We all know Lawrence is a music town. Everyone here is a musician or works in the industry in some form. But every now and then, we have a band that makes it big.
When the fellas in Hembree set their sights on moving to the West Coast, their career really took off. Suddenly, the Lawrence boys were hearing their music played on radio stations across the country, and gaining attention from the likes of Billboard, Rolling Stone, and Netflix. They even made surprise appearances every now and then in Hollywood (their drummer was a seat filler at the Oscars a couple of years ago and kept popping up on our screens at home, you should have seen me spit out my drink).
Now, guitarist and frontman Isaac Flynn, Eric Davis (keys), brothers Alex Ward (guitar) and Austin Ward (drums) are bringing it back home for a special show at Liberty Hall to celebrate ten years (ten!!) as a band. In addition to celebrating a decade surviving the nightmare that is the music industry, they’ve achieved the impossible: getting Cowboy Indian Bear to reunite for the one-off show (since all members just happen to be stateside at the moment). Their comrades in Lauren Lovelle and the Midnight Spliffs will also be opening. If you’ve lived here anytime in the past couple of decades, you’ll realize what a rare opportunity it is to have all these musicians onstage at the same time.
We talked to them right on the heels of their new EP, Dive Bar Funeral, and ahead of their show on Saturday about what makes Lawrence a must-stop whenever time they head out across the country on tour.
IHLM: You’ve garnered a huge following and nonstop tours since heading to the West Coast. How did your time in the Lawrence music scene prepare you for this?
Isaac: I played my first show at the Bottleneck when I was 14 and The Granada when I was 15. I think the fact that they welcomed us in, treated us like we deserved to play there and gave us the opportunity to play with touring acts showed me that this whole music dream was possible.
Eric: Growing up in a town where at the age of 14 I was playing in real music venues, with professional sound systems, sound engineers, and established musicians was the best education I could have possibly received. Lawrence was the perfect place for me and countless other musicians to learn the craft of performing live. I was regularly playing the Granada, The Bottleneck, Liberty Hall, The Replay, Jazzhaus, Lucia (Fatso’s at the time), and The Jackpot (rip) as a teenager. I’ve been all over the country, and there is no town this size with that many quality places to play. Lawrence is such a special place.
Austin: I told my parents I wanted to move to Lawrence to attend KU Film School but in reality I wanted to live in a cool music town. Lawrence was the place to play in the midwest. Being able to hone my music skills and live-show chops in a thriving music scene made it much easier to tour all over with a higher level of professionalism.
Alex: We really cut our teeth in the Lawrence music scene. The music scene is always great, and it was especially vibrant when we were coming up. Being around so much talent forced us to get much better very quickly as a band and as individual musicians.
IHLM: As Lawrence natives, what’s the one thing you miss about being in a band here?
Isaac: I think we’re all gonna say the same thing, ha! The community. Just the other day we were in a text thread with Cowboy Indian Bear and it felt like we were all right back in it. I remember playing shows at Replay and then the next morning opening The Burger Stand with the same crew who played the show. It felt like a way of life, and it ruled.
Eric: Being told we’re too “poppy” by the locals! Seriously! The Lawrence music community values creativity and pure passion for music in a very unique way. It’s refreshing to be around artists who care more about making music that is authentic to themselves rather than trying to be famous.
Isaac again: And this is especially interesting because in LA people often say we’re too “indie” haha!
Austin: The music community. It was so fun to play shows with great bands that you also called your close friends. We even had a musicians-only basketball league. We were all terrible but it was a blast.
Alex: I agree with Austin – Lawrence tends to foster a really close-knit community of musicians and artists. Everyone knows each other (for better or worse). We met our best friends in Lawrence through the music scene.
IHLM: Since you come back to Lawrence pretty regularly, what locations/businesses are a “must-stop” every time you come through?
Alex: I love the restaurants in Lawrence. Mass St Fish House is a must-visit everytime. And The Bourgeois Pig is one of my favorite bars anywhere ever. But I still think about the days of the El Jefe Burrito at Esquina and the bocce ball and burger special at Jo Shmo’s. 2010 was a hell of a year.
Isaac I’m impressed Alex threw out Jo Shmo’s. That’s like if I said “I really love the wings at Mojo’s.” I always stop into Waxman Candles to see my best bud, Mitch, who runs the shop with his family. And then I’m rolling to Barker for a coffee and you can’t come to Lawrence without stopping in at The Pig. I expect to consume at least a little Pizza Shuttle and/or Muncher’s Bakery at some point while we’re back. I can taste the cream cheese from here.
Eric: So many! Love Garden, Guitarma, Mass Street Fish House, India Palace, LBC, Lucky Seb’s, The Replay, Granada, and of course Pizza Shuttle! My top priority is always spending as much time with my friends and family that live here as possible.
Austin: Terrebonne Po’ Boys. Barker Cafe. The Bourgeois Pig. Bon Bon.
IHLM: We know you keep up with bands in the area. Who are your currently favorite Lawrence music acts to keep an eye on?
Isaac: I’m biased because I’ve been producing Lauren Lovelle & The Midnight Spliffs and Kat King. But I genuinely think they rule! My pops plays guitar with Christena Graves and she’s such a great songwriter.
Eric: Lauren Lovelle and the Midnight Spliffs, Flash Floods (I guess any band Pher Langwell plays in haha), The Roseline. Please let us know about any cool new bands in Lawrence we should know about! Always wanting to support Lawrence musicians!
Austin: Flash Floods. The Instant.
Alex: Can I say Cowboy Indian Bear? They’re back, right???
IHLM: What advice do you have for Lawrence bands just starting out?
Isaac: A bit of a copy/paste from Alex, but I think creating some hype when you have momentum is key. Making every show feel special and keeping people interested is key. I think it’s important to play a lot and get really good, but once the band is dialed, start making every show feel like a big event.
Eric: Learn to produce your own music. Write as many songs as you can, record as many of them as you can, and most importantly, FINISH THEM! Consistently writing and recording will level you up like you would not believe. It’s too expensive and takes too long to have someone else record for you. Invest in some basic recording equipment and watch some youtube tutorials. Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it!
Austin: Build a community with fellow bands and musicians. The bigger and better the music scene, the more everyone benefits. The best shows we played in Lawrence were the ones with our close friends on the bill.
Alex: Make every show an event. Give people a reason to want to come see you. Know when to say “no” to a gig. Just because you can play frequently doesn’t mean you should – that was a lesson we learned early.
IHLM: Any fun surprises for the Liberty Hall show?
Isaac: We got the guitarist from Christena Graves’ band for a few tunes. He’s pretty good! (Editor’s note, Isaac is talking about his Dad, who has made some surprise appearances with Hembree in the past).
Eric: Our walkout is going to be legendary. And don’t you dare leave before the encore! This is going to be such a special show from beginning to end.
Austin: Lots of guests, lots of new songs, lots of old songs. Gonna take Hembree fans on a journey of the whole catalogue and lineup.
Alex: We have lots of surprises – but we’ve got to keep them a secret!