On the idea for “Wishful Drinking,” he said, “It really came from a guys night. I was sitting around with some buddies drinking some bourbon when, naturally, the conversation turned to the women in our lives. One of my friends made a comment about how he wanted to get back together with an ex-girlfriend of his. And as soon as he said it we were all like, ‘Yeah right man, that’s never going to happen’ because we knew how bad he messed it up. And then one of us said ‘That’s some wishful drinking.’ And that’s pretty much how I got the idea for the song.”
Regarding their future plans,e he said, “Putting out really great music. We will release three songs this year, the first one being ‘Wishful Drinking’ this Friday. We will couple these songs with awesome and entertaining music videos. We are releasing the video for ‘Wishful Drinking’ on our Facebook page on Friday as well. We’ll play a bunch of shows and continue to connect with fans through our social medias. I’m a firm believer that great music always rises, so if we are doing our jobs by putting out great music, all of the other things will just continue to grow like they have the past year and a half.”
His biggest musical influences include his grandfather, Garth Brooks, as well as Boyz II Men, Tim McGraw, New Edition, Dixie Chicks and Shania Twain, among other ’90s musical acts.
On the origin of their band name, he explained, “Hope and I met at a songwriter’s night at Hotel Indigo in Nashville. So, we thought paying homage to where we met would be fitting. And honestly, summer is simply our favorite time of year. Once we came up with the name we honestly felt like it fit who we are: Deep, light, dark, fun, passionate, playful. The opposites of the name fit Hope and I as we are opposites in a lot of ways too. So, it’s perfect for us.”
Digital transformation of country music
On the impact of technology on the country music business, he said, “I could write a novel about it. But in general, while it’s sucked the money out of the business, it’s not been a completely bad thing. I think the opportunity to be heard by a large audience is greater, while the ability to make money is significantly less. So, it’s forcing people to get creative and find a way to build value in things other than the music they record.”
Regarding their use of technology in the music routine, Edwards said, “We try to maximize our exposure to the public through social media, streaming radio, and video. That’s really the name of the game for us. It’s expensive to tour, along with a heavy life-cost, so we only do gigs that make sense to us from an exposure standpoint. Everything else is ‘how can we reach the most number of people in the most effective way’.”
He listed Keith Urban as his dream collaboration choice. “I would love to work with Keith Urban on a song or production. I’ve always loved his songwriting from day one. So, I think we could write some killer tunes together,” he said.
For their fans, he concluded, “Get ready for the coolest song we’ve ever put out! It’s gonna tear your heart open and make you love us even more! If not, drinks on me.”
To learn more about Indigo Summer, check out their official homepage.
