Pipeman Interviews Thunder and Rain Band at Bourbon & Beyond 2025

0:04 Hi, you unto, Yes, that's true. Why were you you? It's it's the pipe Man here on the Adventurers pipe Man W four c Y Radio and I'm here. With Thunder and Rain. Nice and don't take this offensively, but at this venue, I don't like you guys. You guys I like, but every year there happens to be issues at this and Louder than life because of those words.

0:49 I'm not gonna say, because like same beetlejuice is that. Well, we're not responsible for the weather. It's a part of our contract. I'll bet you. Though. There's some people out there. They're conspiracy theorists. I think you are trying to control the weather. There's definitely some unhappy wedding couples that think we controlled the weather, and they're guests who tease them for hiring a band with our name. Yes, right, and you know what you should do like in your show, you should like, I don't know, figure a way that you can make it like thunder and Rain like during the show. Yes, that would be cool. That did happen very early on with this band. We opened for an artist named Peter Rowan and like right before a very last song, this huge clap of thunder in the Colorado Mountains just like like bam, right before the last song, and everyone was like staring at us, like who did that? So if only that could happen again, maybe it'll happen today.

1:45 No no, it won't. No no no no no no no no no no. I think we're in the clear today. It's a beautiful day. It is. I think it's because you're wearing a slipknot shirt so you're throwing the weather gods off. Yes, I've charmed the weather gods today. There it is. So tell me how somebody comes to Bourbon Beyond and where's the slipknot shirt? Only because listen, I'm a huge They're in my top five for sure. I'm like, sure, Oh a slipknot shirt this week? I'm excited now. Yeah, I know you're getting pumped for next week. Oh I was yelling out fucking Sligher during fish Ah. Yes, yeah they need a little of that too, I know. Right, Yeah, So I want to hear about that, because, you know what, it's cool to find out people like different genres, Like it's so stupid the gatekeepers out there.

2:38 Yeah, ooh, you can't like that. Yeah, because you like this. I mean, music is music. It's the best erapy and there's different vibes. Yeah, absolutely, Well, I do love slipknot, I love metal, and I do love people's faces when I tell them that because I play the banjo, so it's a little unexpected. You should just start another band, all of you, where it's banjo in the metal band. Yeah, to a metal version. Those guys on YouTube that did the I think they did like psychosocial or something with a banjo, and then they did the ACDC songs. I can't think of their name, but I think I've seen that millions of views. Well, my previous head engineer at the station, who was also one of my best friends, he passed away, but he was He had a country rock duo, but he also had a metal band in the eighties and he sang Neil Diamond. You swore it was Neil Diamond. So he always used to say, I love metal, I love country, and I love Neil Diamond.

3:37 There you go, can't go wrong. There it is, can't go wrong. So tell our listeners how you're not metal. Tell them a little bit about your music. Okay, well we are not metal. I mean, we kind of have a cool swagger like we are, but I guess we're bluegrass, but we have to walk the line of that because there's so many different versions of bluegrass. The super traditional, there's the billy strings. He's got a metal he's got like a metal vibe. Yeah, we'll use the term. New grass sometimes because we we're a little bit more poppy though. Aaron brings the pop music to the group, and so we have more like pop lyrics, modern day stuff, but then the old timey music and I like it.

4:19 Next, you said new grass. That sounds so cool, Like we need to spread that out, We need that to go viral because that is cool. I'm just thinking about, like my lawn just got freshly mode and that's your music. Yeah yeah, Hey. Smells goods are singing. Yeah, it's a good day. Hell yeah. And so how did this all start? Well, the band was formed twelve years ago this month, rats, Yes. You're only eight years from your overnight. Success exactly, so close. And for the band originally formed in Colorado, and then I formed it originally and then in twenty twenty I ended up moving to Nashville and the band had disbanded as it were, and you know how the pandemic sort of changed everything for everybody. So I decided it was time to move to Nashville and met these two gals, Laura and Amelia, and they we were just having beers one afternoon and talking about stuff, and I just realized we should be a band together, and we can. And I really had missed making bluegrass or string band music because I when I first moved to Nashville, I tried to do like a solo thing and made some more pop poppy rock music, but I really missed being in a string band. So I asked these gals if they wanted to reform the band with me, and that's what we did, and we're on your three of being together.

