Tony Mantor's : Almost Live..... Nashville - Band of Heathens:Harmony, Grit, and the Art of Creating a Lasting Sound

Episode Date: April 14, 2026

Behind the Music: The Band of Heathens - A Journey of Harmony and Brotherhood Tony Mantor hosts an engaging conversation on 'Almost Live Nashville' with Ed and Gordy from the acclaimed roots rock band, The Band of Heathens. The discussion delves into the band's origin story, their lack of initial vision, and how a loose collective of musicians evolved into a celebrated group known for their rich harmonies and collaborative spirit. Ed and Gordy share insights into their songwriting and recording processes, reflecting on their growth as a band and the influence of iconic musicians on their sound. The band also talks about challenges and dynamics of being on the road, the importance of staying creative and independent, and their hopes for connecting with audiences through both recorded music and live performances. The episode is filled with candid moments and reveals the passion and camaraderie that have kept The Band of Heathens thriving for over 20 years. Introduction to the Podcast Meet Ed and Gordy from Band of Heathens The Origin of the Band Name Early Days and Vision of the Band Songwriting and Recording Process Touring and Band Dynamics Rapid-Fire Questions: Between the Beats Final Thoughts and Future Plans INTRO/OUTRO: T. Wild Mantor Music BMI Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

in the entertainment industry has enabled me to work with a diverse range of talent. Through my years of experience, I've recognized two essential aspects. Industry professionals, whether famous stars, or behind-the-scenes staff, have fascinating stories to tell. Secondly, audiences are eager to listen to these stories, which offer a glimpse into their lives and the evolution of their life stories. This podcast aims to share these narratives, providing information, on how they evolve into their chosen career.

We will delve into their journey to stardom, discuss their struggles and successes, and hear from people who help them achieve their goals. Get ready for intriguing behind-the-scenes stories and insights into the fascinating world of entertainment. Hi, I'm Tony Mantor. Welcome to Almost Live Nashville. Joining us today is Ed and Gordy,

two of the driving forces behind one of the most respected and road-tested bands in American Roots Rock. Band of Heathens, known for their rich harmonies, killer songwriting and a true collective spirit. These guys have built a sound that blends rock, soul, and Texas grit in a way that feels timeless, but never stuck in the past. We're going to talk about the stories, the songs, and the brotherhood that's kept us being rolling strong for years.

They've got a great story to tell us, so before we dive into our episode, we'll be back with an uninterrupted show right after a word from our sponsors. Thanks for coming on. Yeah, thanks for having us. Oh, it's my pleasure. You have a really distinctive band name. I'm always curious about how names like that came together.

Can you tell us how that came about and the story behind it? That's a good question. We didn't really come up with it. It was given to us. We're not 100% sure who gave it to us. We basically were doing a weekly residency. in Austin, kind of in the latter part of 2005, and it was a very loose collective of musicians. I don't even know if I would call it a band yet, and we'd get together Wednesday nights,

and we had this kind of jam with multiple singers in the rhythm section, and we called up the Good Time Supper Club, and one week we showed up to the gig, and it was listed in the newspaper as the heathens, and we thought maybe it had been double-booked, or, you know, we were going to show up and have to defend our weekly gig. But there was no other band. The Heathens was a name that somebody thought it would be funny to call us. Those early days were, uh, there was a lot of tequila and it was a very loose show. So that morphed into the band of Heathens and, and here we are 20 years later. When a band first comes together, there's usually a vision behind it, what it's going to sound like, feel like, and become. What was that vision for you when you first started this journey?

There was absolutely no vision. The vision was that we were all going to leave doing the band of Heathens, which was formerly referred to as the Good Time Supper Club. We were going to leave that and go back to our regularly scheduled careers being solo singer-songwriters, playing acoustic or fronting our own little ensembles. There really wasn't a lot of thought given to it. I would say a happy accident might be one way to phrase it, but I think what ended up happening was there was kind of an instant chemistry

with those pieces and the spirit of, I think, the spirit of that ensemble and the way it was, I would say the way that it was received by people that were coming to hang out and watch us play. Both people we knew and then people we didn't know very quickly. It just kind of took fire and it was one of those things sort of like, you know, when you have to be tuned in and listening to the universe, I think we had a bit of a eureka moment

