My One And Only
Gig Seeker Pro

My One And Only

Nashville, TN | Established. Jan 01, 2018

Nashville, TN
Established on Jan, 2018
Duo Americana Country

Calendar

Music

Press


"My One and Only get personal on intimate new EP ‘This Past Year’"

Americana husband and wife duo My One and Only want you to peek inside the good and bad of their marriage. That is through their songwriting chops on their very intimate and personal recently released debut EP, This Past Year.

For years, spouses Ben and Kassie Wilson toiled in Nashville on their solo music careers and after a trying year both personally and professionally, the married couple organically formed My One and Only. Blending Southern soulfulness with the ethos of Americana music, the songs seemed to have just poured out of the couple on This Past Year, revealing honest and sometimes emotionally raw song lyrics and looking glass glimpse inside of a marriage.

AXS recently sat down with this Nashville-based duo as the pair opened up about the real ups & downs of a marriage, how a producer can change an album’s trajectory and the Counting Crows effect on their music.

AXS: You both have had successful separate music careers until joining forces to form My One and Only. What music do you bond over as a couple?

Ben Wilson: Some of the first artists we listen together would have to be Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton...

Kassie Wilson: Counting Crows?

BW: Yea, I loved Counting Crows growing up, and then I dragged Kassie to a show when we got together, and she loved it.

KW: Brandi Carlile was the one for me that is a significant influence. Ben is the cooler one when it comes to musical tastes (both laugh), he always knows and finds really good music. He introduced me to Brandi Carlile many years ago, and I was just blown away by her voice and songwriting.

AXS: This debut This Past Year EP is a very intimate album. Why did you want these songs to be so personal or did it evolve organically through the songwriting process?

BW: I’ve always written personal songs. For me, if a song isn’t ultra-personal, it almost wasn’t worth writing. This album is called This Past Year because as we wrote these songs a lot of personal issues came to the surface along the way and it seemed right to write about it.

KW: I like to be honest in my writing, what I’m feeling, what I’m going through in life. Honestly, writing about what I am going through helps me process it, helps me understand the issue better. I just want to be real with people in what we’ve gone through and been through. I enjoy sharing that.

AXS: What did producer Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Benjamin Booker, Hurray for the Riff Raff) bring to the creative process on this album?

BW: I used to produce all of our solo records. This was the first time we hired a producer, so I was nervous to bring someone else into the mix. Basically, it boiled down to me giving over control, which is really hard (both laugh). But, in all sincerity, he was amazing.

KW: Andrija is like a ball of energy. I feel I have a lot of energy, so when we both got together, I kind of felt sorry for Ben (laughs). He brings so much to the process that I cannot even describe it. Like Ben said, he’s amazing.

AXS: The new video and song for “To My Rescue”really seems like a window into your marriage.

KW: It's crazy because we had all the song ready to record and then this song came along. We started writing, being honest about our relationship and the song just came out. Ben and I have been together for over ten years. We've both done things we're not always proud of, but through all of it, we've grown closer. We've grown closer through all this album's process.

AXS: When you are both working together on anything from songwriting to a music video, do you both have code words or warning signals so to not piss the other one off?

KW: So many people always say, “I do not know how you work with your spouse” (laughs). Don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy, but I love it!

BW: I wouldn't say there is any kind of worry that we'll cross any sort of line when it comes to words that will upset one another while we're working. But, I will say that there is a code that when Kassie falls asleep on the studio floor, we know it's time for a break (both laugh).

AXS: What emotions are you hoping people might experience when they’re listening to track by track of This Past Year?

KW: One thing I think this album will do is make people think. It’s good to think about things we’ve gone through or act or how we feel towards our loved ones. Maybe we need to reach out to our family members, or people that are important to us. I hope people will feel good after listening to this album, but I really hope it moves them.

