Apalachicola Sound is a rock tinged country band based out of Tallahassee, Florida. The band name is a tribute to their first recorded song (Water Wars) about the Apalachicola Bay or “Sound” and its struggles to survive the damage done by our government, pollution and greed.

Their latest project, Gritwater, is a warmly welcomed addition to my music library. I’m not a big fan of country music…but when I jam it. I jam to albums like Gritwater. And bands like Apalachicola Sound.

In this interview spotlight, we chat about favorite songs, dream collabs, musical memories and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Are you able to choose a favorite song of all time? Or would you label this an impossible task? If yes, what’s the song? If no, what’s your current Top 3?

This is certainly a tough question but not impossible! I would say my favorite song of all time has to be “I Don’t Mind” by Sunday Valley. That was Sturgill Simpson’s original band out of Kentucky before he made it big. He covered this song on his bluegrass album, “Cuttin’ Grass,” but the original version was better in my opinion. Rounding out the top three would be “Elephant” by Jason Isbell and “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Isbell can rip your heart out with his lyrical genius and that song certainly proves it. Ronnie Van Zant (Skynyrd) is also one of my favorite lyricists and it always blows my mind that he never wrote any of them down! Everything was in his head.

What about this project makes you most proud? Was there a specific goal you were trying to accomplish with this release?

Our brand new single is “Pearl” (out February 3^rd) and it’s one of my favorite songs we have done to date for a couple reasons. It is a true story of a time in my life where I was lost, battling demons, and really just trying to find my way. I found a little break in the chaos when I met a girl while traveling to Oxford, Mississippi. We dated for a while and in the end it didn’t work out but she was a bright spot in a dark time of my life. This song includes some great slide guitar work by the magician Neal Goree and the best fiddle player I have ever had the pleasure of working with, Rurik Nunan. Those two instruments mix incredibly well with the story and we think our listeners will certainly enjoy the new tune. 

What inspires you to create music? What motivates you to keep going?

I’d have to say there are actually a lot of things that inspire me to create music. Family, friends and experiences would probably round out the top three reasons. I tend to hear a one-liner or a story that I think would work great in a song and go from there. Sometimes it’s only one or two words that set me off down a rabbit hole. I really love the freedom of music and being able to write basically whatever you want without boundaries.

If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why? If it’s an indie/DIY artist, please include a link so readers can check them out.

I would love to collaborate with Jason Isbell. He is a brilliant writer and I’d love to see his process and how he creates songs on a page. He was also good friends with John Prine who is one of my favorite artists because of how much my mother loved his work. She talked about him constantly when I was growing up. Isbell’s early work with the Drive-By Truckers got me hooked and everything he has done after that with his own band (the 400 Unit) has been incredible. On top of all that he is one of the best electric players I’ve ever seen and grew up around one of my favorite places on earth, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, which is the home of FAME studios and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section that earned the town the title “The Hit Recording Capital of the World.”  

What was the last song you listened to? Favorite all-time bands/artists?

The last song I listened to was actually “All the Time” by Zach Bryan. It is low key one of the best songs that I’ve heard in a while. I’ve been following him since his Twitter days and first album that he named for his mother, DeAnn. It’s one of those rare albums you can listen to front to back without ever skipping a song. He has been dominating my playlists since then and I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next. I also listen to a ton of red dirt music/alt-country like Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, and Ryan Bingham. I like to venture out into Americana with bands like Trampled by Turtles and Billy Strings. I really listen to almost any type of music with talent and well thought out lyrics. One of my favorites from our home state of Florida is JJ Grey & Mofro. His music always brings me back home to the blackwater swamps of Florida no matter where I am on this earth. Finally, I grew up a huge Skynyrd fan and will always be drawn to the music from the original band before the crash in ’77. I could do without the rebel flag though.

Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram! Those are the top two platforms we use right now. We are also getting our TikTok going and Facebook page as well.

I appreciate Your time. Want to say or plug any other projects before we part ways?

We have two more singles coming out each month after this one! Keep on the lookout for those and check out the first two full albums wherever you stream your music. A ton of blood sweat and tears went into writing those and most songs were recorded live. Thank you for the time and I hope everyone has a great 2023! Tight Lines!