where it was like, I remember one of the other rules of the project was that we couldn't rehearse, but we decided at some point we should learn a tune or two outside of each of our individual catalogs and it was like we worked up this song by the band called it's a lead belly song but kind of the version of the band called ain't no more can on the brassus and i remember all of us singing together and i just had this thought like this is exactly what i want my band to be but this is like this is so much more than i could have ever imagined what i would be able to do just with one voice this idea of this collective and the sort of the collective energy of everybody coming to it full heart and full throttle was it was pretty undeniable you know honestly god that was that was kind of of a moment for me where I was like, ooh, something's happening here. I have to kind of pay attention to this and see where this takes us, you know? Yeah, I read that each of you already had solo careers and this project kind of overlap with that. You had a vision for how you wanted this band to sound. Like you said, this is kind of like the band I would want. So how did you bring all those pieces

of the puzzle together and get everyone on board with becoming a collective instead of individual artists. Well, I think that early on, like Ed mentioned, the sound of the group singing together was really a thing. And especially when it didn't feel like there was a lead singer when it was just a massive voices. And I think that spirit of a band just really resonated with us. And we just started kind of taking it on the road regionally. And then we went out to the Rocky Mountains. And I think we never had any, we didn't really like have a vision for like being stars or being It never really was about that for us. It was about, you know, chasing that feeling of making music that really speaks to our souls and really resonates and connecting with audiences.

And so for us, it was really just, you know, we were having fun. And once we started, we made a live album, which then turned into, okay, let's go into the studio and make a studio record. For us, it always was, all right, let's just be able to make one more record. Let's just, you know, let's make it to one more gig. It was always just kind of one. One. step in front of the other, and we really didn't have a plan for a long career. It was kind of just like, hey, while this is fun, let's keep doing this and keep chasing this, and hopefully it's successful enough to do one more. Yeah, with several people in a band, everyone brings their own unique style and background. When you started putting all these pieces of the puzzle together,

what were some of your personal influences that shaped the band? Well, I mean, to kind of follow up on Gordy's point, too, I think it took some sort of, some guys left, or something. early on, there was definitely some kind of some people coming and going. So we had the kind of initial core lineup of the original five guys. I think within that, you know, there was things like the band, for sure, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead. I think those were kind of the things we agreed upon. And then everyone kind of brought a little bit of a different flavor into it as well, too, I think, which is kind of what made it interesting. You know, I think Gordy's earlier stuff tend to lead a little bit more singer-songwriter in country, you know,

like Texas songwriters like Guy Clark and Lyle Lovett and Towns Van Zant. And I had kind of really come up being very into R&B music, you know, like Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett and things like that. And I think it was also partially us recognizing that those things actually all fit together nicely. You know, and a lot of our favorite music was the collision of those things. And, you know, just finding the spot where they worked in a complimentary way, I think that's when we started to kind of really be able to unlock what we're still doing today.

I think one of the influences, I don't think. I think you mentioned, Ed, was Lilfeet. I think that's one of the great bands that had kind of the R&B side to the kind of Routes Americana Sound. I think that was one of the early influences of the band in addition to, you know, Dylan and the band and all the other influences Ed mentioned. Now, when you sit down and write a song, of course, every song writer has their own way of approaching it.

Do you write the lyrics first, come up with the melody first, or do you just get together and let everyone's influences impact the way the song is going to be developed and recorded. Well, I think, I mean, I think all of the above, all shapes and sizes, and I think even in an individual song, it could be all of the things you mentioned. You know, like, so Gordy and I have written a lot together. That usually starts with something like, you'll have an idea or I'll have an idea about either, you know, a title or a lyric, or maybe it's a musical thing. It could be any of those things that would start a song, and then kind of go from there.

And then as far as the collective kind of just like ringing something into the room and having it be a collective thing, I think the way we make records, the way we produce ourselves, the sound that we get ultimately as a band in the band of the band of heathens. That's from the collective sort of like, let's say Gordy has a song that he wants to present to the band. Like I've heard the song when we've maybe worked on it. But when we're making a record, it's like, okay, it's Tuesday morning. Hey, what do you want to work on? It's like, okay, well, today we're going to work on the song called No Direction, which is one of the songs on CountrySides. And Gordy would come in with his guitar, play the song for the band. They'd be like, all go sit at our, sit at a spot, you know, pick an instrument, pick a lane. Let's start throwing some ideas around and let's see what happens. It's kind of, you know, I think all those things that you mentioned are really important parts of kind of getting to. There's the essence of a song when you're writing it, but then there's the essence of a song when you're putting it to tape or recording it. That's a thing that's there, you know? Yeah, absolutely. Now, you just mentioned the recording studio.

