All Ya'll Records Gear Up with Artists for Label Showcase on 6/1

As part of the All Y’all Records showcase, we are excited to highlight four incredible bands that embody the spirit and diversity of our musical community. The upcoming All Y’all Records launch party at Local 506 promises to be an unforgettable night, showcasing the unique talents of these bands. In this exclusive interview, The Gone Ghosts, Jack the Radio, Crenshaw Pentecostal, and The Yardarm share their insights, inspirations, and aspirations. Join us as we dive into the heart and soul of these remarkable artists, each bringing their own flavor to the vibrant tapestry of North Carolina’s music scene.

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The Gone Ghosts, hailing from Carrboro, NC, capture the essence of American rock with their evocative lyrics and soulful melodies. Their songs, fueled by themes of love, loss, and heartache, create a deeply resonant musical experience that honors classic rock traditions while exploring new creative boundaries. https://thegoneghosts.com/

What does it mean to you to be part of the All Y’all Records Launch Party, and how did you become involved with them?

I means being part of a community and a little gang of band buds. Nick ( Het Preacher ) and I ( Dave Hedeman & The Gone Ghosts ) started All Y’all so we could build something cool together and play great shows with other great bands.

Can you describe the atmosphere and energy you anticipate at the All Y’all Records Launch Party, and how you plan to contribute to it with your performance?

I think everyone is really excited to be part of this. I know we are. We’re gonna bring it with everything we’ve got. All of these acts are gonna bring it, and II think it’s gonna elevate everyone show what they’ve got. ITs going to be mind blowing.

How would you describe the style and genre of music your band creates, and what are some of your primary influences?

The Gone Ghosts call ourselves All-country Rock band. Sometimes I just call us an Americana Rock Band. Our influences are artists like Jason Isbell, Drive By Truckers, Lucero, Lydia Loveless, American Aquarium and the like. But also there’s a little bit of that Punk singer songwriter influence of Dave Huase and the Mermaid, Social Distortion and the Menzingers, which are like relate to their blue collar, big city working class suburb experience. I’ve been in the south for almost 30 years, but I grew up between DC and Baltimore and we did a bunch of the same redneck stuff they do here in the south, but without the backcountry roads. I’m also influenced a lot by the bands on this label. Old Heavy Hands was called Y’alternative Rock. I think that describes all of us, Y’altrenative country, or Y’alternative Rock.

What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your music, and how do they reflect your band’s identity?

Love, loss heartache ad good story telling. Three chords and the truth with really loud guitars. Mmmmmm lots of guitars. We just try to be authentic. Just a straight ahead rock show and that comes through on stage. We love being the band that comes out of cower and people are like “Where the did you just come from”

Can you tell us about your creative process and how you collaborate to write and produce your music?

I (Dave ) write all the songs but then bring them to the band to arrange, figure out their own parts and then once we get into recording nothing is sacred. If it’s too long, cut it, if something isn’t working change it. We all just work together doing what each other does best to make the best possible songs we can.

What can fans expect from your set at the launch party, and are there any special surprises or new material you’ll be debuting?

We’ll be doing a half full of new tunes we are currently recording, along with some of our regulars. In the last year my Daughter Eliza has been sitting and singing with the band. Her voice its amazing, and She’s recently been accepted into UNCG’s highly competitive musical theatre program and this is gonna be one of the last opportunities we have to share the stage together for a little while. SO I’m excited about that and our fans really love it when she comes up and does her thing. But mostly we’ll be kicking a**.

What are you most excited about regarding the launch of All Y’all Records, and how do you think it will impact your career and those of other local artists?

I’m excited to see how this thing all goes and if we can pull it off. It's a pretty monumental task in the local music world to have this many bands. I think it will be good for getting All Y’alls name on peoples radar and that they can equate All Y’alls shows with awesomeness. I think just being part of it is cool and I think it will give some good exposure to all of us, and hopefully people will keep coming out to see us in the future.

Jack the Radio, based in Raleigh, NC, blends rock, blues, Americana, folk, and country to craft a distinctive tapestry of swampy southern sounds. Their innovative approach to roots-rock has garnered a loyal following, making them a standout in the regional music scene.
https://www.jacktheradio.com/

How would you describe the style and genre of music your band creates, and what are some of your primary influences?

Kevin: Our usual answer when asked to describe our music is to say that we think of it as “if Tom Petty never left the South”. That description is even more apt given the sound of our forthcoming album. In addition to Petty, other influences include Black Keys and maybe a little Sturgill Simpson.

