Fresh off releasing their self-titled debut album, country-rock sextet Banditos are carving out their own spot in the South's exalted music catalog. Roaring with country licks and rock 'n' roll riffs, intricate banjo picking, lively keys and the dueling vocals of Corey Parson and Mary Beth Richardson, they not only fuse together genres, but multiple eras of music from the 1960s to now.

Born of the all-ages music scene in Birmingham, the band has since resettled in Nashville… if you can consider being on the road full-time anything near settling down. Regardless of relocation, the one constant is that the six-piece is unabashedly southern from their guitars chords to vocal croaks. From living together in a house in Birmingham, to coming together in New Orleans, to heading north to Tennessee, the southern US plays an integral role in Banditos' own mythology. We got to chat with singer and guitarist Corey about just that along with his influences, experiencing different music scenes and house boats as a holy grail.

Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama

Current City: Nashville, Tennessee

Who would you note was your influences? How did you initially discover them?

Bob Dylan was definitely one of my first major influences. I remember my mom taking me to Walmart and letting me pick two cassette tapes for doing well in school. I was in elementary school then, but I walked out with Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits and Johnny Cash's greatest hits. I can't imagine I had that great of taste then, so I'm willing to bet my mom had something to do with my choices. 

As a songwriter, I think I'm equally as influenced by the Ramones as I am Townes Van Zandt. There's nothing subtle about the Ramones. Most of their songs are just plain ol' rock n roll songs, but the way they played those songs just completely blew me away. The first time I listened to them I realized that (to me) the passion and the attitude behind a song is just as important as the content.

In my opinion, Townes Van Zandt is one of the best lyricists there is. The way he effortlessly weaves the most poetic and intriguing stories together still astounds me. Just listen to "Nothin'" and tell me you don't feel something.  

I can't remember exactly how I came across these artists. I guess I discovered them by just looking for music that resonated with me. You gotta dig to strike oil.

What life experiences have informed your lyrics and tales?

I wrote the lyrics to "Long Gone, Anyway" based on this really morbid nursery rhyme my aunt taught me when I was a kid. The rhyme is called "The Hearse Song." Look it up. 

New Orleans was a turning point for you. In what way was the New Orleans trip life altering? What happened on the trip?

Aside from almost getting arrested and regrettable tattoos? That trip was special because it was integral in forming the lineup we've had for nearly four years. Steve and I taught Mary the songs we had at the time on the drive back to Birmingham. She wrote the lyrics down in a Gideon's Bible. We made it to Birmingham and played our first show at Bottletree Cafe (RIP) that night. It was Jeff and Mary's first show with us, and here we are in a hotel in Florida with 600+ shows under our belt.

What do you think Nashville offers bands and musicians that they couldn't get elsewhere?

As a musician, Nashville offers a creative and supportive environment to better hone your craft. It's humbling to go out to a shitty bar on a Monday night and see some dude who's younger than you play your instrument better than you ever will. I know that Nashville isn't the only place that offers a conducive environment, but Nashville has the highest concentration of professional musicians. Hah, "professional musicians." 

When you're off the road, do you just stay with friends and family now that you don't have a house? Do you go back to Birmingham?

Actually, most everybody is still living in Nashville. Danny's living in Athens, AL. I'm the only one without a permanent residence at the moment. I've been staying out in Austin for the past few months when we have down time. Our down time averages about a week for every month and a half. We're on the road so much I haven't really felt the need to get a place yet. 

How do you think being from the South has informed your identity as a band as also as people?

There's no other place I would rather be from than Alabama. I could write a novel about how being from the South shaped me into who I am. Though there were a couple of pubescent years where I was downright embarrassed to be from the South. I guess due to depictions in whatever bullshit television my friends and I were watching at the time we thought it was very "uncool" to be from the South. We all tried to change our southern accents into some hybrid of Beavis and Butthead and Bill and Ted. You can imagine how that sounded.