Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
Tianna and Mike: We’re a four-piece band that is based just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada.
Along with the two of us – Tianna is on lead vocals/percussion, Mike is harmony vocals, fiddle, and mandolin – Jackson Hollow also features Eric Reed on guitar and banjo and Charlie Frie on upright bass and harmony vocals. In 2017, the four of us started playing together and we’ve been on this journey ever since.
We all discovered the music industry in our own ways, but I think we each have a common love and appreciate for the bluegrass sound, traditional instruments and vocal elements, and really playing authentic music in the studio and live. Our genuine love for what we do has kept us going and allowed us to make careers out of it.
Q: And what other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?
Tianna and Mike: These days, we’re both very busy with working on our own music, as well as playing in the studio and on stage with other artists. So we don’t really have a lot of dedicated leisure time to listen to anyone specific. That being said, we do find ourselves listening to a variety of Sirius XM channels, especially when we are on the road, so that’s our primary means of checking out what others in our genre are up to.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
Tianna: There have been a few along the way, but overall, I feel like Rhonda Vincent is really my strongest musical influence. I’ve seen her live and her vocals just captivated me in terms of how precise and perfect they were. As great as she sounds in her recordings, her vocal performances in a live setting are even better.
Mike: Al Cherny would be my answer. When I was growing up, he was a hero to me as a fiddler. I would see him on The Tommy Hunter Show on TV and when I was 8, I was lucky enough to meet him. For me, that was a turning point that inspired me to pursue music professionally. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with other musicians who have worked with him, and his influence comes through in the energy I put into my music.
Q: You have just released your new album, ‘Roses’. Is there a story behind it?
Tianna and Mike: As musicians, we relate the best to music that we can connect to and feel deeply. For “Roses”, we wanted to create an album that could similarly impact people emotionally as listeners. For the songs themselves, we chose original songs from different generations of songwriters to showcase a variety of talent. All of it is presented through our own modern bluegrass flavour as a group but it also extends across other genre branches and influences that we like.
All in all, it’s about showcasing the stories we love to tell through music and in the styles that resonate the most with us.
Q: What is the message of your music?
Tianna and Mike: The storytelling in each song we perform at a show or release from the studio is important to us. Something we learned from this album is how universal and relevant the story of a song can be today, even if it was written decades ago.
It’s an honour to bring those stories out to others today and the word we would use to describe that process is “genuine” – both in the songs themselves and our own way of bringing them out to people. We want people to hear a song from us and know that it’s coming from people who feel it the way that they do.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
Tianna and Mike: Besides the storytelling elements that we just mentioned, it’s really important for us to be authentic in our performances, whether you see us on stage or hear a produced song from the studio. In our opinion, there are too many groups that will rely on tracks – whether it’s musical or vocal – to prop them up when they are playing live or recording. From an industry perspective, we want you to know that what you hear is also what you see. So the genuine storytelling and authenticity in how we bring it out is so important to us. That’s partly why we feel so welcome in the bluegrass genre because so many of our peers feel the same way.
The best way to describe message of our music is that we want to be able to respect traditional country and bluegrass – the classic sounds in the genre – but give them our own modern stamp and interpretation. We’re paying tribute to the greats that came before us but adding our own ideas into the mix to come up with something we feel is fresh and unique but also timeless.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
Tianna: The pandemic made the process longer and now it’s falling on new ears and gives it new life. The way it’s resonating with other people brings joy to me to see how it inspires others and has really affected how they can relate to our music.
Mike: I feel that I can appreciate the music fully now that it’s completed. During the process, all your heart and soul is going into it and you may not be able to necessarily take on every nuance when you recorded. I get much more enjoyment out of hearing the completed record as opposed to just playing the first note and the process.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
Tianna: I’m very visually-based when it comes to my creative process when I’m creating music. I like to imagine what I’m seeing from the lyrics and keep writing to match where that vision is taking me, while also keeping in mind the rhythm and delivery that feels in line with the song. When that is done, I’ll look at the other layers like instrumentation to add to it and bring it to life.
Mike: I take a very organic approach to creating a song and it usually begins instrumentally. The melody is where I start. I’ll sing it and building that portion until it feels solid and then move on to working through the first half of a song. If it’s the right time, I’ll finish shaping it into something more complete or just sit with it for a while and return to it when it’s the right time.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
Tianna: Being more confident and comfortable in my own skin and overcoming shyness. In life and in the music industry. Everyone has their own challenge and broader acceptance now.
Mike: Losing my parents who were both influential. My mom when I was 25 years old and my dad just recently (a few months ago) has been the most difficult thing I have had to endure because they were my support team. They were instrumental in shaping my music career, especially my dad since he played the fiddle and mandolin. He was able to hear the album and see the graphics but he wasn’t able to hold a copy of the final CD in his hands. He was listening to the music. Had a chance to celebrate the milestone moments like the record deal and so forth. When my mom passed, a lot of things were missed. I will honour their memory moving forward through the music I play.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
Mike: I have had several that I’m so proud of. My first time touring across Canada was a significant point because it was the first time I had the chance to perform and see the rest of Canada. Winning CCMA Fiddle Player of the Year was another. Also contributing to the soundtrack in the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics for the announcing of the 2010 Olympics was a thrill. More recently, having our single “Travelin’ Heart” debut during the July 4th weekend on Sirius XM was amazing.
Tianna: I have also had several. Singing on stage with Shania Twain in Vancouver after I won a local contest was so exciting. I also enjoyed singing backup at the Canadian Country Music events like the New Artist Showcases and Hall of Fame, and also singing background vocals for Michelle Wright. Learning from legendary people and mentors has really helped me as a performer. When the pandemic started, I felt like a lot of what we were working towards would be lost, but getting a record deal and now putting this album out has really been a blessing.
