Hasting & Co.
Feed the Band
Our interview with
Hasting & Co.
Patrick L.
With every interview I do with Feed the Band I become more aware how lucky I am to have the opportunity to interact with the people that I do. Southern Fellow seems to imply one person, but it is more than that. It is you, it is our family, that makes Southern Fellow what it is. You are the story and when each of you share your story, our family becomes richer because of it. This story of one of our own, is something that really hit home with me. There are many parallels between the next band and me. However, we share one thing that is heartbreaking and motivated their latest single.
It would be very easy to drop Kate and Josh, the duo that makes Hasting and Co., into my hometown. They would fit right in, in more ways that I can count. We all grew up where agriculture is prominent. We like country music, boots and a good steak. We look at a county fair with romance, wonder and excitement like most residents in an agricultural community do. I am pretty sure we could feel comfortable sitting around talking about cattle and farm equipment over some beers like it was a normal thing. These experiences we share create a life worth talking about or for Hasting and Co., a life worth singing about.
With these similarities we share, I still have yet to talk about the elephant in the room. Hasting and I share a similar heartbreak story. We both have lost a father. For me, it has been a few years, but for Hasting only a few short months. Her parents were involved in a very serious car accident. This put her mother in critical condition and led to her losing her father. This rocked Hasting and Co. to its core. Hasting’s father, like any good dad shared with his wife an important supporting role to the band. This loss could make anyone’s heart break twice. However, Hasting and Co. took the pieces that were left and pushed forward with their new single “American Love”.
“American Love” is an anthem to the love of a father and the love shared in a marriage. Love is a common theme in the Hasting family. I share a similar version of this story. My father was paralyzed in a horse accident while working cows on the ranch. My parents had only been married for a few short weeks. It would had been so easy for my mother to tap out, and start new with someone else. However, that was not in her heart. Her “American Love” story with my father would not end there. My parents pushed through. They did things the world said was impossible. They raised 3 kids, worked a ranch and my mom went to nursing school. My father never let his daily pain or wheelchair get in the way of love. It was in 2007 that things started to change and complications from my father’s condition got worse. Yet, still my father’s love was present and my mother’s love for him was unwavering. He went home to God on November 27 2007. That day I saw another love story unfold. One that had always been there, but I had not seen at that level. I saw another father love his son. I never had seen my grandfather cry before that day. However, he released that last bit of love for his son with what little time he had. I never will forget the power of that moment. That is my family’s love story. As I see it, Hasting and Co. shares a similar “American Love” story. That is what makes us family.
"American Love" out now!
Hasting and Co. and myself have spent some time together. Like everyone, we asked them a few questions and they have answers. Stay tuned to the very end and enter our giveaway. We also want to hear about your “American Love” story. Tag us on Instagram @southernfellow_ and @hastingandco. Use the hashtag #americanlove. We will share it with the entire Southern Fellow family. These are our questions answered by our family, Hasting and Co.
What gave y’all the courage to move to Nashville and advance your songwriting?
Kate: For me it was sort of the “rip it off like a bandaid” approach. I was in college getting my degree in Biology. I had started coming down to write and record music in Nashville while also playing the college circuit. Eventually, after prayer, music made more sense. I made the decision and didn’t look back.
Josh: I had been writing songs seriously for a few years before making the move to Nashville, and actually hadn’t been focusing on country. As time went on, however, the country music I grew up on began to show up more and more in my writing, without even trying…and the more I allowed myself to write that way, the more people responded. It just felt natural. Between encouragement from friends, trips to Nashville and a whole lot of prayer, moving here was the only thing that really made sense.
What do you think are each other’s strengths and how does that benefit the band?
Kate: My strengths are probably my love for connecting to people and my business organization skills. I love the chase of booking shows, the craft of building the perfect lyric, and the connection music allows you to make with people. I also feel like I’m melodically and lyrically driven when we write. The lyric is the most important part of the song to me.
Josh: I keep us on time, but mostly I’m the musical band leader. I make sure a song is musically sound in structure, that the parts are correct, and that our harmonies help when telling our stories through song. I don’t love the business portion, but I’m learning. I’ve been playing music since I could talk, so it is my strength. The music is the most important part of the song to me.
