When Judah & the Lion emerged into the Athens music scene, they took it by storm. Virtually unknown to most, the boys swept in selling out numerous shows and gaining more and more fans every time they paid a visit. One listen, and you can hear the influence of each of their youths.  Judah Akers in his Tennessee hometown, listening to the soulful crackle of Ray Charles records.  Nate Zuercher, a Colorado kid into rugged rock’n’roll, and Brian Macdonald driving through the suburbs of Chicago, blasting everything from Frank Sinatra to Billy Joel. The fusing of these sounds works and is near perfection when their shared obsession of bluegrass, country, and folk music is thrown in the mix.

Last time we spoke to the boys of J&L, they were in town performing at AthFest 2014 and getting ready to spend the summer touring their new album, Kids These Days. When we saw the band on Hulaween’s lineup, we jumped at the opportunity to catch up with them on all things Judah & the Lion. Brian Macdonald took a couple of minutes to chat about the creative process and inspirations for the new album, being on tour, and, of course, their upcoming Halloween performance at Hulaween.

Vinyl Mag: First off, I just have to tell you guys that I love the name of your band. Could you share with us where the name originated from?

Brian Macdonald: Thanks! We really love the symbol of a lion. Makes us think of strength, courage, confidence, etc. Also paired that with the ‘lion of the tribe of Judah’ from the Bible, and the fact that our frontman’s name is Judah. It just kinda felt right, and we went with it!

VM: Last time we spoke, it was the beginning of summer, and there was anticipation for your new album, Kids These Days. What has Judah & the Lion been up to these past four months or so, and what have been some of your favorite moments –  whether on the road, meeting/talking with fans, overall acceptance, and excitement over the new album, etc – been since the release of the album?

BM: Over the summer, we did a lot of touring here and there. We got to go out and open for The Oh Hellos for a couple weeks, which was awesome….love them. Other than that, just played festivals here and there, all the while anticipating the release of Kids These Days. We are thrilled with everything since the release. People have responded very well to the album.  We are currently in the middle of our first headlining tour, and the shows are going great. It’s really encouraging for us to have fans showing up to these shows, singing the songs.  It never gets old. We have had some great openers coming along with us too, Penny and Sparrow, Morningsiders, Cereus Bright…and more to come, Joseph and Little Chief. It’s been a dream come true!

VM: This album is extremely relatable and even described as ‘a collection of stories about being young, about finding your way, while discovering yourself.’ Could you describe for us your creative process and where you drew inspiration from?

BM: We really wanted the songs on this album to be relatable. Stories and ideas that our fans could really grab a hold of and say, ‘that describes my life right now perfectly.’ With that, we really just wrote and picked songs that were about our lives and things that we are experiencing right now. That consists of being young, in our twenties, full of life, poor, passionate, in love, etcetera.

VM: In addition to your amazing songwriting abilities, you are also all brilliant performers. Being on tour and playing a good amount of intimate venues, how does preparation for the band’s performance differ from say at venue like the Visulite Theatre in Charlotte, NC, to a festival set a Hulaween?

BM: Each city is so special and different to us. We love the intimate shows, really being able to connect with our fans. Festivals are very different, but in a good way. There is always a ton of energy and excitement for any kind of live music. This allows us to really let loose and have fun in a place where everybody may not be as familiar with our music. We are really excited for Hulaween.  We hear it is a super fun festival and can’t wait to be a part of it!

VM: What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming performance at Hulaween?

BM: We’re just pumped that the show is on Halloween day! That opens up so many possibilities. I think it’s gonna be a really fun time…being on the road, I honestly don’t know that we will have a chance to spend a lot of time getting costumes together….but you better believe that we will pull something together the day of…it would be lame if we didn’t attempt!

VM: Are there any bands/artists in particular you are looking forward to seeing the most at this year’s Hulaween?

BM: Well, we are flying in right before the show and leaving right after, which stinks…. we have a couple shows in Texas right around that festival, so it’s gonna be a lot of traveling for us. I don’t think we will get much of a chance to see any other sets unfortunately!

VM: The venue itself is absolutely incredible and special. Are there any parts of the venue and/or grounds you are excited to see and explore after you arrive?

BM: Haven’t heard too much about it yet…just rumors that it is a special festival. I’m hoping there’s a haunted house somewhere close. I’d love to get a good scare before we go on stage to get me pumped up!

Adorned with Spanish moss-draped oak trees and nestled on the shady banks of the black Suwannee River, The Spirit of Suwannee Music Park is naturally the ideal setting for a Halloween weekend extravaganza. This year, the 800-acre venue will once again transform into a festive playground for the Second Annual Suwanee Hulaween.

Last year, the lake within the venue and adjacent forest were morphed into Spirit Lake, a visual experience that fused dazzling light production, art installations, performance art, and host to the Silent Disco. With Spirit Lake quickly becoming one of the most anticipated experiences of Hulaween, we took a couple minutes to chat with the returning visionary and Art Director, Andrew Carroll, to talk about his design process, setting the record straight on comparing Spirit Lake to Sherwood Forest, and why this venue is so incredibly special.

Vinyl Mag: How did you first get involved with the creation of Spirit Lake?

Andrew Carroll: The producers had seen my work at some other events (such as Sherwood Forest at Electric Forest Festival), and reached out. We talked about the project, and it sounded amazing.

VM: What is your creative and design process for Spirit Lake?

AC: The process is an initial conversation with the producers that includes budget talks, recaps from the previous year on what worked and what didn’t, a chat about the general theme (this year being The Afterlife), etc. We lock in the larger art projects, while sifting through the proposal emails or people willing to offer an installation for a ticket trade. The trick is to bring enough art, lighting, and performance so that it feels full and impactful, but not too much stuff so that it just feels like your cramming in as much as we can. It’s a balance of trying to have it be an amazing experience for the patrons, while doing so within the allotted budget.

VM: What can attendees expect this year?

AC: We’ve gone bigger and expanded in all areas of Spirit Lake, and I think people will feel that if they are returning, and will be amazed if it is their first time.

VM: There have been comments floating around that it seems that Spirit Lake is becoming – if it isn’t already -more like Sherwood Forest at Electric Forest; in the sense that it keeps getting bigger and better each year. In your second year with the festival, is this something you and your design team are striving for as Spirit Lake comes into its own as one of the most integral parts of the festival?

AC: First off, these are two very different events in two very different settings, so I don’t feel it’s fair to compare the two. Also, this is only our second opportunity to bring Spirit Lake to life as Spirit Lake, so no one (myself included) totally knows where Spirit Lake will end up. It’s a unique place, and a unique experience, and there is no need to compare. It’s similar to when people compare the Grateful Dead to Phish… sure there are some similarities, but they are two very different animals.

VM: Without giving too much away, would you say Spirit Lake is growing in size, compared to last year, and are there any new installations we can look forward to?

AC: As far as the general size, it will be very similar.  However, we have grown the scope of art, lighting, and performance in an effort to ‘go bigger, badder, better!’

VM: How is the local art community being integrated into this year’s design?

AC: We have many folks in the local art community bringing a variety of art installations, painting, performance, etc again. It’s exciting!

VM: What do you think makes Spirit of Suwannee so special?

AC: It’s been around a long time, and hosted many amazing bands, festivals and events. There is something special about Florida in general, and the Suwannee Music Park is absolutely gorgeous. The people of Florida are incredibly passionate and creative. As far as coming to the table, they ‘really bring it…every time. Plus, there’s nothing cooler than that dripping Spanish moss in the trees!