When one thinks of conflict, it’s generally in negative terms, particularly during these divisive times.
For Brian Elmquist of The Lone Bellow, it’s an element he’s come to appreciate as an essential element of the creative process. It’s an ingredient he and bandmates Zach Williams and Kanene Pipken have tapped into dating back to when the trio first got together in a Brooklyn diner in 2011 and has continued through the release of the group’s new album, “What a Time To Be Alive,” the group’s sixth studio effort.
“If you’re going to make art you’re going to push up against things and you’ve got to face the fact that it’s hard and awkward,” Elmquist said in a mid-July interview. “I think that kind of happens. It’s hard taking a song to a band, even after 15 years, and saying, ‘Here are my feelings. I’m just going to let you pick it apart right now.’ It’s still not easy. I write totally different than Zach. I see the world different and interpret it. We both react. We’ve gotten better at it. He may not like a word and I won’t care about that word and just tell him to rewrite the verse. It’s kind of like that.”
As The Lone Bellow was wrapping up touring for the band’s last album, “Love Songs for Losers,” they wanted to see if the positive vibes of playing together and gelling onstage would carry over to the studio for what became “What a Time to Be Alive.” Elmquist suggested decamping to Henderson, Kentucky, where their friend Peter Barbee had converted an abandoned firehouse into a recording studio. The DIY setup proved to be a fertile ground of inspiration for this batch of songs.
“When you’re doing music a lot, you get to a place,” Elmquist said. “We didn’t have to do anything. We’d just jam out with these people and hit record whenever we had some kind of snippet of something we thought was good. People would come in and out. Or the drummer, bass player or myself would sit down at the piano and work on something. We would get going, get a little coffee and then just jam out into the night late. Then we’d go to bed, do it again and whenever we got something we liked, we’d put it on a grid and save it. At the end of the week we listened to it and I said, ‘Guys, I think we have a record,’ because we had great hooks and stuff like that.”
The week-long improvised band camp was followed by another week down in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. For Elmquist, it was a cathartic experience.
“I’d been working at this studio in Muscle Shoals, so we decided to take down what we did and deconstruct it and do it on nice mics,” he said. “We kept a lot of stuff. The fun part was thinking about where we were going to find the inspiration to do another record and then we found these songs in the process. These are some of my favorite songs.”
While the recording process proved to be fruitful, external conflict awaited The Lone Bellow after the band’s van full of gear, computers and hard drives containing newly recorded material was stolen during a tour stop in Chicago. At a friend’s suggestion, The Lone Bellow set up a Go Fund Me to help raise funds to replace the stolen equipment. The fan support was overwhelming, allowing the band to not only complete the current album, but deepened a desire to solidify the relationship the group had with its loyal fanbase.
“That was a bummer, but also a learning moment,” Elmquist admitted. “I don’t think asking for help is a bad thing, but it’s a hard place to put yourself in. We just asked for $15,000 or maybe less than that when we started doing soundcheck. By the time we were done, it was more like $25,000. It was overwhelming. It literally helped us finish the record. We needed to start letting fans know what was going on. Not to try to get money out of them. I think the fans want to support us. It’s like a family with some of these people I see when we come around. We knew the parts, so we found the mojo again to finish everything.”
While most of the dates on the current tour find The Lone Bellow opening for Stephen Wilson Jr., the Domino Room show on Sept. 22 is a headlining stop. Elmquist and the rest of the band members are excited to be on the road with new material to play. But it does create a welcome challenge — determining the set list from one night to the next.
“We’re going to be playing some new music and trying out the new music soon, too,” Elmquist said. “For me, it’s an exciting time. With our last record, we seriously liked every song on it.”
Elmquist’s own musical story can be traced to being a kid who grew up poor and was inspired to pick up a guitar when he was around 13 after seeing Slash in the Gun N’ Roses video for “November Rain.” His formative memories include playing guitar at his family’s small country church while watching his grandmother sing harmony from the second pew. Cutting his teeth at state fairs headlined by Clay Walker and Jo Dee Messina were also formative moments for the Georgia native. Suffice it to say, he’s grateful to see where The Lone Bellow is in 2026.
“For us, there really are no rules, it’s just about what it feels like and I think that’s a really great place to be for an artist,” Elmquist explained. “It’s fun. We have a well of songs and are just trying to figure it all out. We’re so inspired in this way and I think we’ll keep making music as long as we’re inspired by what’s going on around us and the music we’re making together. It’s a good time.”
The Lone Bellow
Sun, Sept 20 8pm
The Domino Room
51 NW Greenwood Ave, Bend
eventbrite.com
$38.19
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