whom was shot in the head in 2011 serving our country in Afghanistan. His treatments are not covered by the VA, so he has had to rely on donations and assistance from organizations like Special Forces Charitable Trust to recover from his injuries. Watch the video, stream the song, and donate if you can to support those who have dedicated their lives to preserving our freedoms.

Drew Fish Band~ Artist Spotlight!

When Drew Fish was a sophomore in high school, he was asked to play by talented Texas singer/songwriter Cory Morrow. There were almost 1,000 fans that gathered for Morrow’s and Tyler’s Texas show. Backstage, before the show started, Fish played a few songs for Morrow, who later surprised Fish by asking him to join him to sing on the stage with him. When Fish went off the stage everything changed for him.

Fish thought it was neat to get a band together, that was the moment he knew he wanted to have a career in music. He started a band and he and his pals started playing through high school and college, getting gigs at fraternity and sorority parties while in college and traveling throughout Texas and neighboring to play music for people who quickly became fans after seeing their high energy, and down to earth show. 

After college, Fish’s mom and dad, both of who came from musical backgrounds, told him he had to get a job. He and his band talked it over and decided they wanted music to be their career, so they  made their first album, which Fish describes as having “a rough and real,” sound. Many people enjoyed it, more dates came along too, and a second album, which was somewhat smoother and more poetic, arrived. Along with it came lot of interest in the band for bookings, radio and television. Having just put out his third record, produced by five-time Grammy winner Adam Odor (known for his work with the Dixie Chicks, Pat Green and the Randy Rogers Band), Fish is well on his way into that career in music. He wrote all the songs for “Wishful Drinkin,” which came out in 2020. The music has become more traditional with a honky tonk sound. 

The sing/songwriter co-wrote many of the songs with popular songwriters Tommy Conners (“The Last Ten Years (Superman)” by Kenny Rogers; “Last Of A Dying Breed” by Neil McCoy), Roger Brown (“She Gets That Way” by Kenny Chesney; “We Must Be Loving Right” by George Strait and Barbara Streisand_ and Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame member Byron Hill (Fool Hearted Memory” by George Strait; “Nothin’ On But The Radio” by Gary Allan). 

Fish wanted to grow the music he had been doing, and he thought this new record shows growth. He also wanted songs that sounded like him, but not for them to be alike. He thinks they came up with some terrific songs, and some great honky tonk tracks, and he was very excited for everyone to hear the album. 

Fish explains one of the things that made a big difference for this album is that he has continued to grow throughout his musical career as a singer, entertainer and songwriter. Also, he put a lot of time into pre-production before he, Odor and the musicians went into the studio to  record.

Fish shares also that “the studio was a blast.” They were throwing ideas out and trying different things. The band was willing to go out on a wing to try different things, and the results are just what Fish was hoping for. 

“Lone Star Saturday Night,” was a wonderful example of what Fish was showcasing when he went in to record, a song he considers to be true country. It’s a honky tonk song with a driving rhythm that gets listeners in the mood to party. “Better Place,” was the first single released to radio and Fish’s second to go to number 1 on Texas Regional Radio Report. Bryan and Fish wrote it in about 30 minutes and right after thought it should come out first because it was such a positive message song, something they thought people would like hearing in this time of hardships. Fish is also proud of “Every Damn Time,” the first waltz song he recorded. It was also a duet with Pam Tillis, which he says he still cannot believe what happened. “High Rolling Home,” a song inspired by Willie Nelson and “On The Road Again.” Listen carefully and you will hear references to Honeysuckle Rose, and the Outlaws and guitar riffs that sound much like those you might hear from Nelson too. 

In 2022, Fish and his band put out a brand-new song “Friday Beers,” and it is available on both Spotify and Apple Music. If you would like to find out more about the Drew Fish band then check out their website (https://drewfish.com/).

Social Media Accounts: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drewfishband/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewfishband/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drewfishband/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/drewfishban