Everyone works in the recording studio a little bit differently. Everyone has their own way they approach it. When I'm here in Nashville producing a new singer, my structure and the way that I work will be different than others, and that's okay. So what does yours look like? When you go into the studio first thing, what is the things that you start to do

and as the day progresses, what are you hoping that you will get done during that period of time? Well, I don't know if video is going to be a part of this, but I'm in the studio now. Like Ed mentioned, you know, we'll bring songs that he and I have been working on, or maybe Trevor, our keyboard player might be hip to,

but we don't generally go out and play the songs live or even flesh out too many parts. I like to keep a song very open-ended when I'm bringing it to our band. And so when we show up for a day to work, like Ed said, it's wide open, you know, as far as like what the guys can do. And we try to, sometimes we'll put up some guardrails sonically, like what we want to go for and a batch of tunes.

But we love to let the guys in the band let their personalities shine through. And we want these recordings to sound like the guys that are in the band. I think there's leading kind of room for those parts to develop and for the magic to happen. I think that's one of the ways that we like to work. I mean, you spend more time than more money in the studio. That way, I think, you know, rather than working out all the parts ahead of time. But I do think that the magic you get from that is worth the time. and the effort. You know, in the Beatles documentary that came out, I think it was Get Back. There was

something I love seeing that made me feel good about the way we work where someone will have an idea and all the guys, I mean, this is arguably the greatest fan of all time. The first half hour or hour it seemed like they're working on a song, it sounds awful. And all the guys are just like noodling away, playing garbage on top of each other as everybody's trying to find their parts and find the little hooks and all sudden you'll hear George Harrison find a little part, you know, as a fan, as a listener that knows the finished product, you recognize like, oh, that's where he discovered this hook. I think we, it was comforting to see them work that way because I think we work in a similar way where, hey, the first half hour of us hammering through something,

we're trying different grooves, different textures and everyone's just throwing ideas at the wall until you find something that, you know, feels like it works well with what everybody else is doing. and then all of a sudden it kind of congeals into a song and okay now the parts are starting to really reveal themselves and i think that's a fun way to work yeah you just brought up studio magic a lot of people they do not understand what studio magic is has this ever happened to you where you've had an idea you worked it out everyone is feeling the music playing their parts it's really grooving then it happens a mistake but that mistake is so damn good you just can't let it it go and you say we have got to make this better absolutely i mean yeah that's the magic it's the unplanned

the unplanned things and and i think purposely leading room for that unplanned moment to happen is is one of the secrets i think some people it's great to be prepared but i think you know getting the the right people in a room and letting them kind of have a a free-for-all searching for the magic is one of the key ingredients you know for at least for the first little while working on a song now looking back You say you've been doing this for about 20 years or so. When you first started out, you were individuals. Then you became individuals within a band. You started developing that and evolving.

What do you see for a difference, if any, in the way that you collaborated back then to the way that you collaborate today? Well, I think we had all had band experience as well before coming into this band. But I think as we've gotten better at what we're doing, I think when you're younger, there's kind of an instinct to things. Maybe we get a little more heated. Like your opinion in the moment becomes very important and you're very precious about it. And I think now we've gotten to a point where, you know, it's like everybody trusts,

everyone else they're working with and nobody would intentionally steer anything in the wrong direction. You know, there's faith in that. And there's also enough comfort with each other to be like, hey, you know, okay, let's try that. you know, we'll try it, but it's like, yeah, that's not really working. Okay, cool, let's move on to the next thing because everybody knows it's not coming from a personal place or a place of ego. It's coming from a place of like, hey, what can we do to get to the best version of this song? And that's like, you know, that's not always seamless or smooth like Gordy's talking about.

It's not always comfortable or it doesn't always feel good, to be honest with you in the moment. But a lot of that, a lot of being able to be present in that creative space is to have, you know, one is to try to not get your feelings hurt. And two is to have a really short-term memory. So, like, if something doesn't go the way you want it to go, go. There's a pretty good chance pretty soon. It will come full circle. I mean, I've definitely had days in the studio where like, you know, if we started like 10, I'm a cup of coffee, we're like into a new song, 11, 30, quarter at 12. Like, I've like done, I've c-hold. And it's just like,

