Your Best Life Nashville
- Jul 5, 2022
- 7 min read

Frame by Frame with frames.

Framing the beginning of frames until now...

DARCY: When I was really young, I was in my elementary school’s choir. There was an audition-based show choir that I didn’t want to be part of because I didn’t want to get super involved with music. My mom ended up convincing me to audition, and I’ve been obsessed with performing since.

NATE: I’m completely self-taught, so finding my way into the music industry almost happened by accident, but I would never regret any of it.

MAX: I’ve been playing guitar professionally since I was nine years old. I’ve been playing guitar since I was three or four years old. Playing the guitar has basically been my life for as long as I can remember. That seems to come as a shock to a lot of people. But, there’s nothing I would change about it. Playing guitar is such a passion of mine.

ELLIE: I started getting into music when I was about ten years old. I started playing the drums in my school’s band. I didn’t really get into the drum kit until I was around 14 years old. I had no clue I would ever end up playing in a band.

What has given you thick skin throughout your career?

DARCY: When I was in high school, I was in the school’s A Cappella group. I never received a lot of love from the other members, and a lot of them would say really nasty things about my back. I’ve been criticized for so long that when people have bad things to say about my music, it doesn’t really phase me.

NATE: So many shows don’t go according to plan, and through playing those kinds of disappointing shows, you’re able to build up a tolerance and move on when things go poorly.

MAX: I’ve played so many shows. Going on the grind of playing show after show after show gives you so much experience. You get positive and negative feedback, and that’s a big part of where I get my thick skin. Sometimes there will be someone who comes up to you and tells you to turn your amp down or tells you that your music sucks, but you have to let those comments roll off. If you let them phase you, you’re destined for failure.

ELLIE: I think dealing with people in general has given me thick skin throughout my career. I have been told many things about me or my drumming throughout my entire career that has made me take some steps back.

How do you level with yourself when something doesn't feel right in your music making?

DARCY: Any time the band is working together, and someone doesn’t like the direction that the music is going, we just open our mouths, say something, and then the idea is pitched. It’s important to all of us that we all like the finished product. It sometimes makes writing even more difficult, but in the long run, it’s always worth it. The group effort method is the best way of ensuring that everyone is proud of the art we’re bringing forward.

NATE: If something doesn’t feel right, I like to remember that I’m not in this alone, and that’s when I look to my bandmates for advice or guidance.

MAX: taking breaks for an amount of time helps me reset when I have writer's block. Lack of ideas is something that happens, and it can last a while. Listening to new types of music sometimes helps as well. It keeps my ideas new and fresh.

ELLIE: I take a break and think about it for a while. Most of the time, a night’s sleep will help; and then I get back on the grind.

There is a lot of celebration surrounding your music, how are you celebrating all the success?

DARCY: I try to live in the moment as much as possible. It’s really easy to feed into all of the reposts and stream numbers and recognition. However, it’s also easy to fall into the “I want more” mentality. I like to be proud of what we’ve accomplished, but remember that my worth isn’t rooted in however many streams we get. I’m insanely grateful for all of the people who listen to us, support us, and come to our shows. When we see people in the audience having a good time, it is the most rewarding experience. So, to everyone who supports us, that you endlessly.

NATE: I like to make sure to take a moment to be proud of myself! Being able to see something you put so much work into to be received well is an amazing feeling and being able to pat yourself on the back goes a long way.

MAX: Just having fun with it, you know? I’m really just relaxing right now and taking everything around me in. I’m letting whatever happens happen. It’s awesome to grow musically with the band. It’s a blessing to be able to do what we do 24/7.

ELLIE: I am grateful for the successes we’ve had and I guess I celebrate the release by social media. I tell a lot of people about the music that we make so that they might give it a listen.

What is the next big challenge for yourself in this industry?

DARCY: I’d really just like to see how far we can get. My favorite part of being in a band is playing for a huge, excited crowd. There’s something indescribable about people you don’t know singing your lyrics. It genuinely makes you feel like you’re on top of the world. I’d like to see us playing larger shows. I’d like to see our streaming numbers go even higher, but it’s all about the love of the craft. I don’t want to stop.

NATE: I think growing an audience is our next crucial step in the industry. Being able to have a well–established and growing audience is really important to me.

MAX: The thing is, it doesn’t even feel like a challenge to me. I just keep moving on and doing new things, playing the guitar all the time, making music & playing with the band is all it is to me, just having a good time.

ELLIE: There are so many artists in the music industry that get overlooked. Artists that have so much potential, but just can’t seem to get the following. I hope to get a following to make a difference in the music industry. I also hope more people will be able to hear us and vibe to our tunes.

Your journey is special, how would you define it in your own words?

DARCY: I would describe our journey as fortunate. I’ve been lucky enough to have family and friends who have been actively working in the industry for years and years. It’s been a big help to know the people I do, and I’m so thankful for the opportunities those people have offered me. I’m also incredibly grateful for our producer, Wyatt Boyer, who has helped us discover our sound.

NATE: We’ve said for a long time that “we’re just four hooligans trying to make it big in the music industry”. I think that describes us and our journey well: just a bunch of kids deciding to make music and hoping to be able to share that music with the world.

MAX: We’re always doing our own thing, I mean, we’ve been practicing for so long, that we’re so tight. There’s always something for us to do. I look back on this band and I really see how much we have done together and how consistent we have been. The things we have done, it’s crazy. If you compare us now to us a year ago, there’s miles of progress to look at.

ELLIE: I would say my journey is a little rocky for sure. It’s had its ups and downs for sure. All the hard work will pay off in the end though.

Trying day in and day out to make sure your music is magic, how do you keep the magic within yourself to keep creating?

DARCY: It’s difficult to find new topics to write about. It seems like every relatable topic has already been used. Relationships, bad friendships, imposter syndrome, they’ve all been written about. So what I try to do is strip down those topics. I find that oftentimes, my favorite songs that i’ve written are the most blunt. Our new song “peach pit” doesn’t really implement any poetry. I just word-vomited and then turned it into a song.

NATE: That’s what I love about our music. We like to base it off of things that have actually happened to us and all the experiences of what people go through, so finding the magic in myself just comes with living my life, having new experiences that people will relate to.

MAX: You have to have fun with it. When there's no pressure, there are so many things to do and improve on because you aren't being pressured to really do anything. In our band, it’s up to us to play what we want to play. Our practices and concerts are really tight, but the creativity of everything comes from having total freedom in what we do. Every member of this band is very different in how we do some things, but very similar in the ways we do other things. That’s what brings out our “magic”.

ELLIE: Breaks. I have to take breaks or else drumming will start to feel like a chore. I usually dedicate my evenings to music. I practice at least two hours a night, but I have to break during the day because spending all that time drumming, I lost my desire to pick up my sticks. Taking breaks is key.

You are spectacular, truly. Give the fans everything they need to make sure they don't miss out on any of your music!

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