The Eli Young Band started as what lead vocalist Mike Eli said some might call a “glorified garage band.”
“We started at University of North Texas and started playing mostly covers — writing songs here and there — and kind of developed into this country rock thing,” Eli said. “All four of us kind of had very different kinds of influences and all of that was kind of melding together.”
The American Country band will perform in Bloomington at 8 p.m. Feb. 11 in the Bluebird Nightclub for fans and new listeners alike.
“We’ve been kind of developing and reworking our show,” Eli said. “We’ve been putting some songs we haven’t played in a while in there, as well as some new stuff, redeveloping the show a little bit. It’s going to be fun – it will be one of the first shows with this set list with some of the songs we haven’t been playing.”
Eli sings and plays guitar in the band alongside James Young on lead guitar, Chris Thompson on drums and Jon Jones on bass guitar.
Its current single, “Saltwater Gospel,” is available now.
Eli said he has dreamt of playing music in a band since he was young, though the group’s success since their start more than 10 years ago has been unprecedented.
“I can’t remember a day when I didn’t want to be singing and playing in a band. Ever since I was a kid I was obsessed,” Eli said. “When I first met the guys and we first started playing together that was when I probably realized ‘Hey, we can go and actually be a band.’ We didn’t necessarily think we’d have these record deals and songs on the radio.”
Eli said he was a year below the other band members in school. They were all part of the same fraternity during college — Eli and Young were roommates, and Thompson and Jones were roommates.
The elder members of the group started performing, and the rest came together when Eli joined the group.
“They kind of started jamming in a friend’s garage here and there, and when I came to college, James and I started writing songs and we realized we made a band,” Eli said.
Performing offers an opportunity for expression and artistic release, Eli said.
“Getting onstage is a whole moment in itself. It’s kind of what people like me live for,” Eli said. “Getting up there and being able to let it all out in front of an audience is invigorating, it’s a really therapeutic moment. When they sing the songs back to you, that’s the coolest moment in the show.”
The band’s upcoming album has no release date yet, though the group has enjoyed working on the songs.
“This record was kind of one of those exhale moments,” Eli said. “We really tried to let go of any kind of pressures, we went in there and, instead of trying to break the mold, we had a good time with a lot of songs we’re really proud of, and we made a record that sounds like us.”
