The Stephanie Eason Band will perform at the Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall & Saloon for a four-night stay starting Jan. 4. The country rock band will perform originals as well as cover songs.
Being the only woman on tour doesn’t bother Stephanie Eason. In fact, she loves it.
“I’m surrounded by a bunch of brothers,” the country singer/songwriter says during a recent phone interview. “Plus, they don’t realize that I’m in charge. It’s a good thing.”
Eason is the lead singer for the Phoenix-based Stephanie Eason Band. The band’s music is a little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, with a lot of sass.
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Stephanie Eason Band WHEN: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4, Thursday, Jan. 5, and Jan. 6-7 WHERE: Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall & Saloon, 9800 Montgomery NE HOW MUCH: $10 at the door |
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“I’ve grown to love both genres that I had to use both of them for my music,” she explains. “But of course I put my own twist on it all.”
Eason is working on new music for an album, which will be released in the spring. She says she and band member Mike Galli are working on the lyrics for new tunes, and the process seems to be going very well.
“This time we are taking our time with the music,” she says. “We’ve already released one new song to radio just to hold over the fans and let them know the direction that we are going.”
For Eason, she says writing is just like ripping a page from her diary.
“I don’t know how to write about hypothetical situations,” she says. “Everything I write is from my experiences. That can be scary at some times, but it’s rewarding when the words to the songs make that connection with an audience. That’s what makes it all worth it.”
Eason travels with her band – Eric Gilboe, Brandon Kinser, Josh Sampson and Galli, – mostly regionally but is expanding her touring in the coming year.
“It’s difficult because we are a do-it-yourself kind of band,” she explains. “We have to carve out time to tour and make sure that we are making the most of our time. A lot of us in the band handle the booking, so we have to be really good at communicating.”
While the writing process is rolling with Eason and Galli, Eason says they have been trying out some of the new material with audiences.
She says doing this helps the band gauge if the song is right for it.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m giving away too much,” she says. “But I think it’s important to try out the songs live to see what kind of reaction they get. If not, we end up wasting time in the studio with a not-so-good song. It helps us.”
Reprint story -- Email the reporter at agomez@abqjournal.com. Call the reporter at 505-823-3921