What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your music, and how do they reflect your band’s identity?

Kevin: Themes vary from song to song but a common thread that seems to run through most of our music is one persevering in the face of adversity. The idea that, whatever life throws at us, we’ll be alright.

Can you tell us about your creative process and how you collaborate to write and produce your music?

Danny: George is regularly bringing the band ideas for new tunes in forms ranging from almost completely fleshed out to basic basic outlines. From there, the full band will start working on the details at practice; we’ve had songs come together on the very first run-through (“Walk All Over Me”) and others that took months to fully realize (“Tell Everyone Around”). George and I handled the production on our new record, finding tones that helped the songs come to life over the course of recording the record. I was excited to collaborate with George on the writing side of “Take The Wheel” for this album, too!

What can fans expect from your set at the launch party, and are there any special surprises or new material you’ll be debuting?

Kevin: Fans can expect a high energy set showcasing some of the new songs from our upcoming album along with some old favorites.

How do you see All Y’all Records supporting and influencing the local music scene, and what role do you hope to play in that development?

Danny: From the first day the collaborative roster was rolled out, All Ya’ll has clearly put in the hard work of helping maintain an active social media presence. Publicizing art is a thankless job, and in a world where content seems to have a very short shelf-life, All Ya’ll is helping to keep a great roster of local independent artists front and center for music fans in the Triangle.

Crenshaw Pentecostal, from Winston Salem, NC, brings an electrifying blend of dive bar arena rock. Their high-energy performances and gritty sound capture the raw, unfiltered spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, ensuring an unforgettable experience for all who attend their shows.

linktr.ee/CrenshawPentecostal

What does it mean to you to be part of the All Y’all Records Launch Party, and how did you become involved with them?

Crenshaw had a gig in Charlotte and our promoter friend mentioned splitting the bill with Gone Ghosts, who most of us had heard of locally, but never gigged with. As they played, we all looked at each other, recognizing another band that we dug and could mesh well with on future shows. After the show, David from GG started mentioning his and Nick's idea for a collective of like-mined artists and bands that could help push and promote each other. It was a super-simple idea (the best ones typically are) and we were 100% in. Fast forward to this spring/summer, and we are psyched for the launch party at 506. We're friends with a few bands on the label already, but mucho stoked to get to know the others.

Can you describe the atmosphere and energy you anticipate at the All Y’all Records Launch Party, and how you plan to contribute to it with your performance?

I've been a part of a tight-knit indie label before and done a few showcase shows. The energy is always cool- I think everyone is going to want to impress everyone else. We may set our guitars on fire or something, I dunno.

How would you describe the style and genre of music your band creates, and what are some of your primary influences?

I think we definitely started out more on the alt country side of the tracks. This is our eighth year as a band and I think we are actually just now really hitting our groove and finding our sound. It's a little more alt, a little less country, but we have zero problem reaching back to pull out an old country song or two every now and then. I'm not a flashy writer or guitarist- certainly influenced a lot by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Mike Campbell has had the most effect on me as a musician, certainly. I've had a band where we wrote 6.5 minute songs that never repeated a part. Now I'm in this band that writes 3.5 minute major-key rock and roll songs with a Westerberg/Stinson edge. God, I love Oasis so much too.

What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your music, and how do they reflect your band’s identity?

A lot of heartbreak songs. A couple of in-love songs. Definitely some "get the f out" songs....relationship heavy for sure. Nothing groundbreaking- but totally accessible. We've all been through some stuff before.. who hasn't, right?

Can you tell us about your creative process and how you collaborate to write and produce your music?

We've been jamming in our drummer Brian's garage for eight years now. We were a backup band for this pop country female singer from Nashville for a while. That was a paid gig type of thing, but we kinda realized that we wanted to do our own thing and recognized that we'd just kinda became a really tight separate band, unintentionally. I've known Zach, our singer, for years and years. Always loved playing music with him, so writing is really easy. He's younger than me, but definitely sits on the same bench when it comes to influences. That definitely makes the creative process easy. Brian absolutely gets it, and takes songs to rad places. Jeremy is SUCH a good, creative bassist (who literally has his own instrumental band that is driven by bass riffage) that it makes our time together super fluid. Drew (keys) kinda finds ways to make our stuff sound so much more professional. He's so good. Totally the musical ninja of CP.

What can fans expect from your set at the launch party, and are there any special surprises or new material you’ll be debuting?

