Republic NashvilleEli Young Band‘s new album, 10,000 Towns, comes out Monday. The title is a nod to the band’s constant touring schedule since forming more than a decade ago in Texas.
EYB drummer Chris Thompson tells ABC News Radio, “We’re a band on the road always, and a lot of times it really does feel like we’ve played in 10,000 towns for sure.”
After logging on those miles on the road, the guys in Eli Young Band still genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Those strong friendships are evident in the band member’s smiling faces on the 10,000 Towns cover. It turns out those grins aren’t exactly genuine though. It was the end of their photo shoot day, and the guys were tired of posing for the camera.
“Not very happy actually,” says Chris of the band’s mood when the picture was taken. “We were sarcastically smiling at each other.”
His band mate Jon Jones adds, “For so many years doing photo shoots, we’ve lost so many good opportunities ’cause we just want to have these serious faces, which just make us look like grumpy, grumpy individuals. So, the best photos end up being the ones where someone’s cracking a joke or something happens in the background.”
Eli Young Band had plenty of reason to smile when they found out their last single, “Drunk Last Night,” went to #1. They’re following that up with “Dirt,” which is also featured on 10,000 Towns.
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio
