Bourbon House

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Bourbon House is a female-fronted original hard rock, blues rock, and psychedelic groove rock band from Wisconsin

Interview conducted on Aug. 19, 2020

By Dan Locke

“Expect delicious spadefuls of Heart, Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin with this gnarly blues rock number from Wisconsin rockers Bourbon House. Spearheaded by smoky-yet-strident siren Lacey Crowe, it’s the kind of music that doesn’t know whether to flirt with you or kick you in the teeth – and we mean that in a good way.”

Band Members

Lacey Crowe (vocals)
Jason Clark (guitar)
Aric “Sheek” ChilCote (bass)
Ryan Sargent (drums, percussion)

What is your upbringing?

Lacey Crowe: Well, I’m Canadian. I think a lot of people know that but probably a lot of people don’t too. I was born and raised in Sudbury, ON Canada.

How did you discover music?

My family is full of musicians so music was constantly around me. My dad has a beautiful voice and so does my sister. I also have musically gifted cousins and aunts and uncles. I don’t think there was one family gathering without a massive campfire with five guitars playing and everyone singing along.

How did you start to write music?

I didn’t start writing music until three years ago when we put out our first EP. That was my first stab at it and it was really just something me and Jason (guitarist) wanted to try for fun. After we went into the studio to record the first seven songs we’d written and heard the tracks back we were like, ok, let’s keep doing this from now until forever.

What was your first performance at like?

I performed a little doing cover song on an acoustic by myself as a teenager. Mostly old country and folk songs because that’s what I could play, but my first performance with Bourbon House as a full band was exhilarating. It was actually at a New Year’s Eve celebration and it was kind of mind-blowing to see the crowd enjoying songs we’d written and they obviously didn’t know any of them. I never wanted to leave the stage.

What is the best song you perform live?

I think it’s probably one of our newest songs that are not released yet. I think that makes sense because we’re better songwriters now and better live performers than we were even one year ago. Of our released songs, “Devil on My Heels” is always super fun live.

What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?

“It Wasn’t Me” and hell no we didn’t record it because it sucked. I can’t even really remember how it goes now. But right after that one, “Some Baby” and “Snakes in the River” were the next ones we wrote and they both made the cut.

How did you get the band started?

Jason and I were the band up until that New Year’s Eve show in 2017. Our EP had been recorded and released previously but the other musicians on those tracks were all hired. It wasn’t until after that release and leading up to that first show that we got a full band together and those members have both changed a few times.

How the band did get its name?

Jason and I were performing as a duo before we started writing our own songs and we did a lot of old school blues like Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson songs. We wanted a name for our duo that reflected what we were doing at that time so it’s basically a mixture of Bourbon Street and Son House. And it just kind of stayed with us. I’m not sure it’s the most fitting for what we do now and we’d probably change it if we could but it is what it is.

What is Bourbon House Trio?

On occasion we performed as a three-piece acoustic band if we needed to fill time or occupy a smaller space. So, the trio is me, Jason and Ryan (drummer). We’d perform our originals and covers of Led Zeppelin songs, Heart, Janis Joplin, Guns n Roses, Aerosmith. We’re not doing that much anymore. It’s kind of reserved for our favorite local spots.

How often do Lacey and Jason perform?

We used to perform a lot. Hundreds of acoustic duo shows a year. But now that the full band has taken over, we don’t do that anymore.

I saw your performance you did (video) at Chicago Elbo Room. Why did you do it down stairs and not upstairs on the main floor?

Well, the upstairs area is for softer music and the downstairs area is the rock club. We were supposed to be a full band at that show but the bassist we had at the time quit on us right before that performance so we had to make do. Same situation at our Nashville show this year in March. Thankfully, the three of us had become accustomed to playing without one at that point and we’d played so much together that our chemistry allows us to pull it off. We got pretty good and making a full sound with just the three of us.

Did you know they closed at the end of last year?

Yes, I heard. Unfortunately, a lot of great venues that supported up-and-coming bands closed. I’m praying for the ones that have survived so far to make it through this mess of a year.

How has your sound changed from the beginning of the band?

It has evolved a lot. I think when Ryan joined the band in 2018. Ryan wasn’t there for the writing of the songs on “Wild Abandon” and I think he could have made those songs so much better. He was with us for “Devil on My Heels” and “Too High to Care” and on our upcoming album, which in my opinion is harder and groovier and so much better than anything we’ve released so far.

How was it to open up for Jasmine Cain?

Jasmine is a badass. That was an incredibly fun show and it was the first time any of us had gotten to see her live, too. We had breakfast with her the next morning and we’ve kept in touch.

Tell me about your new LP?

We have five songs on it so far and we’ll be recording a couple more to add to it before the release. As I said, it’s harder and it’s groovier than anything we’ve released before. I also think it’s more dynamic. There are a lot of sounds and instrumentation we’ve never used. We want to keep progressing that way and experimenting while still maintaining a pure rock sound.

Tell me about the making of the video “Too High to Care”?

It was super casual. We basically just performed for no one in various locations around our city. We originally wanted it to be shot in a club, but it was during the lockdown so that couldn’t happen. Because it’s a fun song and the lyrics are so “I don’t give a shit” it’s the only kind of video that made sense to us.

How did you meet Rabbies Vaccine and Oldy McKitten, during the filming of the video?

Haha. That sequence took place in a nearby ghost town and they kind of just crawled out to us. I was a little scared at first, to be honest. But they were so sweet and friendly and we had to get them in the video.

“Too High to Care”, is about you seeing yourself what it would be like to be Joan Jett. Is that with the Runaways, or the Blackhearts or Joan Jett solo?

Haha. That’s not really what it’s about, but it’s a good way to describe the general feeling behind the song. I’m talking about Joan Jett as a person and performer. In everything she does, she’s just always shown so much confidence. She’s never cared what anyone thought about her being a woman in rock music, about her style, and the kind of music she was making. I think she always realized that only the fans matter and the haters can shove it.

Have you ever met her?

No, but I’d love to! I think women in rock music owe her a huge thank you.

What is your favorite track on the album?

It might be “Keep Your Head” at the moment, which is unreleased. But honestly, every song on the new album is my favorite. Really, it’s impossible for me to choose.

What are you’re feeling about streaming music?

I think when streaming music first became a thing, we were all worried about the music industry but now it’s just how people consume music so we’ve embraced it. I’ve found a lot of new bands that I love and probably would not have heard about because I still don’t hear them on the radio. So, discoverability is definitely easier.

Digital vs. vinyl?

Vinyl all the way. Fans, especially rock music fans, still want something that they can hold. Vinyl copies are expensive to make and obviously more expensive to buy but if we have enough interest in a vinyl version of the new album, we’ll definitely press some.

What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?

Focusing on my health, mostly. Both mental and physical. I’ve been getting out in the fresh air and the sunshine as much as possible and staying connected with my close friends and family.

Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?

Physical fitness, although I’ve never been a gym rat. I used to do a lot of yoga and when you’re busy it’s not always easy to take that time for yourself, so it’s been nice to get back to that.

Lots of people are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. What are you planning to do?

I understand why people are doing it but I feel like too many are doing it way too often. I don’t know any musician who actually wants that to become the new normal for live music and I’m a little disappointed to see how much it’s grown, to be honest. We haven’t participated yet but because I think the fans deserve something for now, we will likely be streaming a live show in the fall. We are planning a small club tour in late November.

Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?

No. Musicians make most of their money on tours. I just can’t see enough people buying pay-per-view tickets to an online show. People attend concerts for the energy of the live performance, to be in the same room as their favorites, and to really feel the music. I can see fans giving in and paying for them in the beginning because that’s all they can get, but I can’t see that happening long-term.

This week Live Nation announced their first ever U.S. drive-in concert series — LIVE FROM THE DRIVE-IN — This will bring fans a live music tailgating experience unlike any other, kicking off July 10-12 in Indianapolis, IN, Nashville, TN, and St. Louis, MO. Brad Paisley will headline performances in all three cities, marking the start of a much anticipated return to in person live events. Darius Rucker and Jon Pardi will also headline the series. Is this something you would be willing to do?

Absolutely! I think that’s a good idea and it’s definitely a step forward. We’ve taken way too many steps back this year.

With Social Distance being the norm. Do you feel that it may be the end of music fest for the next couple of years?

Not at all. In fact, I think concert fans are going to be so hungry for live music that there will be a huge increase in attendance. There have been some outdoor stage shows here locally and I can already see the increase. Nothing brings people together as music does and it would really be a shame both socially and economically if this dragged on for years.

What about Holographic concerts in our living room?

Haha. No. No thank you. That would be weird as hell.

Have you tried to play Summerfest?

We haven’t. We actually just got a booking agent this year because we’re good at timing like that. He’s going to work on getting us 2021 festival slots, although the 2020 festival lineups are just going to be pushed over to 2021, so some bands may need to break up to make room for us.

How do you see yourself in the next five years?

I see a lot of tours. I see us overseas and I see us releasing a lot more music. By that time, we should have five new albums out if we plan on doing one each year, which we do.

Anything you would like to say in closing?

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! And always a huge thank you to our current fans and to the ones who haven’t yet discovered us. You’re all rock stars.