The Washboard Union released their new single Neon Needs The Night earlier this year, having previously released a number of songs and albums including their single I Run On Country, for which they also released a music video, and they write their music alongside Dave “Dwave” Thomson and Matt McClure. In 2021, The Washboard Union released a Christmas cover Feliz Navidad, and for the last four years, their show A Washboard Union Christmas Special has aired on numerous country radio stations across Canada. The band is made up of Chris Duncombe, David Roberts and Aaron Grain, and, over the years, they have been nominated for and won many awards including a JUNO Award and Group of the Year for three consecutive years at the Canadian Country Music Awards. Last year, The Washboard Union performed at YQM Country Fest and George Street Festival, and they have previously toured with Old Dominion and opened for Zac Brown Band, which was their first stadium show. On July 19th-21st, The Washboard Union will be performing at Country on the Bay at Thunder Bay, Ontario in Canada, and are already booked for nine to ten other summer festivals, followed by a tour and a new record in early summer. Chatting to The Washboard Union, we found out about their new single Neon Needs The Night, their A Washboard Union Christmas Special shows and their numerous award nominations and wins.
Can you tell us about your new single Neon Needs The Night?
Neon Needs The Night is a love song about how powerful love can be when you find the person you are meant to be with. How uncertainty and insecurity melt away when you find your one and how the world makes sense when you’re with them. That metaphor of neon not making sense without the night for it to shine was the perfect image for us to explain that feeling. Sonically it has the feeling for us of a dusty drive top down through West Texas with the warm dry breeze on your skin. It’s a different direction than we have taken in the past and one our fans seem to really love already.
How long did it take for your current song Neon Needs The Night to come to fruition?
It was a song we wrote that came relatively quickly for all of us. We wrote it with our pal Dave Thomson over the course of a few hours one afternoon.
Where did the inspiration come from for Neon Needs The Night?
There are some things in life that simply don’t make sense without each other. Morning needs the sun to rise and neon needs the night to shine. For us, it was that feeling that once you find the person you’re meant to be with, things just seem to make sense, and when you’re not with them, things fall apart and don’t make sense anymore.
What was it like filming the music video to I Run On Country and how was it seeing the response to the release of the single?
The star of the I Run On Country video is our longtime friend and photographer Cory Osborne’s son Kai. While we were shooting photos for this project, his son would dress up in his cowboy outfit with his horse and hang around with us and play his little guitar. It seemed like the perfect idea for the video to join Kai on his big adventure to travel through LA and hook up with his pals The Washboard Union in the desert. He is an awesome little guy.
How is it working on music with Dave “Dwave” Thomson and Matt McClure, and can you tell us about your songwriting process?
They are two of the most talented individuals we have ever had the pleasure of working with and each bring such a different set of skills to our music. Dwave is a writer first and has such a vocal sensibility that he brings to bear on everything we work on and write together. Matt McClure might be one of the smartest people we have ever met who understands recording and production at a level most people won’t comprehend and has an innate ability to draw the best out of you.
In 2021, you released your Christmas cover of Feliz Navidad, what was the song like to cover?
So much fun. That is one of those songs that comes on during the holidays that you can’t help but sing along to and you never seem to get tired of.
For the last four years, you have hosted A Washboard Union Christmas Special, which has aired on numerous country radio stations across Canada, can you tell us about this and how it came about?
A Washboard Union Christmas was an idea we had to find a way to stay in touch with our fans over the holidays. Chris has worked in radio and TV for a long time and so we decided to create a show where we talk to all of our friends in country music about their holiday traditions and how their families spend the holidays. This year, we had eight artists on the show and it played coast to coast on radio stations and Sirius XM. Everyone from Old Dominion to Tenille Townes and Dean Brody have been part of the show over the four years we have done it. Our fans let us know how much they love hearing it so we keep on doing it every year. We have already started working on next year’s show.
It has been announced that you will be performing at Country on the Bay on July 19th-21st at Thunder Bay, Ontario in Canada alongside artists such as Blake Shelton, what are you looking forward to for this show?
Haha, we’ve hung out with Blake and played a few festivals with him before and he is so much fun. Country on the Bay is a really special festival that has done such an incredible job bringing a major country festival to Thunder Bay. It’s one of those festivals you really look forward to playing and we are so excited to be part of this year’s show.
Can you tell us about your experiences at some of the live shows you performed at last year, such as YQM Country Fest and George Street Festival, and what do you enjoy most about performing live?
YQM and George St might have been our top two favourite shows of last year and could not be more different. At George St, you really feel like you are part of a music tradition in one of the most musical places in the country on its most legendary street. It was packed and people in Newfoundland make music such an important part of their lives and they all sing their hearts out when you play. YQM is similar in the way that Maritimers like Newfoundlanders are some of the happiest and most musical people on the planet. While YQM is relatively new, they do such an amazing job bringing a world-class music festival to life. For us, there is a magical moment in each show where the barrier between the audience and the stage evaporates and it’s like a giant singalong to the music we wrote for 90 minutes. It is the most incredible feeling as an artist to hear crowds that size singing back words you wrote in the kitchen, the studio or even our basements.
Over the years, you have been nominated for and won numerous awards including Canadian Country Music Awards, and you were recently nominated for Entertainer of the Year at the 2023 BCCMA Awards, how does this feel to get this recognition for your craft?
