Encore Magazine

Everybody’s Music:
Country-folk round-up at the Soapbox

BY: LAURA BOND

We’ve all been through breakups. Whether prompted by infidelity, distance or just plain monotony, heartache is a common emotion that ties us together as human beings. But how would it feel to have to see that person every day and continue the same conversation that led to the relationship’s ultimate demise? As co-lead singers of The Everybodyfields, Sam Quinn and Jill Andrews—the new Johnny Irion and Sarah Lee Guthrie—are doing just that as they tour across the country to promote their third full-length album Nothing is Okay, released in August.

Many country songs tell a story; The Everybodyfields, who met in 1999 at summer camp, chose to use their entire album to hash out the details of their tumultuous relationship. “Jill and I, we wrote them,” Quinn said last week during our phone interview, which he was conducting while driving through the mountains of the Carolinas. “It’s pretty much just me and Jill talking back and forth across the record to each other because we were just mad at each other for a long time.”

Their sound is undeniably bluegrass-inspired, infused with country, folk and singer-songwriter remnants. Quinn and Andrews incorporate beautiful harmonies throughout the 12-track album, but alternate as lead singer on every song to string together a conversation. The first track showcases Quinn with a soft, acoustic guitar accompanied by a country-sounding fiddle and electric guitar. The lyrics of the first track, “Aeroplane,” are dark and desperate as he repeats “life has a sweet refrain,” with Andrew harmonizing in a sweet Southern accent reminiscent of Emmylou Harris.

The following track, “Lonely Anywhere,” also begins with an acoustic guitar as Andrews responds to the first track by pleading, “I’m sorry you’re angry/Goodnight and goodbye/But we need to keep looking into each other’s eyes.” Their sound is an amalgamation of heartache and sorrow, perseverance and strength.

The entire album maintains the same pattern. Their songs, in which Quinn and Andrews switch between playing bass and acoustic guitar, are all very slow and heartbreaking, or as Quinn puts it: “Sad is probably a pretty good explanation.” Few uplifting moments are to be heard on Nothing aside from a secret track at the end entitled “Worker’s Playtime,” in which Quinn and Andrews converse in a friendly tone to conclude the album on an upbeat note.

The record’s somberness transcends to their live show as Quinn confessed, “It’s not really like a loud, whiskey-drinking bar-room gig, but there’s two or three big arguments before the night is over. That seems to be an ongoing thing between the girl and me. Sad songs and arguments—that’s probably a pretty safe bet.”

Aside from a rocky personal relationship, the two definitely have musical chemistry. Tracks such as “Leaving Today” and “Done and Gone,” with touching relatable lyrics accompanied by passionate raw strumming, are definitely personal enough to stir emotions in their listeners.

Quinn and Andrews, who have been replacing band mates for the past five years, finally feel that they’ve found a formula that will work with pedal-steel player Tom Pryor and keyboardist and electric guitarist Josh Oliver. The two are backing them on their current tour. “It’s going well,” Quinn elaborated. “It’s definitely the best band that we’ve ever put together, and I hope they stick around.”

The Everybodyfields, whose name was inspired by Quinn’s moniker for his backyard as a child (in homage to Winnie the Pooh’s The Hundred Acre Forest), are playing at the Soapbox on September 27th with local rock ‘n’ rollers Mike Slaton and the Wheels. Their timeless bluegrass is definitely worth hearing, even if the audience is in tears and the band has a few qualms onstage.