Hailing from East Tennessee, Handsome and the Humbles are prepping the release of their new album, We’re All the Same, on September 9th. The project, a collection of stories - poignant observations of humanity - embrace the idea that hope can bridge the gap forged by discord and divide while uniting listeners via connect on an emotional level. Here, Josh Smith answers his Essential 8 and talks about the album, songwriting, The Shed, Waffle House, and more.
Is there a story behind your album’s title? The title actually comes from one of the songs on the album, "We're All the Same." I wrote it one night when I got home from a friend's show at a craft brewery in Knoxville. I had one of those moments where I walked into the place and just felt like I was a lot less cool than the people that were there. I was looking around and admiring their mustaches and how comfortable they all looked drinking their strangely flavored beers, and I thought, "My mustache is not as cool, and I want to like this beer more than I do!" Then, I assumed that they could sense how uncomfortable I was and that they were judging me. Then I started judging them for judging me. Of course, this whole thing was in my head--these people were just having a good time, and I was the one making judgements. Basically, the song is about feeling uncomfortable, different, or not good enough and then realizing that we all feel these things at some point. When we realize that and actually start to talk to each other, we can understand that maybe we’re not as different as we thought we were. Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination? My writing is a combination of all the above. When I am not playing music, I work in Physical Therapy and mostly with geriatric patients. I spend most of my day talking to these people, listening to their stories and learning about what they’ve been through. A lot of my songs have been inspired by my conversations with them. Other times, I’ve just made up stories based on whatever I’m feeling at the moment. There are a couple of songs on this album which were written from direct experience. “Down To the Wire” is about growing up and growing apart, and I wrote it about my high school/early college best friend. Another song on the album, “Tried So Hard,” is about growing up in a small, Bible Belt town, feeling the pull and weight of religion, and trying to make sense of everything. Ultimately, that one is sort of about my personal break up with religion, so it’s autobiographical. I’m a tender little guy, so pretty much anything can inspire me to write. What’s your favorite/”go-to” food on the road? On the road, we have a steady diet of things you can buy at a gas station and things that are open after you finish your gig. For the gas station food, there always seems to be some kind of jerky in the van. Lauryl, our old drummer, used to always eat these pickles that come packaged in a bag. She’d eat the pickle and then drink the leftover juice. After gigs, we usually end up at an iHop or Waffle House, although if I’m choosing, we end up at the latter.
Do you have any touring tips?
Well, if you happen to be touring with me, and I’m driving, you may want to sit in the front of the van if you don’t want to be carsick. I’m not the best driver. What do you love most about being on the road? The people I’m on the road with. I’ve known Jason, Tyler, and Hutson for most of my life. I don’t know how I’ve lucked into knowing such talented people. What’s your favorite venue and why? Our favorite venue has to be The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson in Maryville, TN. First of all, the venue has hosted great acts like Leon Russell, Todd Snider, and Jason Isbell. The Shed is the first place we played for over 1,000 people, the food is great, and the sound is always fantastic. They have the nicest staff anywhere. They literally treat the artists like family, and it feels like a family reunion each time we go back there. We love them. Who would you love to collaborate with? I would be willing to trade some vital organs for Jeff Lynne or Dave Cobb to produce one of our records. Which song of yours gets the best crowd response? Right now it’s a tie between “Westward I Go Free,” which was on our first EP and “I Love You Still” off the new album. They have killer guitar solos from Jason and Hutson, and the crowd tends to get pretty rowdy during the solos. The band on the record was: Josh Smith-vocals Jason Chambers- guitar, vocals Josh Hutson- guitars Lauryl Brisson- drums Tyler Huff- bass Additional musicians: Mic Harrison - vocals Andrew Leahey - guitar Jay Birkbeck - keys Erin Smith - vocals Website/Twitter/Bandcamp We're All The Same releases on 9/7. It is available for pre-order HERE.
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