About six years ago, I lucked upon being production assistant for an up-and-coming indie rock/blues band in Knoxville. I later befriended a few of the guys and watched them explode into one of the most well-known touring bands in the U.S.: The Black Cadillacs.
This year, the Knoxville band—comprised of Will Horton, Matthew Hyrka, Philip Anderson, John Phillips and Adam Bonomo—hits some of the biggest 2014 festivals including Bonnaroo, Shaky Knees, Hangout, Summer Camp, Wakarusa and more during its U.S. tour. The guys also just returned from a European tour where they hit Pamplona, Barcelona, Beauvais, Castellon, Orihuella, Estepona, Cadiz, Plasencia and Leon. I got the chance to ask the guys what their biggest show has been, their feelings on how far they have come and how much they’re truly enjoying what they do.
Will Horton: When we first started playing together we didn’t have any expectations, you know? We all had a great time playing music together and we were content to pick up gigs around town at bars and house parties. The idea of playing festivals and getting out on the road was something we all really wanted to do, but at the same time it was hard to wrap our heads around how to get there. We were really jealous of bands getting to do what we wanted to be doing so we started trying to do all that we could on our own. Looking back, we understand that it is a process. We have always had big ideas for where we would like to take our music and after years of working at it we are now getting the opportunities that we always knew that we had the potential for.
Adam Bonomo: The biggest show of the tour was at a club called Salason in Cangas, Spain. The crowd went wild during the show. Everyone was jumping around and chanting after every song. At one point these two guys picked Will up on their shoulders and carried him around the whole club during a song. After we finished we were introduced to Coffee Liquor, which is the local drink of Cangas. We danced all night long and made many friends. That was the most fun show of the tour and Cangas is now my favorite city in Europe. It was a great night.
John Phillips: The biggest show of our career was probably our first headlining theater show at the Bijou Theatre in our hometown in Knoxville last November. We were on the road all year and we were wrapping up our year on the road with a show at Voodoo Festival in New Orleans and the Bijou show a few days later. The show was sold out and was a fantastic cap to a great year of touring. It’s always fun to play to new fans, but nothing compares to playing for your home town fans and friends and family. The same people supported us from the beginning, and it’s a great feeling to show them the best version of what we do.
For more information on the band, visit black-cadillacs.com and facebook.com/TheBlackCadillacs.
