Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Messer, Andrew Hughes, Jacob Hicks, Cain Taylor.
Andrew and Tyler met at Reinhardt College while the two were studying classical guitar. The two meet Jacob through a mutual friend and found out he was a drummer. Shortly after, the three started playing together, forming the basis of Whiskey Tango. Through brotherhood and a mutual love for creating and performing, the three have been playing together for almost a decade.
However, as most local musicians will tell you, a bass player is difficult to find and harder to keep. The group has worked with several different bass players over the years. The group met their current bass player, Cain, at a local battle of the bands and quickly hit it off. Cain was asked to join the group soon after and has proven to be an enthusiastic addition to the group’s energetic live show.
Has it been a smooth road?
One of the biggest challenges for Whiskey Tango has been finding our audience or our tribe. In the early years of Whiskey Tango, we only played a handful of shows. Most of these opportunities came about through friends in other bands. Only playing two or three shows each year, it felt like we weren’t doing something right. We were at a crossroads. We could give in and try to play what we thought others would like, or, we could lean into our own weirdness, and double down in letting our collective freak flag fly.
This shift in our collective thinking is personified in our frontman, Andrew Hughes. In the gradual progression in stage attire, from normal street clothes to the deep-plunging V’s of his Lycra catsuits, Andrew has set the tone for our stage shows by becoming the visual representation of our music… a sweaty, all-out romp into being true to yourself, no matter how weird. Over the years, we have come to fiercely value our own weirdness and encourage others to do the same.
Being true to yourself is often difficult. It almost never garners the praise you want or need. Sometimes, it would have been easier to give up and play what we thought would be popular. Playing to empty rooms over and over could have been our breaking point. There have been several points throughout the life of Whiskey Tango where we could have just given up quietly and went on about our lives.
However, through the tireless efforts of our rhythm guitarist, Tyler Messer, we’ve played in front of more people in the past year and a half, than we have in all the years prior. We hope that we can continue to grow and connect with others over a shared weirdness, and also have a little bit of fun along the way.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Whiskey Tango – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Whiskey Tango is Atlanta’s (self-proclaimed) premier Southern Glam band. Known for their energetic stage shows, they have been described as one of the most entertaining bands in Atlanta. Come check out a show and see for yourself!!
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
We love the community that is building around the Atlanta rock and roll scene. It’s like one big musical family with everyone being supportive of each other’s music regardless of stylistic differences or preferences.
The thing that we don’t like about of city is the traffic! It’s pretty terrible to travel from one end of the city to the other, or even from outside the perimeter to inside the perimeter!
Contact Info:
- Email: Whiskeytango2012@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/whiskeytangoatl
- Facebook: Facebook.com/whiskeytangoatl
- Twitter: twitter.com/whiskeytangoatl
- Other: Reverbnation.com/whiskeytangoatl
Image Credit:
Solomon Cowan, Jennifer Messer, Mitchell Branham, Matt Smile
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
