INTERVIEW: Ramblin’ Man — Nashville’s Travis Egnor
Travis Egnor has to get used to change. With his wife, Jessi, being a traveling nurse, they pick up and move every few months. But for a guy with a band, some might think that could get tough. How do you stay in touch when the band is in your hometown and you’re miles away? Simple. When you travel to the new city, you get new members. And that is exactly what Egnor did with his band, Dead Leaves.
That wasn’t Egnor’s plan, though. When he started in music, Egnor, who credits everyone from Neil Young to Ray Charles to Wilco as an influence, was a solo act in Nashville. He had his own EP, Pretty Bird, and had loyal back-up players. In order to support that album, their touring name was Travis Egnor & the Mighty Oaks. It then morphed into Dead Leaves.
But then Egnor had a problem.
“Jessi and I were having a conversation with our good friend Kat Jones, who is also a very good singer/songwriter, about the woes of being stuck in one place and trying to keep people interested in our music,” Egnor writes in an e-mail. He and his wife had been talking about her taking a traveling nurse job and this could be the answer. With bills, mortgage payments, and student loans, the idea seemed possible. “From this 20 minute conversation came the idea to travel and promote the record…which hadn’t been made yet.”
Before taking off for Omaha, Egnor and his original lineup recorded the Dead Leaves’ first self-titled, full length album in Nashville. The album had less of a folky sound than Egnor’s solo album.
“Dead Leaves was the chance for Wes [Langlois] and I to make the kind of record that we wanted to hear — something raw and rocking while still very live, and loose sounding,” Egnor continues. “What you’re hearing is a bunch of guys having a great time drinking bourbon and making a record.”
Upon arriving in Omaha, Egnor took to Craigslist and a few online guitar forums to find new recruits for Dead Leaves.
“Once talking with one or two players, musicians being rather clique-ish, one guy will know someone else, etc., etc.” And just like that, Dead Leaves had formed its second line-up.
But how do you make new members of a band sound cohesive? Turns out, it’s easier (and more educational) than you might think. Having a record to start with makes blending sounds together an easier transition.
“They have an idea of what the music should be right from the start,” Egnor said. “One of the things that keeps this so interesting is that every musician has his/her own voice.” Different areas of the country will bring new sounds to Dead Leaves’ existing material. “The band is going to have some sort of transformation from city to city. Having them play like themselves makes it more fun for everyone.”
And as soon as Egnor came to Omaha and started playing with his new band members, his wife’s eight week contract started winding down.
“Most of Jess’ contracts will be 13 weeks. Unfortunately, Omaha was only an eight week contract,” Egnor writes. The next stop for Egnor and his wife is back east to Baltimore, Maryland.
Egnor’s final Dead Leaves show with the full Omaha lineup is this Saturday, February 18th at the Barley Street Tavern in Benson. It will be your last chance to see Egnor and Dead Leaves because when Egnor will return to Omaha is uncertain. But Egnor will always remember his short time in Omaha. “I will miss this city and the friends that I’ve made.”
