Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

- Cooper Brown - Frontman, Vocals, Guitar

- Phoebe Scott - Frontwoman, Vocals

- Joe Kyle - guitar

- Matt Hammonds - Bass

- Will Kwasigroh - Drums                                                      

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Coopertheband? How long has the band been around?

The band has been around since 2012, but I (Cooper) was really just playing on my own and hiring out friends to play with me.  It wasn't until 2015 that the current lineup all met and everything just clicked.  We became a giant family and haven't looked back.

Before Coopertheband, Cooper played in a band called 'Mercy Driven'.  We mostly played small youth conferences and weekend camps.  Phoebe started out singing with her church's praise team.  Will studied music through high school (Dyer County HS) & college (UT Martin), performing on various drum lines and ensembles. Matt and Joe, music production students at Lambuth University, have performed on several ensembles for the school.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

In 2010, I performed songs off of our "Venture" album under just my name, Cooper Brown, but I never wanted to play as a solo act.  In 2012 when our album "Kings" was released I changed the name to 'Coopertheband' (all one word, no spaces) to embrace the band aspect of what I wanted to do.  I never wanted it to be about me.  I wanted it to be a team and group effort to share music with people... I just had not found the team yet... but in 2015 everything came together and we ran with the name and brand we already had established.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

Cooper Brown and Phoebe Scott are the primary writers, but it is very much a collaborative effort from the entire band.  We often get together and jam through the songs and hash out music and lyrics, leaning on each person's strength in what they can bring to the table.

Our Kings album was based on the life of David from the Bible.  We found his story incredibly "human" and relatable... stories of love, struggle, and passion.  As we were writing the Kingdoms album it was a follow up album that was still inspired by the life of David but as we wrote it slowly became an album exploring the human experience.

The next album will be a new concept for sure, but we will always strive for our music to bring joy to someone who is struggling, or hope to someone who is hopeless.  Our goal as a band is for someone can feel loved, even if just for a moment, when listening to our songs.  If we can accomplish that, then we think that is true success.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

I would have to say Colony House, COIN, Knox Hamilton, Needtobreathe, Judah & The Lion, Imagine Dragons, Paramore, The Oh Hellos, Of Monsters and Men, The Head and The Heart, Kopecky, The Lumineers, and Midnight Pilot (I'm sure I could list more... we're big fans of a wide of variety of music)

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

Switchfoot. Hands down.  I had never considered music as a career or even a hobby until I began listening to them.

What do you do to prepare for a show?

Before every show we always pause to take a moment to pray.  It helps us to settle down and focus and reminds us that this is bigger than us and that our goal is to just go out and have fun and hopefully give people a little bit of love, joy, and escape from the every day monotony.  We also always remind ourselves "This might be someone's first show, or this might be someone's last show... so let's give it everything we've got."

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

This is a hard one to answer... we love what we do so every day is absolutely invigorating.  We got to play at an event at the Ryman and it's just such a historic venue that it was hard to not be giddy about it.  But there's so many more fun things such as our album release show at TheCo in our hometown of Jackson, TN... or even Bur Oak Brewery we played at just this past weekend. 

But honestly it's the people we meet.  When we get a text or comment that says "Hey your song got me through the day" I don't know if there's a much better highlight than that.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

My answer (Cooper)? Switchfoot.  I've always wanted to be able to play a show with them.  The band though I'm sure would say Colony House, Judah & The Lion, or COIN.

And Phoebe would definitely like to add in Taylor Swift as she is a huge fan.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We're just honored that you like our music enough to feature us.  Thanks so much!