Izzie's Caravan have come a long way in a very short time. Beginning with their first EP in December 2019, the band has released 3 EPs of scorching blues-influenced rock n roll, in only 6 months! Their latest EP, On The Pull has been their most successful to date, producing an iTunes chart-topping single and earning the band international recognition as one of today's most interesting new acts. We sat down with guitarist and vocalist, Izzie, to talk about the latest EP and what's next for his Caravan...
Indie-Music: Congratulations on your latest EP, "On The Pull." It seems to be doing very well around the globe, with radio airplay and rave reviews. Tell us about the EP: the production, the recording process, and what the title means:
Izzie's Caravan: Hi there. Thank so much for the kind words. It’s always great hearing positive feedback, particularly for this record which is such a project of passion for me personally. I guess with this record we wanted to lay down the marker in terms of what our identity is as a blues-rock band, and I believe the music really does the talking with this one…I guess as it should because the entire recording and production process was so organic where most of the recording was done in single-takes to really capture a raw and authentic sound. I guess being a little older theres also the realisation that this is who we are and what we do to the best of our abilities which is playing blues-rock, so the entire process was very unhinged and free which was very refreshing.
You've been compared to a lot of great blues rock artists. Is that a compliment to you? Is it a sound that you've cultivated on purpose, as sort of a blues-influenced artist, or it it an organic sound that has evolved over the years?
Wow, I honestly don’t think I could compare myself to the greats in the sense the level of purity musicians like Buddy Guy, Clapton, Stevie Ray, Lightnin Hopkins reached is unparalleled…they’ve created history so I can only speak about them in absolute reverence. The other day I was listening to this old collection of Blind Wille McTell and man the level of musicianship just floored me. In fact I affectionately call ‘On The Pull’ my ‘Johnny Winter record’ because his influence is all over this EP. To me he mastered the art of merging blues and rock and his music has had such a profound impact on my style of playing.
Tell us about your guitars. How many do you own and what kind? Which is your favorite?
That’s an easy one…to me Fender is the ultimate instrument as far as I’m concerned. It’s a true American artifact…pure history right there. So yeah I have a pretty wide range of Strats and Teles…about 23 or 24 now. A good headache to have with having so many Fenders is deciding which one to play. And it’s so crucial to our tone as well…I mean if you listen to ‘Whiskey Alley Blues’ part of what makes that song so special to me is that Fat 50s Strat tone.
Let's talk about your next single and video release. Give us the scoop!
Yeah we released the video for ‘Drownin’ Man’s Blues’ as the first single and I love that video. But yeah the next one is in the works and hopefully should be out very, very, very soon. Keep checking www.izziescaravan.com for the latest.
What are your goals/hopes/dreams/fears for your music?
Honestly, it’s tough being in the music business particularly being a blues-rock band playing the kind of music that we do. It’s really challenging trying to get your music out in such a way where fans of this type of music can locate the signal from the noise, so to speak. At the same time I’m not going to negotiate becoming one of these social media ‘entertainers’ because to me my music is very personal to me and I want to keep it in the tradition of some of the great names I mentioned earlier so I’d rather have a hundred people genuinely like my music rather than a million superficial views on youtube. Ideally I can see ourselves playing small clubs to fans of blues-rock music, release good records and tour in support of that…like how it was done and how it was meant to be. And the great thing is we’re all okay in our skin so hopefully it works out for us.
Beyond On The Pull, what else does Izzie's Caravan have planned for music lovers in 2020?
Well, we’re all stuck at home going through these unprecedented times so from our end we’re trying to make the most of that. I’ve started laying down the initial tracks for our next record which we’re hoping to release by Christmas. Again, its already got the DNA of being another full-throttle, raunchy blues record. At the same time we’ve started rehearsing a few times a week and over the next couple of months we’ll release a few covers and a whole bunch of outtakes and singles. So yeah we’re really busy.
Alot of people were disappointed by the cancellation of SXSW in Austin this year, the cancellation of CMA Fest in Nashville, and many others, due to fears over the CoronaVirus. What are your thoughts on the cancellations? Were you personally affected by the cancellations? Is it media overreaction, or is there a legitimate argument for people staying away from these types of events?
Yeah its been a touch experience for us in the sense we should’ve been on the road right now. I mean ‘On The Pull’ is a record that has to be rocked out on stage and I had a great set-list prepared with some classic blues covers thrown in the mix as well. Its been difficult for sure where the band has been discussing where we’d like to tour and what the options are but its hard to say at this point with the unpredictability of this situation. Honestly I can see both sides of the story and my heart goes out to the hundreds of thousands of families who’ve lost loved ones as well as the good working people who’ve lost their jobs and had their salaries slashed…I’m personally going through that in my day-job so I know how that feels. But we are in the eye of the storm right now and its tough to negotiate through this because our illusion of invulnerability has been challenged and I think once we come out of this it’ll take a certain amount of time to really fathom the devastation that has been caused by this event.
What is the one place you would love to perform?
Wow thats a tough one. Well, once in my life I’d love to play at the Royal Albert Hall…home of Eric Clapton. Speaking of, I’d love to perform at his Crossroads Festival…that would be awesome. And yeah at Buddy Guy’s club in Chicago. That would be such a thrill.
Thanks so much for taking the time. Any last thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
I’d sincerely like to thank all the fans who’ve appreciated our music so far. It’s been a short but eventful journey so far but we’d like to welcome you to the Caravan so join us at www.izziescaravan.com because your support means everything to us.
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