The Crimson White had the privilege of interviewing lead singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Neil Mason of the “country fuzz” band The Cadillac Three ahead of their show in Tuscaloosa on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. The band, which is made up of Mason, guitarist Jaren Johnston and bassist Kelby Ray, has been performing their unpredictable concerts and rock country music since 2012.

Q: Can you tell me the story behind the band’s name?

Mason: “When we first had the band, we were actually called The Cadillac Black. We were The Cadillac Black for about two years. The way we came up with the name was basically us thinking about some of our favorite artists and some of our favorite words — band names are really hard in general — and we were talking about Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. And looking back at old photos, they always had some really cool Cadillac like Elvis did. It was an indication of success, if you will. Our favorite color was black, so The Cadillac Black was chosen as the band name. 

Then, when you come to the point in your music career when you’re signing a record deal, the record label wants to make sure that from a trademark perspective, the name is all free and clear. So, when we were signing our record deal with Big Machine, we came to realize that there was another band called The Black Cadillacs, which in legal terms is too similar. So, that’s when we ended up changing our name to The Cadillac Three.”

Q: Who are your biggest influences?

Mason: “The three of us met in high school — those early years of when you’re listening to everything and kind of hearing everything for the first time. What’s cool to me about our band is that we all kind of came up at the same time knowing each other and listening to a lot of the same kinds of music, but each of us had our own flair. Jaren, our singer, incorporated more of the heavier rock world, like Rage Against the Machine, the grunge-era, etc. Kelby, our lap steel player, was raised on Hank Williams Jr. and Lynyrd Skynyrd, more country, but also metal, like Metallica and bands like that. And then everything I listened to growing up was in my mom’s six-disc CD changer in our house — basically Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young and then a couple other things that would swap in and out. 

But if you take all that stuff, put it in a pot, take how we learned to play our instruments and mix it all up, it’s kind of what we sound like as a band. There are times when other influences from other bands and records creep in there. With our most recent album, “Tabasco and Sweet Tea,” it ended up being more of a funky kind of record, which was influenced by some of the James Brown and jam-band stuff we listened to in high school. However, the sound that we are most well-known for comes from this rock-meets-country influence.”

Q: Tell me about your songwriting process — where and when do you usually find inspiration for new ideas? Or, in general, what does the creative process look like?

Mason: “It’s a little bit different every time, but the most tried and true thing for us when it comes to writing is writing on the road. So, on a tour bus, you wake up in the morning and you’re in whatever city, let’s say Tuscaloosa, and you don’t play until 9:15 at night. So, you’ve got a lot of time during the day to wander around and get inspired. Oftentimes, we’ll go back to the bus and write in the afternoons. We have a recording rig on the bus. So, that’s often our process when it comes to songwriting. As far as getting inspired, for us, ideas come from everywhere. You kind of just have to have your antennae on at all times and not worry about it too much, so that you’re not forcing creativity.”

Q: If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

Mason: “I think the industry is changing in a lot of positive ways for independent artists and new artists. There are a lot more tools for artists’ disposal to get their music out into the world without needing to have a record deal or some other sort of funding, and I think that is really great. It also widens the playing field quite a bit, which can be challenging. 

I think that it’s important for artists to focus on their art and not feel like they have to compete with what is happening on social media. We’re in a cycle currently where a lot of artists are confused about what to do and how to do it due to how daunting social media can feel. It’s important to keep the focus on the music first and foremost.”

Q: What have been the biggest lessons that you as a band have learned in the past ten years of being together?

Mason: “The beauty of being in a band is that you’re literally creating a world. So, when you start, just think to yourself, ‘What’s the world that I’d like to live in that doesn’t exist? What’s the world I think my future fans would be excited about?’ And go about trying to create that world.”

Q: What has been the best part of being on tour?

Mason: “It has been great in light of the long break we had from touring due to the pandemic. That was the longest we’ve been off the road, and that made us really appreciate the consistency of being on the road. Being able to play consistently this year and get back in front of people to see their energy and excitement has been really great. 

In general, my favorite part about touring is traveling. We got back from the UK a few weeks ago after spending a couple of weeks over there; having opportunities like that is probably the most fun aspect of touring.”

Q: What should Tuscaloosa locals expect for the Oct. 27 show at Druid City?

Mason: “Well, I always pick up a new Alabama shirt and wear it onstage because I was raised as an Alabama fan by my mom, so I will be representing that night. The rest of my band — maybe not so much. Our shows are always super high energy. We try to give the audience something they can get lost in for a couple of hours and forget about anything else. It’s usually a party crowd and usually a good amount of beer-drinking along with everything else — always up-tempo and high energy. We’re playing songs off all five of our records. It’s always a good time and we can’t wait to be back there in Tuscaloosa at Druid City.”

Q: What are you as a band excited for? What is in store for the future?

Mason: “We’re in the middle of working on our sixth record right now, and that’s been something we’ve been working on all year. We’re excited about that for 2023, and we’ll be announcing 2023 tour dates probably in about a month. So, we’re basically getting all things pointed in that direction. We’re excited to be able to stay on the road, stay on the bus and keep making music.”

Be sure to catch the band at Druid City Music Hall on Thursday, Oct. 27. Tickets are $18. To purchase tickets, visit here.