While SnagglePus is still a relatively new band on the Memphis scene, their story began when their singer and guitarist, Audra Brown, was twelve and invited on stage by Patterson Hood of the Drive By Truckers to accompany them on vocals for their song “Zip City.” After that memorable evening, she taught herself guitar and began writing songs. Also including bassist Nic Hunter and drummer Joe Burress, SnagglePus’ sound falls somewhere in between power pop and punk rock. Thursday, September 29th at the 1884 Lounge in Minglewood Hall, the band will be performing with Bean, JP and the Jackrollers, and Sin City Scoundrels. After a week of playing e-mail tag with Nic, I sent him a few questions that he and Audra answered.
MRC: How long has SnagglePus been together? How did you guys form?
Nic: SnagglePus has gone through many line-up and name changes over the past few years, with Audra being at the forefront of each. The current line-up came together around 5 months ago. Both Joe and I were recruited by her dad/manager Mark Brown over the internet, and after a few practices we knew we had something. Each of us brings something different to the table: Joe is a human drum machine with his educational background (he received his Masters degree from the U of M in percussion); Audra is a songwriting machine-she pieces together guitar riffs and vocal melodies unlike any chick you’ve ever heard; I just compliment the other two with some solid pounding, almost minimalist bass lines and vocal harmonies.
MRC: You recently recorded with Cody Dickinson. What was that process like and how was the experience for you as a band?
Audra: Amazing! It was really a learning experience, being the first time in a professional studio in Nashville. Cody is such an awesome performer, a great teacher, and an underrated producer, but if there’s anything people should know more about him is that he’s the nicest and most humble guy you could ever meet.
MRC: How did the Delta Girls Rock Camp contribute to you as an artist, and what impact has it still had on the band?
Audra: I got my first taste of what the music business is all about. Meeting and working with different women like Kelly Anderson gave me perspective on what it means to be a girl in the music world. SnagglePus probably wouldn’t exist without having experienced what I did there.
MRC: What sort of response have you guys been getting from local audiences?
Nic: We haven’t been on the scene that long, and the fans we’ve won over so far are so dedicated. Seeing familiar faces at every show, buying us drinks and hanging out afterwards, just really getting into it. It’s great.
MRC: What is the songwriting process like for SnagglePus? Is it a collaborative effort? Does one person mainly write the songs?
Audra: As most people would say, it all starts with inspiration: a catchy phrase, a cool guitar lick, something that clicks and the rest will just come out.
Nic: Yeah, Audra is the key songwriter for sure. A lot of the songs we’re playing live right now were written before me and Joe were in the picture. We have worked on songs together and it feels great. You’ll see both in the future-collaborative works and some written solely by Audra.
MRC: How can someone get SnagglePus’s music if they want it? Is there an album on the way?
Nic: For now we have a few streaming songs on Reverbnation.com, which you can find through our Facebook page. There is alot of work going into an actual release right now, and we’ll keep everyone updated through Facebook.
MRC: What can we expect to see from SnagglePus in the near future?
Audra: A tour, long-awaited release of our EP, and definitely some more local shows with some of Memphis’ finest.
Nic: Yup! This thursday, it’s gonna be a party at Minglewood’s 1884 Lounge. We pulled together some of our favorite bands for one fuckin awesome weeknight.
The 1884 Lounge is located inside of Minglewood Hall (1555 Madison). The show starts at 9pm and is $7.
