Brandon Lancaster, Chandler Baldwin, Jared Hampton, Tripp Howell, and Eric Steedly – five best friends together known as LANco. The band came together when Lancaster, originally from Nashville, met Howell at a music festival in Chattanooga. Howell was making the move to Music City just around the same time that Lancaster was heading back home and the two connected and started hanging out. Through a mutual friend the pair was introduced to Steedly, who then brought along two of his buddies from school, Hampton and Baldwin. Just like that Lancaster & Company, now LANco, was formed. “We started hanging out and making music and never really looked back,” lead singer, Brandon said with a laugh. We had the chance to talk with Brandon and Tripp about LANco’s debut single, their EP, and all the adventures the band has had on their journey thus far, from practicing in a carpet warehouse to playing festivals around the US.
Who knows where the band would be today if it wasn’t for a gutsy move Lancaster made that landed them the opportunity to work with producer, Jay Joyce. Joyce has worked with some of the biggest names in country music such as, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, and Eric Church, and Brandon has always admired the producer’s work. One night when he was working a concession stand at Nashville’s Bridgestone arena, Brandon noticed the producer walking by and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pay Joyce a compliment. “I shut my register down and went up to him, just as a fan, to tell him I appreciated what he did,” he explained. But when asked what made an impact on the producer, Brandon believes it’s what he didn’t say that stood out to Joyce the most. “There’s just so much going on in Nashville. There’s so many musicians, everyone trying to do what we we’re trying to do,” he explained. “When I talked to him I didn’t approach the situation like, ‘Oh, this is my chance,’ or ‘He would love what we’re doing,’ I just told him I appreciated his work. We started talking about records and different records he’d worked on and started talking about some of our favorite records. We honestly just kind of hit it off and had a good conversation. I was away from my concession stand for about 30 minutes so I got in trouble when I got back, there were customers waiting and no one there,” he laughed. But it all worked out as Joyce invited them to play for him at his studio. “It was just a good hang. We played about four songs for him in his studio and he just said he got it, you know. He saw something there that he could work with.”
The outcome is the band’s four-song EP, which features three other songs that capture the essence of LANco. For their debut single, the guys knew without question that it had to be ‘Long Live Tonight.’ “It just embodies a lot of what we’re about, which is about taking life as it happens,” Brandon explained. ”As a group of friends, we kind of look at our music as the soundtrack to our lives and ’Long Live Tonight’ is a song that it really is an important part to our soundtrack,” he continued. While the anthemic song has a very relatable message the guys believe that their unique perspective sets it apart from other songs. “I don’t think there are a lot of songs out right now that are addressing the insanity that’s going on, and addressing how distracted we are as a generation,” Brandon said. “So it’s acknowledging our state of the world, but know that it’s okay to still feel safe with the people around you, and love the people around you, and make the most of the moments you’re given.” For the video that accompanied the single, the band wanted to keep it as genuine and natural as possible. “LANco is a culture, it’s a way of life.” Lancaster stated. “We wanted our first video to embody what we’re about. There’s shots of a live concert, and there’s a lot live shots in it because we have a very energetic live show.” he added, explaining how they gathered all their friends to come be a part of the video. “They were talking about hiring extras and casting calls and we were like, ‘No, we can just throw you a party if you want one!’” Brandon said laughing. “We do bonfires and we throw parties and things like that. It kind of just captured us in our natural habitat, just having fun, doing our thing, playing music,” Tripp added.
As the guys stated, the music video really exemplifies their live show as it’s one of their favorite parts of the job, and it’s something they never take for granted. “To be able to take that music to the people, and not just hear them tweet about it or comment on Instagram or whatever, to actually see their reaction to your songs is really special,” said Brandon. Tripp explained how each and every LANco performance is unique because the guys have a habit of changing up the setlist. “We don’t play the same show every night, it’s always a little bit different. We like to give each individual audience the same experience, yet a personal experience, a different experience every night. We have a lot of fun playing shows.”
This past summer LANco had the opportunity to go out and play numerous festivals that top many other artists’ bucket lists including Watershed in Quincy, WA, Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL, and Tortuga in Fort Lauderdale, FL. “It’s been incredible,” Brandon reflected. “We are, as well as music creators, we are music lovers. So I can’t tell you how much money I’ve spent going to shows I couldn’t afford, or festivals I couldn’t afford and camping out. So to be a part of those festivals and actually providing the music has just been a dream come true!” The guys got to join the roster on both country festivals as well as festivals that span multiple genres. They admitted that at first they didn’t know what to expect when playing at SxSW and Lollapalooza, for example. “I couldn’t have even predicted it. We’re aware that we’re playing country music festivals then we’re going to Lollapalooza where Ellie Goulding is the headliner,” he explained. “You’re offering a different sound than what other people are offering. We kind of took advantage of that and we have found that people are just as receptive, people are just as energetic. They’re receiving the music the same way they do at country festivals,” Lancaster explained, but added that country music will always be home. Even after a wild summer the band has no plans to slow down throughout the fall. “We actually just wrapped up our full-length pretty recently, so that is finished and that will be out sooner rather than later,” said Lancaster. The guys will also be heading out on the road with the Brothers Osborne on their Dirt Rich Tour. But before that, you can catch them in New England at Connecticut’s Berlin Fair on October 2nd.
As far as goals, LANco can already check a few off the list, but one thing the guys have their sights set on is getting their own tour bus someday. It would solve the only legitimate argument the band has, something they fight about on a regular basis – calling shotgun in the RV. “What is the rule of shotgun? Do you have to be outside, or do you have to see the car, or can you dispute it?” Brandon asked. “We’ve had that discussion. Here’s the problem though, the car is literally around the block, we can’t physically see it yet but we’re about to be at the car. So then someone calls shotgun, and we’re like you can’t see it yet, and then we’re running to be able to see the car first!” he said laughing. “Yeah, It gets pretty ugly!” Tripp confirmed. But luckily for the band, it’s the only major group battle they’ve faced thus far.
The guys have come a long way in just a short period of time, and looking back, they agree they wouldn’t change a thing. Their advice to their younger selves? “Enjoy sleep and drink more water!” Tripp said with a laugh, and Brandon backed him up. “We’ve come so far and there’s like, ‘If I knew what I know now…’ kind of discussions,” said Brandon. “I don’t think I would give myself advice other than…” he paused. “I think it would be don’t stress, it’s going to be alright. And just have fun. At the end of the day if you make the music you love and enjoy it, it’s kind of what ‘Long Live Tonight’ is about. That’s one reason we love it because it really is one of those things, that’s saying you’re going to be alright, enjoy what’s going on and make the most of it because if it doesn’t work out, you’re going to have these memories, you’re going to want them. If it does work out, you’re going to kill yourself for stressing out so much.”
LANco is looking forward to making many more memories as they continue on their journey. If you want to follow along on their adventures and get to know the guys of LANco, be sure to follow them online. “We are the masterminds, and idiots, behind our social media!” Brandon assured. They love to interact with fans as the road can be pretty long, so be sure to check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
You can purchase your copy of ‘Long Live Tonight’ on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon.
LANco’s EP is also available for purchase on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon.