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1. Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
(Adam) We all might answer this differently! It’s been an incredibly painful winter in Minnesota…hard to describe the complexities of life where your federal government declares war on your very existence and calls you “domestic terrorists.” Putting this record out and playing these songs has felt really good to me, regenerative.
2. All Hat No Cattle is described as a road trip across time and place in American music. When you were making the album, did that “journey” idea shape the songwriting from the start, or did it emerge as the songs came together?
(Adam) Over the last three or so years, we’ve done a lot travel and shows around the country and beyond. Played a lot of shows—big and sometimes intimate stages. We’ve traveled across continents and over oceans. We’ve gotten to know each other really well, and listened to and played a lot of music. I find country music to be great travel music. It formed a lot of the sonic wallpaper of our travels. As a songwriter, I like trying on different hats, mixing styles. This record felt like a natural offshoot of travels and wearing a comfortable pair of jeans or something. We’ve had country music as one of the stylistic elements of who we are, but we really leaned into the country thing on this record.
3. Your first two records leaned more toward psychedelic country-rock, while this one feels more acoustic and rooted. What prompted that shift toward a more bucolic, stripped-back sound?
(Adam) I never want to make the same record twice. Country music has always been part of my musical DNA since the mid-1980s. I’ve blended it with different genres and moods…but this is the first time I’ve made a mostly “country” sounding record. Barb, early on, as these songs were coming together, suggested going down a more country road because Savannah was such a huge fan.
(Savannah) As Adam said, I’m a huge country music fan and as a solo artist I always had a hard time conveying that sound. That’s one thing I’ve always loved about TTT, we can fill out and make a really lush country sound. Within this record, we really explored a wide spectrum of sounds within the country genre but still kept the band’s unique style.
4. The album pulls from a wide range of traditions—honky tonk, norteño, bluegrass, Western gothic, even ’60s pop. How do you decide when a song wants to live inside a specific genre versus bending or blending styles?
(Adam) I like writing in different genres intentionally sometimes, but also allow songs as I’m writing them to determine what their feel, rhythm, instrumentation, style, and production will be. That can go through some changes sometimes…or it can hit you over the head right away. I’ve always loved bands that wrote in or across multiple genres—Los Lobos, NRBQ, kd lang, The Beatles…they introduced me to so many styles, and those records were so fun to listen to because of their expansiveness.
5. The title All Hat No Cattle has a playful edge, poking fun at Western aesthetics and weekend cowboys. How does humor function in your songwriting without undercutting the emotional weight of the stories you’re telling?
(Adam) We don’t want to take ourselves too seriously ever. There’s a lot of humor on this record without trying to be a comedy novelty album. And I think implicitly we are asking who owns or has access to these traditions? Shouldn’t they be available to everyone, regardless of whether you live in Japan or are a rodeo rider in Wyoming?
6. Character-driven songs play a big role on this record, from “Magnolia Tree” to “Trouble” and “Last Drink.” How do you approach writing narratives that feel vivid and specific while still being widely relatable?
(Barb) “Trouble” is a work of pure fiction. We enjoyed crafting the story arc that explores all the various ways a girl can get into trouble these days, and letting our imaginations run wild.
(Savannah) I wildly underestimated how many people would relate to “Magnolia Tree”. I think more and more the “American Dream” is evolving and doesn’t necessarily look like a Norman Rockwell painting to everyone. I spent a lot of my 20s pursuing music and working odd jobs which lead me down quite an interesting road. Being in my 30s without children or a husband, I reached a point where I felt a constant need to justify my choices wherein reality, I’m so happy with my life. In hindsight, it makes perfect sense why people relate to this song and I’m grateful for that. I think writing from the experience makes the most relatable songs.
7. Opening the album with “Antietam,” a Civil War ballad, is a bold choice. Why did that song feel like the right entry point into the world of this record?
(Adam) Things are feeling really inflamed in our country right now. It’s hard to have conversations with people, let alone agree on some fundamentals about who should be considered an American. We can’t find common ground in any sense of where we came from and where we are going. The song is an opening salvo asking whether we really want to go to blows again. It was brutal in 1862, and it could be worse this time around.
8. Adam, you’ve called this album a “guitar fest,” with you playing nearly all the stringed instruments. How did that hands-on approach influence the album’s sonic identity?
(Adam) I’ve been immersed in country guitar playing for years—I feel like I deliberately moved away from it for years, but Turn Turn Turn helped me turn back to my roots. I love how playing a mandolin automatically sounds like a Louvin Brothers record. It kind of transports you—I wrote “Last Drink” around that intro mandolin ride. I also like to record things quickly after I write them, and use the recording process as a writing tool. This record involved a lot of sound experimentation as far as trying to recapture those old Nashville and LA Capitol Studio sounds, especially how guitars sound, since they were such an important part of the atmosphere of those records. Guitars and bass were as loud as voices!! Drums were often sitting back. And it was still dance music.
9. Close harmonies are a defining feature of Turn Turn Turn. How do your individual songwriting voices and vocal styles complement—and challenge—each other within the trio?
(Adam) I’ve been digging through older footage of the band and one of the thing that is pretty striking to listen to was how quickly we found our own harmony placement together…and how that led to our signature blend and sound. We have distinctive songwriting styles and tend to agree on putting forward our best material. Sometimes we collaborate, sometimes we write alone. It makes for an interesting listen, I’ve heard…and I think it makes us all be on our game.
10. The record was intentionally kept rustic and underproduced, with mistakes left in. What do those imperfections add to the listening experience for you?
(Adam) Sometimes you make a record, and you think, “I wish we woulda spent more time on XYZ.” I was pleased after hearing Chris Furst send the mixes back. Vocals aren’t auto-tuned, rhythms breathe and shift…feels kind of urgent and not labored over. Like a live band laying things down.
11. Themes of resilience, cultural identity, and connection run throughout the album. What do you hope listeners take with them as they travel through All Hat No Cattle—whether they’re longtime Americana fans or newcomers to your music?
(Adam) This is entertainment; I hope people just enjoy listening to this music and the stories. If it makes them think a little bit critically about the world we find ourselves in, that’s extra gravy. I would love it if people went back and discovered or rediscovered classic country and folk records from the 50s and 60s after listening to this.
