North Carolina-based indie-pop band, The Collection, released their newest EP, How To Survive An Ending, on January 27th. The EP centers around the theme of empowerment and encourages listeners to break away from societal expectations and find their own strength to get through difficult endings. The band, which has been compared to The Lumineers, Magic Giant, and The Oh Hellos, has had a string of successes in recent years, including their first chart appearance with their single "Won't Stop Yet," and a viral moment on Tik Tok.
Additionally, The Collection was named the 2019 NPR Tiny Desk Judge’s Pick and has been featured on World Cafe, American Songwriter, and Glide Magazine. Most recently, the band wrapped up a postcard initiative that created a safe space for LGBTQ+ fans to share their messages of empowerment.
Grateful Web recently had the opportunity to sit down with David Wimbish, the lead singer and songwriter of The Collection, to discuss their EP release. In our interview with David, we delve into the band's creative process, and discuss the start of a brand new music festival, which is scheduled to take place later this year in Saxapahaw, North Carolina.
GW: Hi! How are you?
DW: I'm Good! How are you doing?
GW: I'm great. I just had an interview right before you. I've been trying to do 4 to 6 every weekend, but speaking with artists is actually the highlight of my week, so it is very nice to meet you. I appreciate your time.
DW: I appreciate your time as well! Thanks for having me. I'm constantly on the road at the moment, so I am hoping to have enough service in this little parking lot. Life is very hectic for me too. So I get it.
GW: So what are you doing on the road so much right now?
DW: We're actually creating a music festival that's starting this year out in Saxapahaw, North Carolina, which is where I have been living. Well, actually I'm currently about an hour from there, so I'm constantly having meetings in Saxapahaw to get the festival stuff started, especially before we go on tour.
GW: Any chance you’ll be in the middle of the country? I am out here in Nebraska.
DW: We're actually playing in Omaha next month, which I know is not quite the middle, but it will be our second time playing in Nebraska, so I'm really excited. I did a lot of my growing up in Kansas, so I've at least been in similar spaces, to some degree. And it's interesting with my band, because I just have so many good memories associated with Kansas, and I actually love that it is so flat. The planes and how much sky you can see when we drive through. Some of my bandmates are like, “oh, my God! This part of the country…” and I'm always like, “it's so beautiful!” I love it. I have to argue for Kansas with some of my bandmates.
GW: Okay. So you guys just released an album, right? My burning question is always about the production process. What was the space like? And did you have a producer? Who was there?
DW: So I produced the entire EP. For the 6 songs, we recorded them in a little studio in a little town in North Carolina, called High Point. It was this really beautiful studio tha my friend Bill runs. It is a part of their house, but is a very professional studio. That was fun because it's such a comfortable space, being there, and it really felt amazing and sounded incredible. Studios can be really depressing, because there's so few windows normally, and I just need a lot of light to feel inspired. And so it was nice, especially with those songs, doing them there. That studio is full of windows that are paned in just the right way, so that they still sound fine, but there is so much natural light, and that to me is key for being able to not hit a clock and want to take a nap. So, we did 6 of the songs there, and then there are 2 more songs that have more orchestral stuff, and we did those at a studio called Echo Mountain, in Asheville, North Carolina. That studio was always a dream to record in, because so many amazing records have been made there by folks like The Avett Brothers, and Brandi Carlile. It's just a very incredible studio. It's an old church that was renovated, so there's big stained glass windows, and a big church sanctuary building, and really incredible gear.
GW: And that studio was better for the more orchestral sounds?
DW: Yeah, we used this place to record the more orchestral songs so that we could get strings, brass, woodwinds and all sorts of stuff in there. So that was a wonderful and inspiring space with a lot of light too, which is helpful.
GW: So, tell me about your other bandmates.
DW: So there are 6 of us. I sing and play guitar and keys, and I also do all of our ranges for strings and whatnot. And then Joshua Ling plays electric guitar and does some vocals. He's got the deepest voice of anybody in the world. So he does very low vocals that sound like dwarves from the Hobbit (laughs). Sarah McCoy, and she's really wonderful. She's one of the best musicians I've ever played with. She plays keyboard and things. Joshua Linhart plays drums and just smiles non-stop. Graham Dickey plays trombone and trumpet.
TOUR DATES
MAR 30 THU
The Grey Eagle @ 7:00pm
Asheville, NC, United States
MAR 31 FRI
Saturn @ 7:00pm
Birmingham, AL, United States
APR 1 SAT
UNwineD Music Festival 2022 @ 5:00pm
Panama City Beach, FL, United States
JUN 1 THU
Overton Park Shell @ 7:00pm
Memphis, TN, United States
JUN 2 FRI
Barley's Taproom @ 7:00pm
Knoxville, TN, United States
JUN 3 SAT
The Evening Muse @ 7:00pm
Charlotte, NC, United States
