Lead guitarist Brett Strickland speaks with Erik Heemsoth about the band’s history, recording, crazy stories while out on tour and much, much more.
Lullwater comes to us from the streets of Athens, Georgia where they honed their skills playing in a basement on Lullwater Drive. The band consists of John Strickland (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Brett Strickland (lead guitar, vocals), Roy ‘Ray’ Beatty (bass) and Joe Wilson (drums). They all met in 2007 and morphed into Lullwater in 2010. Since that time, the band went from playing parties to hitting the road and logging countless miles on the highway while playing hundreds of shows.
These guys play southern influenced modern day hard rock with a mix of grunge. They take the classic sound of the Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden; mix it up with some Seether, Royal Bliss, and Crobot while adding a touch of the live concert stage side of Jimmy Page’s energetic 70s jams. They do this in a way that gives them their own raw, distinct rock n’ roll sound without being a derivative of any of these listed bands.
Lullwater loves to tour and is not afraid to hit the road with bands of different genres. Such is the case with their current tour. Out on the road opening up for the Butcher Babies and Amaranthe, one might think they do not fit the bill at all, which is pretty close to the truth, however years of touring  have solidified these guys as a solid heavy-hitting powerhouse of a band giving them an edge just as heavy as these bands they are opening up for.
I had some time to sit down with Brett Strickland shortly before they took the stage at The Machine Shop on November 13, 2015.
The interview with Brett Strickland from Lullwater:
Brett mentioned that the fan reaction on this current tour has been nothing but supportive of them. I witnessed this first hand as Lullwater sucked the near capacity crowd out of their seats and toward the stage. Even the die-hard metal heads took notice as many of them cheered and screamed along while pumping their fists into the air.
Lullwater made a pure connection with those present while treating the crowd as if they were family and friends. At one point, John Strickland even had a request for the audience. It was his father’s birthday so he held his camera up toward the audience and asked them all to wish his old man a happy birthday. The reaction was ecstatic as John’s camera captured everyone in attendance singing “Happy Birthday.â€
This was Lullwater’s second time at The Machine Shop. They graced the stage as if they were seasoned veterans of the venue. Even though they were the opening band, they put as much power and energy into their set as if they were the headliner themselves. Offering this much excitement as an opener, one only imagines them headlining their own tour in no time at all.
The band thanked the crowd for coming out stating that The Machine Shop is their favorite venue to play at, by far, because the audience that attends shows there believe in real rock n’ roll as does the club’s owner, Kevin Zink. Lullwater is on the verge of developing a national presence and plan on committing the rest of 2015 and the majority of 2016 touring in support of their just released, Revival CD.
Our photographer, Thom Seling, was on hand at The Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan, to catch their act. Here are his images from that night.
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