Known for their mix of honky-tonk, Americana, and traditional country music, The Shootouts are one of those bands that have something for everyone: heavy pedal steel, classic country vocals, plenty of pickin’ and tunes to get you dancin’ or, in true country fashion, cryin’. Following their highly acclaimed 2019 debut album Quick Draw, the quintet – made up of Ryan Humbert (lead vocals, guitar), Emily Bates (backing vocals), Brian Poston (lead guitar), Dylan Gomez (drums), and Ryan McDermott (bass) – are set to deliver their latest album Bullseye this Friday, April 30th.
We caught up with lead singer Ryan to talk about the band’s “signature sound,” the ins-and-outs of the new album, and more.
CN: As we hit the one-year mark of COVID-19, we hope everyone in your circle is safe and healthy. How are you holding up?
RH: I’ve gotta say, I feel pretty lucky that most everyone in my circle has been able to stay healthy and happy. There were uncertain and tough days for sure, but it also allowed me the chance to slow down, reevaluate and refocus. I can’t complain about that aspect at all. It has definitely been a weird time to live through—I mean, between political and social issues and a worldwide pandemic—I think history teachers will be looking at the last few years for many, many decades to come.
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
RH: Our “signature sound” has morphed into a big melting pot of the various forms of traditional country music that we’ve always loved—countrypolitian, honky-tonk, Americana, Western swing, Bakersfield and more. Mix in a little bit of our Ohio “Rust Belt” roots and you’ve got The Shootouts.
CN: How did each of you cross paths, and when did the idea of the band come together?
RH: Well, The Shootouts wouldn’t exist had I not met Brian Poston (The Shootouts guitarist) back in 2013. We were introduced by a friend and ended up bonding over our mutual love of traditional, classic country. We would often talk about going out and performing country music on our own terms. After about a year, we finally decided to give it a go—totally as a passion project—a fun side project. We recruited our friend Dylan Gomez on drums and played our first show in October of 2015 at a club in Cleveland, Ohio. From the downbeat of the first song, I felt like I was struck by a bolt of lightning. I knew instantly this was it. There was no looking back. It was a full reset and one I’ll never regret. It’s refreshing for us to play this music and put ourselves into these classic sounds.
CN: What is the story behind choosing the name The Shootouts?
RH: When we started the band, we went by Shooter Sharp & The Shootouts—a very tongue in cheek name that paid tribute to bands like Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, or Merle Haggard and The Strangers, or Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. We played a show with our friend Radney Foster one night in 2017 and he asked if we ever thought about just going by “The Shootouts.” Strangely enough, we had just been discussing it and Radney was the final push we needed!
CN: You’ve all grown up around music one way or another – from classic country to gospel to country swing to bluegrass. How do you incorporate each into the band’s sound of Music City meets Cali Country and Texas Swing?
RH: Musically, this band comes from a lot of worlds. We all are music lovers—that’s it. Genre be damned. Good music is good music. We all listen with very open ears most of the time. I think there are parts of the country world you mentioned that just made sense to us—parts that we felt at home with, even as musicians from many miles away. Because we like so much of the history of the country genre, we’re always trying new things. What does this type of song sound like on this day, with this group of musicians, in this particular room? It’s a lot of fun to see where that takes us.
CN: Which artists have influenced you both personally and as an artist?
RH: Probably the two most influential records to me, personally, are Wildflowers by Tom Petty and Car Wheels on a Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams. I discovered all those albums when I was in high school—figuring out how to play guitar and express my musical side. To me, they’re damn near perfect albums—they embody so many different parts of American music—rock, country, blues, folk. It really set me on a long and diverse path into the Americana genre. Which of course, includes tons of traditional country and roots rock.
CN: Who are some of your favorite artists? Ones that mean the most to you.
RH: Man, that’s a loaded question! Outside of the two artists named above, I’m a huge fan of Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Nick Lowe, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam, the Mavericks, George Strait, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Miller, Sheryl Crow, REM, Harry Nilsson, Buddy & Julie Miller and so on and so forth. So many influences across so many genres. And I think it’s really important to look at what’s out there today and look at how that inspires you. We’re big fans of Yola, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, The War & Treaty, Dan Auerbach, Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, Ashley Monroe, Brandy Clark and many more.
Honestly, I’m just a big music nerd, as evidenced by the fact that I started a free, streaming Americana radio station last year at americanaroundup.com. A passion project for certain, but I love spreading the word about good music.
In 2019 you released your highly acclaimed debut album Quick Draw, which led to opportunities to open for some of Country’s most iconic artists: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jim Lauderdale, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives to name a few. What did you gain as artists and as a band from those experiences?