5:46 So wow, that's cool. Yeah, and you guys still love each other, like yeah, the kill r yet, So we're gonna be this is the band forever. Yes, love is a strong word. I told them, like, this band is no not happening without you guys, mostly because now our signature is are harmonies together and these gals are really smart. They're smarter than me, so without them, I can't do it. See that. I love that it's your unique sound. Now it is it's definitely our unique sound, like I think we didn't used to be. We actually, I think have a little bit more bluegrass cred because Laura, who plays banjo, who loves has wearing the awesome Slipknot shirt.

6:30 She plays very scrugsy style banjo, which helps our street cred a lot in the bluegrass world. And you know what, I agree. I think I do personally feel like bluegrass is metal in some way. It totally is. When I see some really good blue Glass Wethers that. I was watching something yesterday and like, man, they're way faster than a metal band. Man. Like, it's like bluegrass is the speed Metal of the Woods. You got the analogies for everything. That's pretty good. I just made it up right now, yes sitting. That's the name of our next album, speed Metal of the Woods. It's freaking cool. You know what's cool? That day's yesterday. I said something and he literally wrote that.

7:13 He's like, that's gonna be the name of our next song. I don't even remember what I said, but you're. Out here naming people's art right here, right Yeah. I can't play the art, so I might as well name it exactly. I tried, but I sucked, so now I do this. I suck at a lot of things, so this is the one thing I'm kind of good at. There you go, That's why I'm here. And where did it all start for each one of you? As far as that time you knew music, that's what. You were going to do? Oh, it was like day one for me. Yeah. No, Like I'm the youngest of four kids, and like all my older siblings played music before me. So from the time. The earliest recollection I have is being three and going to violin lessons with my sister and just sitting there and listening and like begging my mom when we got home.

8:01 I would beg to like play my sister's violin and sometimes she would let me. And then finally, after about a year, she's like, all right, you can get a violin too, And so I got a violin and she enrolled me in lessons or whatever, and I showed up and I already knew like the first like book of material because I'd listened to my sister do it and like absorbed all that. So she was like, oh, you actually like really want to do this. I was like yeah, literally, So like I've always known that like I wanted to do music. I love that that's a true artist, because every true artist I've ever met, or that's how it started. Like oh yeah, it's not like, oh well I decided why I was like twenty nine to start playing music. Yeah, well, I also grew up playing classical music, so it was like it's something that I studied for a long time. And then I really got interested in like fiddle music and bluegrass music when I was like nine years old, I think was the first time I learned a fiddle tune. And Alison Kraus was my gateweight drug as she asked for a lot of us love her, and so yeah, it just kind of like going.

9:00 I got to see Robert Plant with Alison Krause together. Yeah, I saw them. The only time I've ever been to Red Rocks was Robert Plant Alison Crouse one of the best shows ever. So and I saw Alison Krause and Union Station here in Louisville in April. Yeah, Laura and I drove up and saw them. So yeah, very impressed with how you say, Louisville, Louisville. We've been hard. I've been praying them listen, I've been practicing for fifteen years doing these festivals. But I'm a Yankee, so I still have a hard time with it. I started at Louisville. I'm yeah, that's the thing. I grew up in Louisville, Colorado spelled the same wage l O U I S V I l l E.

9:41 That's right, yeah, and we like pronounced that s and everything. So yeah, I've had a native Kentuckian that schooled me on how to pronounce it, so I'm trying not to mess it up. Nice, Okay, who next? But first you have to pronounce the town, Oh, Louisville. I'm from Georgia, I know how to see. I didn't start getting into music seriously until I was about thirteen. I started taking guitar lessons, But I grew up in a musical family too, and my dad played in a gospel band and he let me, when I was fifteen come and strumley guitar on the stage with the band, and that that was really fun and cool. And then I picked up the banjo at sixteen and loved bluegrass after that and just been trying to get somebody to let me play with him ever since.

10:28 Nice and you found the perfect partners for that. Yes, I sure did. It took me a while to find It's been a while since sixteen year old me found the banjo. But found these gals and all is well nice. Yeah. I started playing guitar on the same time Laura did. But I didn't come from a musical family or a bluegrass family, because I grew up in Rodondo Beach, California, which is why I say Louisville, which is terrible. You're from Rodando. I'm from the Verdondo Beach, California, that old wild West. Oh yeah, I had to find blue grass in a just backwards way canyon. We never really left Rodonda Beach. That was the problem, one of the problems.