I'm the worst. This sucks. Like, I've contributed nothing to this. And then, you know, at 1226, you do something. So it's like that. What was that? That was great. Do that again. And like, hey, all right, cool. Let's work that. We'll put it here. We'll put it before the chorus and we'll put it in the post course and like, dude, that's the song. That's the, that's the hook. And you're like, you feel like you're the king of the world and you're vindicated. So, you know, it's always a good reminder to, uh, just to be open to that. And the more, the more that you do it, the more you get comfortable with that cycle and the shorter you're sort of like, you know, the shorter your emotional roller coaster becomes and you're able to recover quickly. Because ultimately, like,

you want to be present because this stuff's happening so fast. If you lose it in the room and you kind of become a non-participant, like, you won't be participating. And when it ends up happening with the tune, you know, and that's the whole point of being there. That's the enjoyment of it. Yeah, absolutely. Ben there, done that. What are your thoughts, Gordy? Yeah, I would totally agree with all that Ed is saying, you know, it made me think of the Be a Goldfish, the Ted Lasso. I think the whole thing was like, you know, just having a short memory. And it's, what's funny to me, I grew up playing sports. A lot of us did in the band. And I feel like there are a lot of parallels to team sports, you know, with being.

in a band and collaborating and really going for it and having a short memory for when you don't land it. I think there's also parallels to being in a marriage and just like knowing when to contribute, when to compromise. Like Ed mentioned, you know, when you're younger, you feel like your opinion as an artist matters and needs to get through to everybody. And then as you get a little older and more comfortable with the guys in your band and trusting, it's a lot easier to let go and trust the group and trust where we're going. And some days you have all the ideas and some days you don't have any ideas.

and somebody else picks up the slack. And, you know, that's the fun of making music in a group. Yeah, exactly. Now, as we evolve, we start out in a certain place, and as we move forward, we hope that we get to where we wanted to be. Now, is there any song that you've written that you look at a little differently today than you did when you first wrote it?

Has any of the song's meanings changed over a period of time? I'd struggle to find a specific example, but I think to the general point that you're making, my favorite thing about songwriting and the art of music is that it's really one of the only malleable art forms. You know, like someone writes a novel or someone paints a painting. It's sort of fixed in time. The cool thing about we make a record and that's a document of a thing, but we continue to play these songs live and they evolve and they change. And even I think my perspective of how I'm singing songs at a particular point in time changes.

You know, the character of me 15 years ago is different than the character. character of me today, you know, singing the same words oftentimes. So I think just kind of like, for me it leaves on a day-to-day thing, living with, you know, with songs being living, breed and things. I try to be open to that and kind of find some some new spaces within a song. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. If someone that is not familiar with your band picks up a CD, they listen to it all the way through, what are you hoping that they are going to take away from what they hear? That is a good question. I think, I mean, each record, for us is different, so it's hard to say. But generally, I think that I feel like we live this great

privilege of getting to make music and make art for a living. And I love music because it's very closely tied to people's memories, and so it can get ingrained into someone's soundtrack of their life very easily, just by the way our brains are wired. And that's kind of an amazing privilege to be able to make that music that connects with people on that level. But especially today, I think, in this really divided time in our country, I believe music is a great unifying force that brings us together. And so I hope people take away a sense of being connected to their fellow humans and Americans and world citizens.

I feel like love and connectivity and just really how we are all one is something that I try to weave through our music, and I hope that's something people take away. Yeah, that's nice. Ed, your thoughts? Yeah, I mean, I'd echo that sentiment. I think, like, a sense of peace and a sense of joy in listening to music is, like, already's mentioning, it's really an outlet and a valve for kind of, like, escapism, but in the best sense of the word, you know, escaping into maybe a higher plane or a better way of being, kind of being able to have your eyes open to a way that you could see things

and find some peace and joy and contentment within your situation maybe. Okay. All right. When you're on the road and Lord knows I've been there many times myself, it can be a happy time or it can drive you crazy. What are some of the things that you do so that no one drives each other crazy? Well, we got a bus. That seems to have helped quite a bit because we don't have to fight over who's driving

or who doesn't like the way someone else drives. That's been pretty nice. And we can usually agree if we have to drive. bus driver that we don't like that we're in unison with that and vice versa if we find something we love they're great i think that's great i think for the band well for me individually i like to walk a lot so when we get into a town i kind of try to get up early and walk around and kind of you know get a lay of the land be inspired by some new sites and then as a collective as a band we try to have a meal together if possible every day that's something that we do that i don't think all bands do you know it's nice to sort

of, it's nice for us to spend time with each other because everybody likes each other. It's nice to spend time not just in as much as we love making music. That's our job. You know, that's work. So it's like, it's nice to spend time with each other outside of that environment. Just be able to appreciate each other for your sense of humor, you know, the things we do like about each other. I've got this thing I like to do every now and then. It's called Between the Beats. It's basically a round-robin of questions. There are no right or wrong answers. Just whatever comes to your mind. The first question, what is your personal pre-show ritual that you do? One ritual is we write a set list. Usually I write a set list two or three hours for a show and

