The world’s largest drive-thru restaurant makes its home in the heart of midtown Atlanta. Since it was founded in the 1920s, the Varsity has served burgers and onion rings to swarms of patrons who frequent the fast-food staple each day. But one has to wonder, was it ready for four kids from Nashville, collectively known as The Kingston Springs?
“We were legitimately almost ‘The Ostrich Farm’ … we decided it,” lead singer Ian Ferguson says while consuming the Varsity’s offerings. “But then we were like, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t be The Ostrich Farm.’” Guitarist James Guidry adds, “We honestly thought of a bunch of really bad names, but [Ferguson] came up with the worst … The Orange Sun. Really?! The Orange Sun. 9:53 at night, calls me. … Are you kidding me?! That sounds like an R.E.M. song.”
The four guys—Ferguson, Guidry, bassist Alex Geddes and drummer Matt DeMaio, or “Pass De’ Mayo” as he calls himself (“No one calls him that,” Guidry chimes in)—all met in elementary, middle or high school in the small town of Kingston Springs, Tenn.
Much like the band name itself, The Kingston Springs project a brash, vibrant persona off the stage, living the life of young rockers on the road. But simplicity and professionalism take over when the subject is music. The band played midday at Atlanta’s inaugural Peachtree Music Festival, but it left a mark that stuck in the collective consciousness of everyone lucky enough to catch the band’s set on the BMI stage.
Projecting confidence and control far beyond their ages, the band’s live show was performed with the attitude of a veteran’s—offering a calm, soulful vibe.
Taking a break from jokes, the band gets serious when asked who they’ve been compared to. “We’ve gotten [The Rolling Stones], definitely older,” Ferguson says. “It’s kind of hard to arrange that, we have songs that sound like old Hank Williams stuff that’s really just guitar and vocals. We also have stuff that’s a little more advanced, but still raw, like Black Keys stuff, but older Keys, … maybe even Lou Reed as far as lyrics go. Sometimes, [Ferguson] will, kind of, just talk lyrics, … it’s a broad range,” adds Guidry.
The songwriting seems to be a collective effort, but also, like the band name, a simple science, like their standout track from The Vacation Time EP, “Lato & Juti.”
“That’s the second song we ever wrote,” says Ferguson, who seems to be the main lyricist for the guys, “I was walking down the street, I was walking my dog, actually, and I just started singing to myself and I thought this was cool. … It just came out of outer space.”
“I give it to [Ferguson], as far as the lyrics go. I’m more of the musical. … I write the music first and the lyrics kind of come to me,” says Guidry, “[Ferguson]’s been listening to a lot of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, … I mean, we all help, but I’d say [Ferguson] kind of takes the reigns. [Ferguson] or I kind of come up with the idea. I’ll say, ‘Hey, [DeMaio], write something to this,’ and he’ll come up with something cool on the drums. … Sometimes it’s a little gay and we turn the knobs, but mostly cool. … It’s a group effort: me, [Ferguson, DeMaio, Geddes].”
The group is tight-knit, spending the past year all over the country honing their live show and simultaneously writing on the road. Appearances at festivals such as such as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and the aforementioned Peachtree Music Festival have led the group to where it is today, with many unmentionable stories along the way. Recently, the guys were scooped up by William Morris and are on the verge of releasing their independent full-length album this spring.
“There’s a huge progression,” says Ferguson, “playing wise, writing wise. … We’re doing the album all to tape, live, so it’s going to sound badass. I feel like the shows we play affect us, whether we know it or not.”
“We learn as we go,” says Geddes, the quiet, big brother of the group as he sips his Coke.
With the album recorded and being readied for release, the guys are packing up and launching a cross-country tour that will start in the South and take them all the way to California, but not before hitting the grindstone hard at South By Southwest. So, while there may not be a Varsity in every city along the way, there will be a trail left by their wise-beyond-their-years songwriting and stage presence. The Kingston Springs are laying the groundwork for a solid career in the music industry. At the core of the matter, Geddes says, “We’re The Kingston Springs, and we like to party.” The Varsity won’t be the last place those words are heard aloud.
Ladies and gentlemen, The Kingston Springs.
