The first time The Black Cadillacs made a tour stop in St. Louis, they discovered the strangeness of the local cuisine.
“Our first trip [to St. Louis], we did a cursory search of the internet for the best dive bars,” lead singer Will Horton says. “One of them served a cow brain burger.” With a laugh, he adds: “That seemed pretty Midwestern.”
The rock band, all Tennessee natives, came together around 2009 when Horton and his cousin Matthew Hyrka played house shows in their college town for rent money. They even once had an “eviction party,” meaning if they couldn’t play this paying gig, they’d be evicted.
“That’s the spirit of our shows that we try and take with us—playing really intimate rock shows,” Horton say. “We try to reproduce that every time. People can expect that kind of energy.”
After adding three more members — Philip Anderson, John Phillips, and Adam Bonomo — the band released their first album, Run, in 2012. They would spend much of the following years on the road touring, both in the US and Europe. Those experiences, not always glamorous, inspired the tracks on their follow-up EP, which was released this year.
“It’s a unique experience,” Horton says of touring. “We’re in this because we’re passionate about it and can’t see ourselves doing anything else. But it can be trying… That’s where a lot of material on this EP came out—life on the road and not having a lot of time at home, how that effects relationships and you, mentally.”
In the self-titled EP’s opening track, “Fracture,” Horton’s bluesy voice sings of “all this moving around,” yet the song remains upbeat with the steadily confident guitar strums and tambourine-esque shakes. The final track, “The Sea,” is a slow, emotive ballad radiating that difficult transition Horton described. The powerful drum beats throughout make the final lyrics of “that’s what’s changed in me” all the more haunting.
But Horton is quick to explain that their touring experiences have been “mostly good.” He says they’ve enjoyed traveling and experiencing different parts of the world, where they’ve made lifelong, supportive friends.
“It’s amazing the amount people give when they’re inspired by the band,” he says. “And we’re likewise inspired by them.”
For now, The Black Cadillacs are taking that inspiration and working on new material. With their time off from touring, they’ll write, rehearse, and punch up their set. And in September, they’ll hit the road once more. Will they finally try a cow brain burger along the way? Stay tuned.
The Black Cadillacs perform Saturday, September 12 at 3 p.m. For more information, visit loufest.com.
