Heavy Kid the band have only been around since 2009, but the band members themselves are part of the very fabric of Pensacola Florida’s music scene, each of them having been active it since the early 1980s. We recently spoke to the band about their hometown, their music, and latest single, ‘Day By Day‘.
‘Day By Day’ has that timeless heartland-rock feel – what first sparked the idea for it, and what did you hope listeners would take away from the song?
I think this song started with the music before the lyrics; we liked the idea of it opening with the same repeated and bending note within the different chords before it settles in for the first verse. Verses are kinda that thing that we all do in our heads when we are back and forth, thinking about and questioning the past, present, and wondering if things will ever return to normal. In the chorus, it’s more questioning but also an attempt to snap out of it.
You’ve mentioned Tom Petty as a big influence, and you can really feel that in the track. How do you draw from that kind of classic sound without losing the grit and personality that make Heavy Kid distinct?
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are certainly one of our influences, so there is that, along with mixing in two or three overdrive pedals. That usually does the trick!!
The song feels like it was built for the stage – those harmonies, that fuzzy guitar tone, the driving pulse. Did you imagine the live energy while writing or recording it?
‘Day By Day’, like many of our songs on Five-Line Farewell, was written on the acoustic guitar. So it’s always fun to take the acoustic version to the band room to rough it up a bit, electrify it, and add in bass, drums, harmonies, and fuzzy guitars to drive it.
Brian, since you wrote this one, what inspired the lyrics? There’s a real sense of release and resilience in there that hits home.
Like ‘Day By Day’, a few of these songs on the album were written from the vantage point of my front porch during the pandemic. Both the lyrics and the music, as well as the winding guitar solos within ‘Day by Day’, to me are tied to the experience of isolation and uncertainty, of letting go, and finding some resilience within yourself and others.
The video with Flick Wiltshire perfectly captures that hometown, bar-room energy. What was the process like filming it, and how did the Elbow Room become part of the story?
We visit the Elbow Room from time to time and know the owner. It’s a Pensacola landmark that has been around a long time. She allowed us to film on a night when the Elbow Room was closed. Filming there was classic and allowed us to showcase a historical establishment in Pensacola. We were honored to be able to film parts of the video there and to include our friends who have supported us over the years.
It’s packed with real Pensacola folks and that unmistakable local charm. How important was it for you to make this a genuine nod to the people and places that have always supported you?
We’ve been fortunate enough to make a couple of music videos over the years. Like ‘Day By Day’, and within those videos, this is just something we enjoy doing to document and share the people and places around Pensacola that we find interesting and appreciate.
Your upcoming album, ‘Five-Line Farewell’, sounds incredibly heartfelt – a tribute to friends and family you’ve lost. How did that emotion shape your songwriting and the band’s sound this time around?
I think these last few years definitely had an impression on the lyrics and the tone of some of the songs on the album. We paid a lot of attention to the ‘less is more’ concept and let the songs breathe and have more space. ‘For Kent’ was a good example of this as a farewell to a friend.
You’ve all been part of the Pensacola music scene for years, even before forming Heavy Kid. What’s changed most about the local scene, and what’s stayed true through it all
Pensacola has always embraced live music and has had a great local music scene over the years, supported by venues such as Sluggos, The Night Owl, The Handlebar, and Vinyl Music Hall. The local music scene today is thriving with many different bands. We feel fortunate to be a part of it and playing out at places like The Handlebar, which is a local favorite for supporting live music and allowing local bands to play alongside touring bands. It’s also where we met Starlin Browning, who recorded, mixed, and produced Five-Line Farewell in Pensacola. We are excited to join up with Starlin again in February at Dial Back Sound in Water Valley, MS., where he works now.
After so many years of playing together, what keeps that spark and sense of fun alive for the band?
We have been good friends for a very long time, sharing an interest in exchanging songs, refining arrangements, trying new things, experimenting with different tones, etc. Setting time aside to meet up in our band room for songwriting and playing music together certainly helps to step away from all of the other things going on in the world. To us, that time spent always feels worth it.
Before we wrap up, anything you’d like to say to your fans — especially those back home who’ve been with you from the start?
Just that we appreciate all of your support over the years in listening to our music and coming out to our shows. We look forward to seeing you all again on December 20th at The HandleBar with what has become an annual Heavy-Holiday-Hoedown of sorts to celebrate another year. This year we will playing with The East HillBillies, The Mob Town Sky Cadets, and the Ladies of… featuring James Hall.
Watch the music video for ‘Day By Day’ below, and find out more about Heavy Kid and their music online on Instagram, and Facebook.
