If you are a regular Vodka reader, you know that Fox And Bones are not new to us. I’ve sung the praises of this duo for quite a while now and have been increasingly excited by the music they offer. Delightfully accessible pop, folk, and rock influences are everywhere. More importantly, Fox And Bones are a hopeful and happy duo, that highlights what is right with the world, and why we all need to remember that we are all in this life together. That’s doubly true for A Changing Of The Guard (seen/heard here) from the duo’s soon-to-be-released long-player, American Alchemy. 

A Changing Of The Guard brings on hope and happiness with music that, quite simply, will make you want to dance, and lyrically, will make you want to re-think your enemies list and tear it up. We have different ideas, goals, ambitions, but that doesn’t make a person who doesn’t share your views a bad person. In fact, if you dig in, you may find you have things in common that you can share. 

Fox And Bones are Scott Gilmore and Sarah Vitort and Vodka caught up with them through their marketing agent and asked a few questions:

Vodka:
Over the last few years, since Better
Land was released, Fox And
Bones’ sound has evolved without compromising on the content or close
harmonies that are your signature. What would you say has influenced
you most musically during that time?

Fox And Bones:
Since we
first met over 5 years ago, we’ve been searching for a sound we could
hang our hat on. We both came from rock backgrounds and love the
thrill of high energy performances but we’re still hopelessly
addicted to lyrics and song construction. We wanted to bring all of
those pieces together and we think we were successful with this new
record. Our producer, Matt Greco, had a big hand in helping us
combine all of these colors into one cohesive sound.

Vodka: 
More and More Vodka sees messaging seeping
into Fox And Bones’ music. That’s a GOOD thing! Lyrically, what has
been your biggest overarching theme or influence? For instance,
“Running Free” was a testament to hope, Am I right? And
“Already Here” dealt with the struggles of dealing with the
music business.

Fox And Bones:
Lyrically,
we tend to drink from the well of being irrationally optimistic.
Life can be hard at times and we want more than anything to be a
soundtrack for hope, an amalgamation of what we can achieve if we all
work together. We draw from our life experiences but try to paint the
concepts broad strokes so the message can be heard from any angle.

Vodka:
“A Changing Of The Guard” seems to
take on our nation’s dysfunctional political and social climate. That
is perhaps your boldest move as a duo, or maybe I’m not reading
things correctly? Where was Fox And Bones approaching this song from?
What were the goals in the messaging?

Fox And Bones:
“A
Changing of the Guard” was born from a time of massive social
unrest. Though there are some political undertones, the underlying
message is one of unity and of challenging ourselves to let go of a
way of life that no longer serves us. The Changing of the Guard is
each one of us letting go of that past.

Vodka:
What can your listeners expect from
“American Alchemy” when it is released?

Fox And Bones:
Both
Sarah and I believe this is our most complete work to date. American
Alchemy
is the culmination of all of our time spent on the road searching for
a signature sound. We took our time compiling the 11 tracks on this
record and we believe that each of them offers something unique for
the listener.

Perhaps the best lyric line of A Changing Of The Guard would be this one:

“It starts with one voice, all alone in the crowd
Equipped with a vision for the world and the courage to testify out loud
Just as that soapbox starts to feel to high
Someone slips their hand in yours and that dream amplified
They all start  to gather round
What once was two is ten thousand now
Stronger together than apart
An army of incendiary hearts will spark a changing of the guard”

That sentiment tells us to hope more, dream big, share selflessly with others, and that with the right attitude and a common belief in the good of all, all of our lives will get better, and change for the good will happen. Who can argue with that?

You can find more information on Fox And Bones by heading up to their website, which is one of the most complete sites for a band that I’ve ever run into. Every social, streaming, and purchase link is listed, and there’s a great bio.  Watch for American Alchemy to launch sometime in April 2021, and pick it up when it does. Vodka is looking forward to it, and I hope you are too!

Note: With Covid-19 still around, probably to be with us for some time, artists like Fox and Bones and many others need your purchases to keep their heads above water. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. –Vodka