We have been blessed over the years to win the awards we have and it feels incredible and special every time it happens. To be acknowledged by the music community you are part of amongst so many other talented artists is one of the most rewarding feelings you can imagine.
What have been some of your favourite highlights of your music career so far?
There are a ton of moments that have really different and special meanings for us. Winning a JUNO Award when so many of our favourite Canadian bands have won them felt like we had joined a new family. Winning CCMA Group of the Year three times in a row was pretty incredible as well. Getting to tour with Old Dominion on two tours in Canada has to be one of the best experiences we have ever had and getting a standing ovation and an encore opening for Zac Brown Band at Investors field in Winnipeg, our first stadium show, has to be up there on top of the list. Lastly, meeting every fan in a three-hour autograph lineup at Country Thunder last summer was pretty amazing as well.
Where does your love of music come from and how did you each get into it?
We are above all music fans of so many different genres. Music has always had that power for all three of us in really varied ways to lift you up and put into words sometimes what you simply could not express in any other way.
Chris – I grew up with my dad singing Marty Robbins, Sons of the Pioneers, and Willie Nelson songs to me from as early as I could remember and he could yodel. On my mom’s side of the family, I grew up playing music in church and have loved harmony and lyrics seemingly above all in the music I have always been drawn to. That feeling you get when three voices become one voice is one of the most powerful things I have ever felt.
David – I remember beginning my musical career when I was just a wee kid. I used to sing and dance with my mom on our old kitchen floors, I used to hop up on her feet and hold her hands while she’d dance with me all around the kitchen. I’d look up into her big brown eyes and we’d sing our hearts out to each other. Still one of my most fond memories. My mom was a singer too, she’s passed now but to this day there’s not a live show I play that I don’t think of her.
Aaron – My journey in music traces back to the early days with my mom’s record collection. After my parents split, she got the records, and those became my sanctuary. Picture this: me, sprawled against huge speakers, using them as a makeshift backrest, singing along and soaking in the lyrics. The real instrumental twist came in grade school when I got my hands on an actual instrument.
High school played a crucial role, thanks to a teacher who became my musical mentor. His patience and commitment to perfection left a lasting mark. Although perfection eluded us in the high school band, the pursuit of excellence stuck with me. It carried over into my own recordings and the bands I joined while growing up.
Country music is my jam, mainly for its storytelling magic. The blend of melody, harmony, and lyrics creates a captivating journey. And when that magic comes alive on stage, with the crowd singing back the words and melodies I penned, there’s nothing like it. It’s a feeling that sends shivers down your spine – pure bliss.
How do you like to spend your time away from your careers?
Chris – I am lucky to live in the mountains in BC, near where Aaron and I grew up. Being out in the forests and mountains here has always had such a restorative power for me and it’s a place I take a lot of strength from hiking, snowshoeing and just being out in the woods.
David – I’m a saltwater cowboy at heart, I’ve been sailing the Pacific Northwest for years now. It’s the briny blue playground I get to set myself adrift in when I need to navigate my thoughts away from everything.
Aaron – When I’m not out on the road touring, my number one fan club is at home – my kids. There’s nothing like soaking up the moments with my wife and kiddos, watching them grow, and enjoying the simple pleasures of everyday life together. Whether it’s cheering on their sports activities, hitting the beach, or going on family vacations, these moments are pure gold.
I’m a sucker for any sports game – tennis, swimming, surfing, you name it. As long as there are a few rules and some action involved, count me in. Living near the stunning western Canadian Pacific Ocean has sparked a unique revolution in my life. I’ve embraced the cold plunge almost daily throughout the winter – talk about a refreshing wake-up call!
All these experiences, from family fun to ocean plunges, fuel my creative fire. They become the inspiration behind the songs I write and the creative energy that keeps me going.
Do you have any favourite music artists to listen to?
Chris – I was and still am a massive The SteelDrivers fan in the Chris Stapleton years. Also, for me, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Sean McConnell, Muscadine Bloodline, Union Station, and really anything Dan Tyminski is doing at any time. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot more gospel and a whole lot of Keith Whitley.
David – I’m simply a big fan of music and sounds, I don’t stay centered strictly in the country world, don’t get me wrong, I love country but I also listen to everything from Taylor Swift to Iron Maiden to ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U, yes you read that right, he’s an Osaka-born, Tokyo-based DJ who has been ripping it up lately. I’m just a huge fan of all things sound.
Aaron – When it comes to my musical palette, I’m all about the mix. Sure, I’m deeply rooted in country, but I’m not shy about diving into other genres. You’ll catch me turning to instrumental hip-hop, EDM beats like Daft Punk, and getting heavy into some dubstep from Skrillex and Gramatik… it’s got a special spot in my playlist too. Some of the beat-boxing on TT out there is just mind-blowing these days too.
Old-school rock is a love affair, especially with RHCP holding a special place in my heart. And in the pop scene, Bülow, Tate McRae, Marshmello and a bunch of other producers – too many to list – get my nod of respect. For me, it’s all about melody and harmony. If a tune can talk to me through those elements, count me in – I’m hooked.
What are you hoping this year brings for your career and do you have any upcoming music plans/live shows that you can tell us about?
We have one of our busiest touring years ahead of us in 2024 and our new record will drop in early summer, which we cannot wait for. We have nine to ten summer festivals on the books already and a big tour planned following that which will take us almost up to the end of the year.
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