11:09 Wow. But I was writing songs from a really young age, and my parents were very supportive of my writing and creativity. And this is a cute story, but when I was in first grade, you couldn't do the talent shown till you were in second grade. And I had rewritten this whole Disney song to be about myself, and my mom begged the principal to. Let me do because she was like, she wants to do it so bad, And. He let me do it, and I galloped up on a stick horse in like a cowgirl outfit and sang a cappella in first grade. So I was always born to do this. I always wanted to be up there. But I think the one country act that actually got through to me in Redondo Beach, California, because there wasn't. I was raised to think country was dumb. Now I know it's awesome. But the one country act that got through to me.

11:50 Was the Chicks. The Dixie Chicks nice and when I met these gals, that was kind of my vision for us. So I was like, we could be the Dixie Chicks. Let's go there, you are here, we are. You're the new and improved Dixie Chicks. After a thunder and rain storm. That's right, that's right. And because the band name has been this way for so long. A lot of women bands have women themed names, We're just the freaking weather, which isn't that Mother Earth? Right? Well, not only that makes sense, because like I'm divorced twice and I could tell you. Thunder and rain it tracks, doesn't it cut? Yeah? It definitely does. Like that just describes both marriages the. Person second one, no, actually same, thema Piperman.

12:35 Well, Raish's thunder, Who's rain? The funny thing is on my radio show, I call them thing one and think Thing one. Well, actually, if she ever meets you, she'll say you probably know me as Thing one. Wow, I don't hide it. But now thunder and rain hmmm, I would. Say it's thing one thunder or raining. One is rain for raining on my parade, and Thing two was thunder because she was even more batshit crazy than Thing one. Oh man, I love you guys, energy, I love your music. I'm glad you're here at Bourbon Beyond. Thank you.

13:15 Check you out. How do they connect to you on socials, on the web, and more importantly, how they buy your merch? Because they can't listen to my show unless they buy your merch. Yes, you must. In order to listen to this wonderful show and hear all about Thing one and Thing two, you're gonna have to buy some thunder and Rain merch. You can buy the merch on. Our website www dot Thunder and Rain music dot com. You can listen to our music on Spotify, Apple Music, band Camp. You can buy the songs digitally off the website. That is a really good way to support us and then you can follow us at Thunder and Rain Underscore band on Instagram. You can type in thunder and Rain band on YouTube and find our YouTube channel. Just make sure you add band whenever you're searching for us or else you may find Thunder and Rain meditation music, which is lovely and we hope that helps you go to sleep.

14:05 But we want to wake your ass up. Nice and I'm gonna add a bonus for them. Okay, so if they do buy merch from you guys, then they could be entered in a contest to win to become Thing three. Whoa are we helping you find your next date? Hey? Whatever works. I'm a good wing woman. Okay. Nice dates are not hard hard. It's ones that you have to second date with that's hard. And that's what it is. What you learn after a couple stupid mistakes is you're like, maybe I should think first, close down the emotion, close down the heart, think first, and then open that valve, not the other way around.

14:50 Yes, it's good not to be too open hearted effort. You got to keep those walls up, gotta stay mysterious. Besides women like that. Oh my good, darken, darken moody. That's whatever girl likes, no doubt, play hard to get. We can't access your emotions, let us fix you. And I I've been that way too, and I've come to a conclusion I don't want to fix nobody anymore, you know, and that save syndrome shit, and that doesn't work. Projects are objects, That's what me and my friend always say. And if you're not people, and if you do fix them, all you're doing is fix them for somebody else. Exactly, yes, exactly exactly. Sometimes you got to get a second hand man, That's what I that's my advice. To everybody out there. Get yourself a secondhand man.

15:30 And my advice is to listen to thunder and rain. Yeah, and not out your window whatever you listen to music. Exactly Scott, not this guy, but this guy too. Oh this is good. But yes, you're gonna have that in the background exactly exactly. Like that could be like that could be like your backing tracks. Yes, at somebody's house. Yes, why that's somebody's house. It's the thunder and rain. Like whenever it's thunder and raining, which happens every day in Florida, you need to turn on thunder and rain band. That's right band Smith. Yes, I can't speak now. That means we're done. Thank you guys, thank you for having us, thank you so much, thank you.

16:12 My pleasure, and thank you for being on the Adventures of pipe Man yay. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of plate Man on w for c u I Radio