Sinners & Saints has returned with their second full-length album On The Other Side . Perry Fowler and Mark Baran infuse their acoustic, country-tinged tunes with compelling harmonies and foot-powered percussion on repurposed drums from an abandoned kit, and you’ll feel happier for having listened. Since the band’s formation in 2011, the band has shared the stage up and down the east coast with the likes of Flogging Molly, Shovels and Rope, Robert Earl Keen, Daniel Romano, St Paul & the Broken Bones, SUSTO, Sun Kil Moon, Bombadil, and many others.
In this interview feature, we chat with Sinners & Saints about the new project, their influences, navigating the digital music world and more.
Full Q&A along with links and streams below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I was born and raised in upstate SC and I’ve been living in Charlotte, NC for the past 14 or so years. Mark is from Greensboro, NC by way of Connecticut and he’s been in Charlotte since about ’99.
I like to say we play mountain music.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
I was a late learner but I’ve always wanted to play guitar. When I finally learned how to play then the next step was songwriting, then performing, then touring and recording. Its been one of the most rewarding, challenging, and fun things I’ve ever done in my life. It’s a huge part of my life at this point so it’s really not hard to stay motivated.
How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
Our new record is probably a little more on the country side than our previous releases. It wasn’t anything that we actually tried to do. It was just how the songs came out.
Do you face challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? How has technology helped you (assuming it helps)?
Not really. Technology’s actually really helpful for indie musicians. It’s very helpful for getting your music out there. I know there isn’t a lot of money in digital downloads and sales and such. But we’ve had people that’s come out to shows because they found us on Spotify and Bandamp. So it definitely helps.
Where can we connect with you online and discover more music?
Well, we’re on Spotify, iTunes, cd baby and band camp.