I send it to Ed and we go back and forth on it. That's always a huge weight that I feel and I stress about and it feels really good to get that over with. Just trying to craft the best set for each night, doing a different set each night. And then I would say the other pre-show ritual is usually some sort of tequila cocktail. Okay, so who is the person that will probably lose something that's important? And then, who is the person that will most likely find it? Wow, that's a great question. Well, I mean, I would say, I'd name another member of the band if I hadn't just recently

left my passport at home and had to fly home on a day off to get my passport to get on a music cruise that we were doing. So I'll throw myself, I'll be both people. I'll be the one the loss of thing and I found the thing. So there we go. That's a very good one. Now, after being on the road, what is the very first real life thing that you want to do after you step out that bus? I forgot to mention one of the things on the road too is coffee is really is very important with this band. We have some very particular coffee drinkers. So there's a lot of Yelp and Google reviews of coffee finding. Pull a shot of espresso. Okay, so when you're on that bus, is it silence, music, or complete chaos?

Yes, all of the above. Early in the day, it would be quieter. Like, our keyboard player, Trevor would probably get up. You'd hear a lot of, like, just clicking on a keyboard. He'd have his headphones in. I might get up play my acoustic guitar a little bit. Later in the day, we might be listening to music collectively. After the show, probably spending some tunes pretty loud,

having a little nightcap, a short party. Yeah, so I think everything and anything. A song that you might not admit that you like, but you really do? I just think, you know, like, Wanted Dinner Alive by Bon Jovi. I mean, who doesn't want to get down with that, you know? Okay, one more. If the band had to trade instruments for one song for one night, who would be more terrified and who would be more confident? I would probably, while I wouldn't actually panic, I would be very excited.

but I am probably everybody in the band plays multiple instruments so I'm probably the least proficient on other instruments so maybe I might have to say I would probably panic

but I wouldn't actually panic I would actually love it although you do have a credit on drums on a track that we did recently so I mean you know yeah yeah I mean I've got some bass and piano and drum credits but

I wouldn't say that I'm proficient on any of those instruments. Okay. Now, how do people find you? Bandofheathens.com, bandedheathens on Instagram, maybe the band of heathens on Facebook, but some general combination of banded heathens or the bandit heathens is where we're found in the literal end in the ethereal universe. If we're on tour in your town and you really want to find us, go to the snobiest, bougiest coffee shop during the day and we'll probably be there. Yeah, that's great. What would you like to say to your fans, before we end this? I'd say,

come hang out with us at a show. It's every night's different. It's an adventure. We're trying to go take a ride each night. I would say if you have discovered our music on record, that's great. I love records. It's my favorite thing.

But I think this band is really a special live band. That's great. Let's look into the crystal ball right now. What's the next three to five years look like for you? on your musical journey. Well, I think on a 20,000 foot level, making and creating more music, playing more shows.

And I think on, you know, kind of on a business creative level, just figuring out new and creative ways to share that music with people, I think, you know, is kind of the avenues of being able to release music have opened up in kind of infinite ways. One of our challenges and one of the exciting things

is us figuring out how to do that in a way that maybe has an opportunity to have some impact. Okay, great. Now, is there anything that we haven't touched upon that you think is important for our listeners to hear? I just add, you know, I don't know if we talked about the band being independent, but we've been on our own independent from day one, never been on a label, and feel really lucky to have built up this thing from the ground up, and we're just grateful for our fan base and for each other and for you Tony for giving us a little podium here to talk about our music and reach some new

people so thank you. Oh it's been great. This has been great conversation, great information. I really appreciate you taking the time to join me today. Thank you. Thanks, Connie. Yeah, thank you. Yeah. Hopefully we'll see you soon. Thank you, man. Good talking with you. All right, man. Enjoyed the conversation. It's been my pleasure. Thanks again. Thanks for joining us today. We hope you enjoy the show. This has been a Tony Mantor production. For more information, contact media at plateau music.com.