10 Questions with ... Eli Young Band

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Multi-platinum Country group Eli Young Band will release their newest album, “Love Talking,” on June 3rd. Comprised of Mike Eli, James Young, Jon Jones and Chris Thompson, the group formed in 2000 at the University of North Texas, and has gone on to score major hits, including the triple Platinum “Crazy Girl,” double Platinum “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” and Platinum “Love Ain’t” and “Drunk Last Night,” as well as more than three billion streams and multiple CMA, CMT and other award nominations. The band is currently in the midst of its more than 50-city “Love Talking Tour,” which runs through the end of August. Lead singer Eli, who co-wrote seven of the new album’s nine songs, has penned more than 150 tracks in total in the fruitful time since the group dropped its “This Is Eli Young Band: Greatest Hits” project in 2019. Eli answers our 10 Questions below.

1. What can fans expect from your new album, “Love Talking?” Any surprises? Also, how stacked with potential singles do you think it is for Country radio, and any word yet on what the next one will be?

“Love Talking” is everything that our fans have come to expect from us and more. I feel more connected to the songs written over the last few years than anything we’ve ever done. There is so much honesty and truth in what was written. “Love Talking” is a song that, for us, has such a new groove to it, and it has already been adding an incredible energy to the live show. I really think we have quite a few singles on this album; we had so many songs to choose from. I do think that “Break Up in A Bar” will be a slam dunk for us as the next single, but who knows?

2. You’ve said that, after all everyone endured with the pandemic, for this album you really wanted to find the positivity and make it uplifting. In what ways did you accomplish that, because it’s probably harder than it sounds to write and find uplifting songs?

When I was writing throughout 2020 and 2021, there was just so much unknown. As a songwriter, it’s difficult to not write what you are feeling in that moment. But it was also a “blessing in disguise” type moment for us; this was the break we didn’t know we needed. Spending uninterrupted time with my family was priceless, so I found the positivity in them pretty easily. While there was so much of the unknown embedded in some of the songs written over that time, we were really able to put together the right combination that felt uplifting and hopeful as we all move forward.

3. As a hard touring group, what was that first year to 18 months of the pandemic like for you and the band, when everyone was suddenly forced off the road? Did it make you question (or, conversely, reinforce) any core tenets of the Eli Young Band?

It really was a reset button for us. It was time to throw out the playbook and reinvent. Sometimes when you do that you find some stuff that maybe you didn’t know you had lost along the way. So, while that time was scary, it was also inspiring.

4. Freshman year at North Texas, you and James Young meet. Fast forward to current day, and we now know that was the beginning of the Eli Young Band. If the two of you hadn’t set out on your journey to become one of the most enduring bands of the past two decades, what other career paths would the two of you have chosen? How about Jon and Chris?

I don’t know if I would be doing anything else. I really think I would have been running after the dream my whole life. But reality says I have a Marketing and Logistics degree, so I’d be doing something like that. Chris has always said he would have been a lawyer and I believe him. He would have been great at it. James had a job in advertising right after he graduated for a bit before we hit the road full time. And Jon has a psychology degree, so he would have been our therapist.

5. Speaking of enduring, what are some of the secrets to your longevity, and to sustaining a career of now more than 20 years and going strong?

I think our work ethic speaks for itself. We’ve tried to keep complacency at bay and understand the need to evolve. We didn’t always nail it, but when we faltered, we got back up and pushed harder. Not to mention, we’ve always put our friendship first, before the business, which is tough to do in this industry.

6. What gets easier about being a touring band over time, and what gets harder?

Understanding how to entertain in different size and type venues gets easier over time. You treat them differently, because creating an intimacy with the crowd in an arena is different than a theater – and a theater is night and day compared to a bar or club. What gets hard is the traveling and being away from your family. That is something I’ll just never get used to.

7. Was there a moment in your career where someone in the industry went above and beyond to help you or the band out in a time of need?

We have made so many friends over the years in industry that it’s really tough to name just one. I can say that Cody Alan was the first to play “When It Rains” for us in the very beginning. He was in Dallas at The Wolf [KPLX], and he played it before we even had a major deal. He kicked the door open for us and we’ll never forget it.

8. You all share photos of your families and home lives on social media quite a bit. Is there a line in the sand about what part of your personal lives is and isn't for the fans?

Yeah, I do share some of that, but as the kids have gotten older we’ve become a little more guarded on what gets posted out of respect for the kiddos and their personal privacy. They didn’t choose this, and I try to be more and more mindful of that.

9. The name Eli Young Band is catchy, straightforward, although we know that newer fans sometimes think that’s the name of a band member. What other names were under consideration when you were starting out? And have any of you ever met anyone actually named “Eli Young?”

I think the better question is about the biggest arguments we’ve ever had as a band! Aside from which cover songs to play, the answer is band names. It never ended well. I’ll be honest, we never got very far in that discussion because we had already printed the t-shirts. And yes, we met a pizza delivery guy named Eli Young once. There’s a video on YouTube somewhere of the incident!

10. Does putting a new album out into the world still spark joy? How about hearing one of your songs on the radio? Does that ever get old?

Absolutely. I feel so blessed to be able to do this! I don’t take any of it for granted, and I’m probably even more excited about this new music than any other album prior because so much of it is so personal. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it.

Fans all have their favorite EYB songs, but what’s your favorite of your own songs, and why?

It changes a lot, but “Guinevere,” “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” and “Love Ain’t” are my top favorites. When it comes to the new stuff it might be a tie between “Tell Me It Is” and “Love Talking.”

You won the 2011 ACM Song of the Year for “Crazy Girl,” whose lyrics I once heard misinterpreted as, “Cheesy eggs, don’t you know that I love you.” What's the funniest or weirdest misinterpretation of your song lyrics that you’ve encountered?

Man, I can’t think of a single one right now for some reason except “Crazy Squirrel!”

Jon’s new mustache and cowboy hat look: Where does the rest of the band stand on that?

I can’t speak for everyone, but I love it. He should have done that a long time ago!