I always say that it’s like taking a master class from the best. It’s really special to be able to see them do what they do best from behind the scenes. They’re mentoring folks and don’t even realize it. How can watching someone express their creativity on such a high level not inspire you? We’ve been fortunate to open for some great talents, and we’re always thankful for their advice and kindness.
CN: Following Quick Draw, your sophomore album Bullseye is set for release on April 30. What can you tell our readers about it?
RH: I think it’s a really fun record. When folks listen to the album, we want to give them a little breather after the heaviness of the last year. But the thing I think I’m most excited about is that it shows some different sides of The Shootouts sound that we may not have explored with Quick Draw. We worked on a large batch of tunes, and tried to pick songs for this record that would play well with the songs from that album—in a live setting and in our catalog.
CN: What was it like to work with Chuck Mead, who produced the album?
RH: Working with Chuck was a blast. We’ve been fans for a long time, so we were excited when he was interested in working with us. When we started The Shootouts, BR5-49 was certainly one of our major influences. He just got it. He brought so much knowledge of the genre to the table. He was honest, encouraging, enthusiastic—a great cheerleader in the studio. A good producer juggles many jobs, and he did a great job of doing that for us.
We started the album on March 8, 2020, and by the time we were done eight days later, the pandemic had set in and the world was drastically changing for everyone. We were all watching it play out on our cell phones during that whole eight day period. It was strange and surreal trying to be creative during all of that. You wouldn’t have known a tornado had just ripped through town, or a pandemic was coming down around us—and I give Chuck a lot of credit for keeping us energized and focused. I think you can hear that energy in the album.
CN: There is a specific song on the album that is very personal, “Another Mother,” which was written in tribute to your mother.
RH: Yeah, that one means a lot to me. My mother Judy passed away very unexpectedly in November of 2018, the night before Thanksgiving. My sister and I were very close with her, and we were with her the day she passed. It’s something that will never leave your consciousness. There’s no great way to describe losing a parent. Your whole life changes and there’s no way to go back. It’s something almost everyone can relate to though.
My mom was at almost every show and very supportive of everything I’ve done musically. I instantly knew I wanted to pay tribute to her, but it needed to come when the time was right—when I felt I could wrap my head around it. Finally, in October of 2019, the song just poured out one day.
I realized the message I wanted to share with people: don’t take important relationships in your life for granted. You never know when it could be your last day. Make sure those people you care about know it. My mom made sure my sister and I knew that, and it’s something I strive to pass on in my relationships and friendships.
CN: Can you take us through your songwriting process? Do you tend to write together, or solo? Walk us through a usual writing session.
RH: We’ve had three songwriting voices on our records: mine, Brian Poston’s and that of our longtime Shootouts sideman, Al Moss.
Al and I have written the bulks of those songs, and, by default, we both bring very different approaches to our songs. Then we’ve got Brian writing these incredibly fun instrumentals that show another side of the band. All of these songs get brought to the table and then we work on all our arrangements together in one room, playing the songs as a band—mixing all of our influences and talents together. And occasionally we’ll bring a good cover song into that mix too. Working on new tunes as a band is always really exciting for us.
Personally, I don’t really have a stritch method for songwriting. Sometimes the lyrics come first, sometimes the music, sometimes a title or hook. It’s really hard to describe sometimes where inspiration comes from. It can literally be anywhere. We all deal with a lot of ups-and-downs on a daily basis. Life comes at us all very fast these days. As is the case with “Another Mother,” for example—sometimes art blooms from tragedy. Turning these life-changing memories and moments into a song is just another form of grieving and healing for the songwriter. You just hope the songs can help others as well.
CN: If you had the opportunity to collaborate with any one artist, who would it be?
RH: This answer would likely change daily, but for now I’ll say Bruce Springsteen. I think it’d be fun for The Shootouts to do a country project with him, just to see what would happen. We love the Boss!
CN: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?
RH: Dedicated.
CN: What’s next on the horizon for you?
RH: Short term, getting back out on the road and navigating a post-pandemic entertainment world. And we’ll definitely be working on more new music soon. I’ve already got a few ideas and tricks up my sleeve.
Long term, I think we’re just getting started. We plan on carrying the torch for traditional country music, in all its forms, for as long as we can.
CN: Where can fans find you either at the show or online?
RH: We’re on all the socials—Instagram, Facebook, Twitter—and our website has music, videos, an official store and more at shootoutsmusic.com.
Mark your calendars: On Saturday, June 12th The Shootouts will be taking over our Instagram! Be sure to tune in!
Pre-order Bullseye here; available everywhere this Friday.