Brother Maven To Release New Single, “I Just Wanna Love You”
Classic hitmakers. Fifty combined years of professional experience. Daniel Mason Swartz, Lead Vocals & Guitar. JP Presley, Lead Guitar & Vocals. Joel Burns, Drums. Jeremy McCoy, Bass & Vocals. Can you tell us a bit about how Brother Maven came together?
[Interview with Jeremy McCoy] Dan, Joel & JP can tell you a bit more about how they met, but for my part — I started playing for the band a little over 2 years ago as a hired bassist. I toured for many years playing for artists like The Fray, Kelly Clarkson, Mat Kearney, utility for OneRepublic, and a bunch of other bands/artists — spending up to 250+ days of the year on the road most years. At some point I stopped wanting to go out on long tours as a hired guy, so I quit my full time touring gigs and started focusing on more local stuff.
I got called to play for a really cool artist at the time named Robert Counts. It was fun, sort of rockin’ country stuff. On some of those gigs, they pulled in this guitarist named JP Presley…who I thought was pretty dang great. JP told me about his band Brother Maven and asked if I’d be willing to fill in on some shows with them because they had just lost their bass player. I jumped in with the guys and things seemed to click really well. I was able to jump in on background vocals too — which is something I think makes Brother Maven stand out. I guess I became their go-to pretty quickly. After about a year or so they asked me if I’d officially join. So here we are!
Sharing similar spiritual and political values. What’s the story behind the band’s name?
The band had the name before I joined up, but I know that the idea behind the name is that we are essentially like a band of brothers and like the idea of being tight in that way. Then, the word “maven” means someone who strives for excellence. So, Brother Maven essentially means a band of brothers striving to do something we’re all passionate about — and do it with excellence.
It has been nice to be in a band with guys that are like-minded. We come from same spiritual backgrounds for the most part, and share similar faith. Same with politics. We are by no means a political band and don’t want to be really — but, we do get to have some fun conversations on the road together. I keep trying to convince the guys to vote for Vermin Supreme 2024 …. We’ll see how that goes.
Combining elements of Rhythm & Blues, Southern Soul, Rock ’n’ Roll and Country. Can you describe your distinct sound?
Yeah, I think we all bring a unique element to the band that ends up creating something super cool. Daniel naturally leans on the soulful side. I feel like if he’d been born in the 60’s, he’d have hung really nicely with Michael McDonald or Bob Seger. JP brings that Stevie Ray Vaughan style. We’ll end up doing 3+ hr sets a lot and we tend to give him a lot of space to just go for it. Joel is one of those solid as a rock drummers — right in the pocket, but also technically really great. For my part — I tend to be a melody guy. I like bass parts more than I like bass licks. I’m always searching for a cool melody to play on bass that doesn’t step on the vocals’ or the guitars’ toes.
What brought Brother Maven to Nashville?
I was born and raised in Nashville, but the rest of the guys have been in Nashville for a long time at this point. We’ve all been a part of various projects through the years, but the band was ultimately formed in Nashville.
Ongoing residency at Wildhorse Saloon. “We draw a lot of inspiration from bands like the Eagles, The Doobie Brothers and Huey Lewis. Very groovy. Very singable. Songs that feel good to sing when you’re driving in your car.” Which current Nashville artists/influences inspire you?
I have to give a shout out to one of my best and longest friends here — Matt Warren. Matt’s been an artist and writer in Nashville since we were kids. Matt is one of those writers that can pull great lyrics out of the air literally on the fly. He’s one of the gutsiest artists I know. When I grow up, I want to write songs like him. We also went to high school together in Gallatin — Go Green Wave!
Debut album, TWENTY TWENTY ONE. Choosing songs for a debut album is a process, one that involves artistic vision and strategic thinking. What was the band’s vision for the album?
“I Just Wanna Love You,” co-written by Hal Odell and Daniel Mason Schwartz. What message do you hope fans take away from the new single?
I actually joined up with the band after the Twenty Twenty One record was already out, but as far a the message/takeaway from the new single, I hope people see it as us coming out swinging with our new music. I think we’re taking big steps forward with the new singles we are putting out. “I Just Wanna Love You” is one of many we have in the queue that we are really excited about.
Performing at Rock By The Sea, May 1–5 in Okaloosa Island, Florida. All the performances and activities support charities. Are you working on any new music or upcoming tours?
Definitely! We’re staying busy these days — booking new shows, branching out into other markets. We have several runs coming up in the Northeast and around Michigan/Chicago area. We’re booking shows right now from San Diego to Charleston, SC — so it’s exciting! And we’re constantly working on new music. We switched gears this past year from trying to put out a full record to focusing more on putting out 1 or 2 songs that we’re really excited about at a time. So, you’ll be getting new music from Brother Maven often!