We just want to go as hard as we can. We're all old punk and hardcore guys. That stuff can't be taken out of us. Not sure about surprises- if we told you, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, would it? Hopefully we'll have some collaborations with some old friends up there.

How do you see All Y’all Records supporting and influencing the local music scene, and what role do you hope to play in that development?

What I love about the All Y'all family is that it's truly just built on support. High tides raise all ships, or whatever.. the more we help, the better we all do. I think you're probably going to always see All Y'all bands/artists on almost any show that we help put together. I grew up in the Winston-Salem underground scene in the late 90's/early 2k's... it was all about helping to push your friends' bands up.

What are you most excited about regarding the launch of All Y’all Records, and how do you think it will impact your career and those of other local artists?

A few sips of tequila, a bunch of hugs n' high fives.. it's gonna feel like a party. I think it's exciting to see where our launching point is for this thing. It's only going to keep rising.

The Yardarm, representing Chapel Hill, NC, offers alternative rock with a distinctly North Carolina twang. Their music combines heartfelt storytelling with a dynamic sound, reflecting the rich musical heritage of their home state.

theyardarm.bandcamp.com

What does it mean to you to be part of the All Y’all Records Launch Party, and how did you become involved with them?

We're excited to have a community of like-minded bands that goes beyond our usual range, bands that we can connect with in other cities and states. We (The Yardarm) first met Dave Hedeman and Justin Bowlin from the Gone Ghosts back in late 2018. They were one of the first bands we really connected with, and have played with them several times throughout the years. We played with Heat Preacher for the Gone Ghosts' record release show in 2022 and have been fans of theirs for a while, so when Dave and Nick invited us to join All Y'all we were excited and honored.

Can you describe the atmosphere and energy you anticipate at the All Y’all Records Launch Party, and how you plan to contribute to it with your performance?

I think it's going to be a real community atmosphere. Many of us in the different bands haven't actually met each other yet or heard each other play live, so getting to meet all of these awesome musicians is going to really put us on our A-game. I think a lot of people in the area are excited about this, and I think Local 506 is going to be pretty full from the get-go.

How would you describe the style and genre of music your band creates, and what are some of your primary influences?

We have a fairly wide-ranging sound that incorporates alt-country, rock, psychedelic and folk influences. Our upcoming album "On a Tipping Sea", which comes out the day before the launch party, really shows our range. Having two songwriters (Jason Bales and JJ Westfield), the influences are pretty varied, but I think fans of REM, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Radiohead, and Wilco would all find something to like in our material.

What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your music, and how do they reflect your band’s identity?

The new album "On a Tipping Sea" has some common threads - dealing with grief, growing up, self-reflection, and there are a couple of political songs as well. "Spectators on the New Frontier" talks about how people become susceptible to lies and online propaganda, while "Richmond 1925" uses an urban legend of a railroad accident as a backdrop to show corporate indifference to the lives of workers.

Can you tell us about your creative process and how you collaborate to write and produce your music?

Despite having two songwriters, there hasn't been much co-writing yet. Typically JJ or Jason will post demos of new songs, and the band will take time to listen, learn the songs, and come up with ideas. Our practice time is very limited, so it's important to make the most of it and have an idea of how to play the song going in. For the latest album "On a Tipping Sea" we tracked instruments separately in JJ's attic studio. JJ did all of the mixing, and we handed it to John May at Dwarf Star Studios for digital mastering and Jeremy Whitwam in Lansing, MI for vinyl mastering.

What can fans expect from your set at the launch party, and are there any special surprises or new material you’ll be debuting?

We're going to be heavy on the material from our new album "On a Tipping Sea." This will be the first show where people can buy vinyl copies of the album!

How do you see All Y’all Records supporting and influencing the local music scene, and what role do you hope to play in that development?

I hope that All Y'all can inspire others to create their own collectives and realize the power of community in building local music scenes wherever they are. All Y'all continues to expand to different cities, and I hope that by doing some consistent billing we can all build some followings in some of these other area as well as our own.

What are you most excited about regarding the launch of All Y’all Records, and how do you think it will impact your career and those of other local artists?

I think it's always helpful to have a 'group' that you are attached to. It builds trust and recognition for people that don't know you - if someone likes Old Heavy Hands, they might see that they are connected to All Y'all and decide to look into the rest of the bands on the roster as well. I think it can also help attract other artists to play shows with us if we can build a reputation as a collective that brings people out