Recently we got a chance to interview the band,  The Giant & The Tailor . The Chattanooga based trio is comprised of Britain Miethe (vocals), Preston Hedin (Drums), and Cody Nailor (guitar). The band recently won an AMG Heritage Award and were nominated for an IMEA award Rock Group of the Year!

Photo Credit: Sofar Sounds Nashville

upfrontNY: How long has The Giant & The Tailor been together and how did you guys form the band?

The Giant & The Tailor: We’ve been a band for almost two years. We actually started playing together for a one-off open mic night that was sponsored by a local coffee shop, but after placing third in the competition and being offered a gig at that coffee shop, Inman St. Coffeehouse, we decided to carry on. From there we picked a name, practiced a ton, and started writing original music.

upfrontNY: How would you describe your sound?

Britain: Rock N’ Roll for those who want to get in touch with their sensitive side. Or, if we’re comparing it to another artist, it’s like if Cage The Elephant did a tiny desk concert.
Cody: It’s so trendy right now to describe one’s genre with some obscure combination of seemingly unrelated genres, so, to stay on trend, post-rock n’ roll spoken hip-hop. Or for beginners, rock n’ roll.
Preston: I think it is a very hard sound to pin point to be honest. To new listeners I would describe it as rock, but with a modern pop twist. We all grew up on different genres individually, but when we come together and play, our sound more or less embodies all of our Influences in one singular sound. The band likes to joke around by say what it’s not, and sometimes that helps narrow it down too.

upfrontNY: You’re heading into the studio soon for your new single. What is the best part of creating new music?

Britain: To me, the best part of creating music is the time in the studio. There’s something raw, something very therapeutic about having to confront the emotions that the song is written with and embrace those struggles.”
Preston: Coming up with new ideas and bouncing them off of each other is a long process and can get rather tiresome. Through this I think the best part would be that as we filter ideas and figure out what works and what doesn’t, we are able to, in the end, create something that we know will make an impact.
Cody: I think one of the greatest things about making new music is also the most terrifying part: the trust we have to have that our fans will follow along with us. There are lots of people who really enjoy the work we have done with “Self-Discovery,” but we have to hope and trust that they will enjoy this new single now too.

upfrontNY: What do you want others to know about or feel from your music?

Britain: 
I want people to feel a sense of community. Growing up, I used music as an escape from whatever I was facing that day, but I also used it as a soundtrack to celebrate when times were good. Either way, it was something I could share with others, something that made me feel connected. I hope that our stories, our music, can serve that purpose for someone else.
Cody: You are not alone. We hope that those who listen to our music find a sense of community in the music, whether they identify with stories told or make a new friend at one of our shows, we hope that through our music they find community in something greater than themselves.
Preston: I think mainly just the same emotion and passion that we feel when we play. Our songs are a part of us and tell stories about us and things we have dealt with in our lives. We just want people to connect to our stories and be able to help them with whatever it is.

upfrontNY: Are there any cities, states, or venues that you hope to one day play?

Britain: Growing up in Nashville, I would love to play the Exit/In. It’s a legendary rock club, and everyone from The Ramones to Johnny Cash has played there. It just has an incredible atmosphere to it.
Cody: Madison Square Gardens is such an iconic venue, so yeah, Madison Square Gardens is cool. I’ve also always wanted to go to Seattle, Portland, L.A., Austin. Basically anywhere with a cool, happening music scene. So yeah, pretty much anywhere.
Preston: I’d really like to play Red Rocks one day. Every time i see a show there it blows me away. It makes me wonder what it’s like to be on that stage In front of all those people at such a beautiful venue.

Photo Credit: Kendall Lane

upfrontNY: What was it like to win an AMG Heritage Award, and be nominated for an IMEA award for Rock Group of the Year?

Britain: It was a huge honor to win the Heritage Award, and be nominated for the IMEA award. We worked so hard to make our music the best it could be, and winning was just a validation of how far we have come. More than that, Jersey, the song that won the Heritage Award, is about a subject very near and dear to my heart, so it felt special to get to have a bigger platform for that song in particular.
Cody: It was such an honor! No way did I ever think that as such a new band, we would be recognized for the work we’ve done. Proud to have taken home an AMG Heritage Award for Spoken Word of the Year.

upfrontNY: 
What is the band most looking forward to in 2016?

Britain: 2016 is the year we hit the road and try to play in front of as many people as possible. We’re excited to visit new cities and write new songs, but more than anything, we’re excited to meet new people along the way. Music is about community, and anytime we can join that greater music community in a new way, it’s something that I look forward to.
Cody: Meeting new people and making new music! We’re currently writing and booking and we couldn’t be more excited about the new things on the horizon. Hope to see you on the road soon!
Preston: Along with the single we are recording, we will be making a music video in February, so both of those get me excited to start the year off right.

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Twitter: @giantandtailor