What is your biggest fear?
Kate: To be frank and at the risk of sounding trite, it’s already happened. My parents are a central part of this band. They’ve helped us build this project from the ground up. They taught me what I know about executing business transactions and maintaining relationships needed to succeed. They put me through guitar and vocal lessons. The loss of my father has been the hardest thing I’ve ever lived through. I look at life different now. There’s no time for fear. At the end of the day, for me, fear is the direct opposite of practicing faith.
Josh: Not living up to my potential or calling in life.
We are always developing recipes here at Southern Fellow. When writing music what recipe do you use?
K & J: Corn, soybeans, hayfields, tractors, trucks, everything about where we grew up, a dash of glitter from Kate and attention to detail by Josh.
Behind the Scenes of "American Love"
If Lays were to make a signature chip in Hasting & Co.’s honor, what would that flavor be?
Corned beef and cheese
Tell us how Hasting & Co came to be.
Kate: The full story can be found at www.hastingco.com but it involves some Facebook stalking. I saw Josh playing at a writer’s round when I first started coming to Nashville. I’d never seen someone sing and play like that. I had always had plans of starting a band heavily built on my agricultural and farm influence. Josh came on board with a similar background. Our idea was always to spend time building who we were on the road before fully presenting ourselves in Nashville. Four years later, it finally feels like we are ready for the next steps.
Josh: I had always sworn I’d never be an artist, but the alignment of our faith, background, and love for country music felt too coincidental. I prayed over it and eventually trusted Kate’s work ethic and overall vision.
What is your recipe for success?
J&K: hard work, prayer, and country music. Put it on a stage, bake it for 4 years…BOOM.
If you wrote a song about food, what would it be about?
K & J: Corn, because, Country music 🙂
What does the next year look like for Hasting & Co?
Kate: Writing, shows, writing, shows…repeat. We’ve always had this grass roots ideology and we think the way to make Nashville believe in you is to first get your hometown, your peers, and most importantly yourself to believe in you. All of this comes with hard work and surrounding yourself with people that are better than you at your craft. Practice makes perfect. You sometimes cannot play the majors without first playing the minors. You cannot get your doctorate without first getting your bachelor’s degree. Every show we play, every song we write is another step closer to who we want to be as artists. The next year is about writing and releasing great songs so that we can go and share our stories with fellow country music lovers.
Josh: We want to continue to build on what we’ve done! We are writing better songs with great writers. The next year involves bringing those songs to life and releasing them.
What advice would you give another young female who wants to follow their dream of making music?
Kate: dang, that’s hard. There’s no one way to do this. For me, the live show aspect tells me a lot about an artist. I can dislike an artist and then see them live and have my mind changed. So, I guess, go play and book as many shows as you can. Find your sound. See if you want to do this the rest of your life. Spend 18 hours in a van with strangers. See if this is the world you want to live in!
Josh: Same. Everyone has their own approach!
Try this inspired recipe!
Dry Rubbed Prime Steak with Charred Corn and Tomato Salsa
What is your favorite song you have written and why is it so important to you?
Kate: For me, I guess it’s this song called “Cold.” It’s the first song we ever wrote together but it’s the first co write I’ve ever been in and felt completely understood.
You are strutting your stuff in Nashville and you come across a $100 winning scratch off. What do you spend it on?
K&J: make a demo of a new song!
Is there anything else you want your fans at Southern Fellow to know?
K&J: follow us on Instagram: @hastingandco, Facebook: facebook.com/hastinandco , Twitter: @hastingandco
We also have a new single called, “American Love” with a music video. We shot the video in Kate’s hometown county fair and it is dedicated to her parents!
What a powerful, emotional rollercoaster we have been on. I would like to thank Hasting and Co. for spending time here at Southern Fellow. I definitely love both Kate and Josh. Their friendship means the world to me. Not only are they some of the best people I know, they make some really great music. “American Love” is a prime example of that. Just a reminder, it is not Christmas yet. So before you put on your silver bells, add Hasting and Co. to your playlist. You can find their music on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Google Music and Amazon. Thank you for tuning in here at Feed the Band. Check out our giveaway below.
Photo credits go to Jeremy Ryan.
