 Courtesy of the Artist
With a love of language and traditional, yet distinctive, bluegrass instrumentation, City Hotel has become a pillar of the Savannah music scene. The group has cultivated a strong following in the low-country, played extensively throughout the Southeast and toured the Eastern coast of the United States from Miami up to New York. In August, the quartet - Cory Chambers (Mandolin), Aaron Zimmer (Guitar), Jay Rudd (Banjo), and
Anthony Teixeira (Upright Bass) - released their latest album, Don't Go To The Porch, and here Chambers answers their Essential 8 and talks the story behind their album's title, songwriting, and more! Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you? The late Col. Bruce Hampton from Atlanta was a huge lyrical influence for me while working on Don’t Go to the Porch. He regularly sings about towns and cities in a way that makes them seem like spiritual destinations instead of physical ones. I tried to emulate his powerful whimsy with a few of the songs. With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect? The band took “Montreal” from a bare bones structure to a really elaborate arrangement. They are great at creating interesting transitions and vocal parts. The instrumental part of the song makes it for me and I knew it was where I wanted it to be once the band worked that out. What’s the story behind your album’s title? My father’s childhood next door neighbor was a man of few words. The man was working on his back porch one day when it collapsed and he fell along with it. When his wife came home he said, “Don’t go to the porch.” When his wife asked why he replied, “because there ain’t one.”
Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
Whatever I’m reading or consuming at the time I’m writing seems to bleed through. I love short story writers and storytellers. The stories that have been in our families for a generation or more seem to make their way on to our albums. When/where do you do your best writing? I work best when there is not a lot else going on in terms of touring or recording. Being able to let my mind wander is the best way for me to get ideas. Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination? I love using stories I’ve heard as inspiration because the specific way I identify with the characters seems to come out in the songs. My own experience always bleeds through the initial inspiration. A lot of the songs on the album came from a character that I felt kinship with. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician? Col. Bruce talks a lot about intention and being a conduit as opposed to a conductor of the music. Try to focus on your intent is the best advice. Do you have any touring tips? We recommend taking a snapshot of your living room, then trying to recreate the photo in the back of the van. Website Purchase
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