“I grew up with that band” it’s a thing you hear a lot of people say. But in the case of the Small Town Pistols, it rings just a little bit truer.
Amanda and Tyler Wilkinson started their career in country music with their dad (Steve) as The Wilkinsons. They were celebrated and successful and I knew every word to every song. And when that ended, both siblings took time to work on their own projects before eventually coming back together to work together as the Small Town Pistols. Their 1st record as a duo won them the 2014 CMAO for Album of the Year and the Canadian Country Music Association Award for Group of the Year.
Now they’re nominated again for 4 Country Music Association of Ontario Awards (Single of the Year, Songwriters of the Year, Group or Duo of the Year & Music Video of the Year) and prepping to drop a new album.
But before any of that happens, we caught up with Amanda and Tyler for a little Q&A action so we can all get answers about the CMAOs, new music, Boots & Hearts and more straight from the source.
Here we go!
Tyler: We were super excited! Obviously awards are not the reason why we make music but to have your peers and friends think you made something worth nominating is a huge honor.
Amanda: it’s a huge deal for us. We are incredibly proud of the province we live in. We’ve been saying for years that we need an award show in Ontario because so many other provinces have had their own. It’s insane how much talent we have in our own backyard and now we get to celebrate it.
Q. We’re hoping that you’re going to be in Markham for the awards, can you tell us if you’ll be performing?
Amanda: We’ll most certainly be there for the show. As for performing, only time will tell!
Tyler: So far the tracks has received great response. It’s always exciting to write, record and then release a song. We are attached to it in a different way so it’s great to watch the fans make it their own
Amanda: You always hope as a writer your songs resonate with the fans. Whether you are an expecting new parent or already have children or if you’re a family member or friend who is anticipating the birth of a child this song is about those honest feeling you feel. It’s been amazing to see the reaction to it.
Q. And now we need to ask… can you tell us when the new album is going to be released in full?
Amanda: The album will be titled Pistology and is set to be released May 26th
Tyler: One of the last shows I got to go to was Bad Suns… they were so good live and carry such great melodies. People should definitely check them out!
Amanda: Brothers Osborne is a new fav of mine. And Elle King.
Q. Looking ahead a few months, you’ll be playing Boots & Hearts this summer for the first time – what have you heard about the festival, and what are you looking forward to?
Tyler: We have a lot of friends who have been to B&H they said it was nothing but a blast. We are soooo stoked to play with Brad Paisley again!
Amanda: Apparently the audience is a blast!!!! I love summer festivals. Honestly if we weren’t playing we’d be in the audience.
Q. Last question, in 50 words or less, tell us what’s coming next for the Small Town Pistols.
A&T: Promotion our new single ‘Can’t Wait To Meet You’ and the upcoming album. Gearing up for shows this summer and hopefully a tour in the fall!!!
Big thank you to Amanda and Tyler for playing along! We can’t wait for the new album to drop in May (the day after the CMAO Awards) and our fingers are already crossed for a local stop on a fall tour!
Find the Small Town Pistols online at these fine locations…
Website: www.smalltownpistols.ca
Facebook: Small Town Pistols
Twitter: @smtownpistols
Instagram: @smalltownpistolsiTunes: Small Town Pistols