Take an AXS first look at My One and Only’s newest video which is the first single off This Past Year, “To My Rescue.” Their debut EP can be found wherever you buy or stream music and catch My One and Only on the road this fall. - AXS-Jeff Game


"My One And Only - To My Rescue"

– Two-steppin’ country, taken at a brisk pace. The production (by Alabama Shakes helmsman Tokic) is spare and twangy. They’re a husband-wife duo who share leads and harmonies. I like it that they start softly and then let fly with some grand hillbilly wailing. The Past Year is their debut CD, and it makes for some happy listening. Americana talent scouts, take note. These guys deserve some wide distribution. -Robert K Oermann - Music Row Magazine - Robert K Oermann


"My One And Only"

Can you talk to us more about your latest single “To My Rescue”?
“To My Rescue” is a little history about us as a married couple. We’ve been married for 9 years now, and we are not proud of everything we’ve done. Marriage can be tough, especially when you add so many other life elements in with it. This song talks about some times in our marriage when we’ve been less than lovable. Yet, we got through those times. We persevered. And we came out the other side better for it. It is a song of victory and celebration of the strength of such a bond.
Did any event in particular inspired you to write this song?
Yes, there were a couple separate events that inspired this song, which we won’t get into detail about. But the lyrics hint at the circumstances. In particular there were some very low times in our marriage where we weren’t putting in time and heart into it like we should have been. I suppose we were distracted by the pressures of life and the drive for other things. And that can sneak up on you. We’ve realized that we’ve got to be deliberate about how we handle our marriage. Deliberate about how we spend time. Deliberate about our thoughts toward each other. It’s like Kassie always says…” nothing that is worth something ever comes easy”.
How was the filming process and experience behind the video?
Our good friend, Glenn Drennen, filmed and edited this video for “To My Rescue”. This video really captures the feel in the studio, as it was during the actual day of recording the track for this song. Andrija Tokic, our producer, shows up in the video a couple times, and it really captures his vibrance and excitement too. Pretty much, it was like we didn’t even know Glenn was in the room while he was filming, as he was just staying under the radar and sneaking around catching all sorts of cool B-roll and cool closeups during the process. I’m glad that we have this video to look back on to bring us back to the excitement and vibe of that studio process. What a cool experience.
The single comes off your new album The Past Year – what’s the story behind the title?
We chose to call this album “The Past Year” because we really came together as a true duo only a little over a year ago, even though we were involved with music individually for many years before. In the last year, we made it a point to just write song after song and discover ourselves….to figure out who “My One And Only” really was. All the songs on this album have true-to-life lyrics. Some songs delve into issues in our marriage, and others delve into family struggles and spiritual journeys. All of these events may not have actually happened in the past year, but they came to the surface in our discovery and songwriting within the last year. The past year has been such a new direction for us. It has been like a turning point for us. Like a beginning. The past year has been meaningful for us, and it will be meaningful for years to come. We thought it would be a great name for the album, since it puts a time frame on our process of finding ourselves musically.
How was the recording and writing process?
Our writing process for this album started a little over a year ago. It was such a weird thing to have just come together as a duo and realize that we don’t really know who we are yet. We were actually encouraged by some music business friends of ours to join forces as a duo. We had thought about it before, but couldn’t really reconcile it in our minds. But this time, we just jumped in head first. So we dedicated ourselves to just keep on writing, and writing, and writing. Soon, it was like there was a sound coming out. There was a style emerging. And we grabbed ahold of it. After a year of writing, we narrowed our song list down to the ones on this new record. We had a lot of input from publisher friends of ours, and they continued to push us when we didn’t want to go anymore. That meant so much to have their support and time and encouragement.
What was it like to work with Andrija Tokic and how did that relationship develop?
One of my (Ben) favorite bands is Alabama Shakes. I just love their sounds and vibe. When we were thinking of recording this new album, we were kind of just brainstorming about who would produce it. I thought it might be a longshot, but I contacted Andrija, knowing he produced Alabama Shakes’ first album. I emailed him. And he responded and wanted to get together and talk about the idea of making an album with him. We were excited about it. We got together and it was a great fit. Andrija is so excitable and high-energy. When he is making a record, he really injects that energy into it. It’s got to feel good. It’s got to vibe. It was what our songs needed for sure.
How much did he get to influence the album?
I would say that Andrija made our songs come alive. It was like putting a dusty car through the car wash, and then waxing it. Andrija was the car wash, and the wax. He worked with the musicians, adjusting drum parts, and suggesting chord changes. He injected his excitement into the album. Not only that, but he records all analog. At his studio, The Bomb Shelter, there is no Pro Tools during the recording process. It’s all analog tape and an old mixing console he’s used for years. Even those factors greatly influence how the album sounds. It sounds like real music. Not like a grid. It sounds like raw, live music, and I love that.
How your different backgrounds does influence the writing and band as a whole?
Kassie came from a background of country music and soul music. I came from a background of alternative rock. At first, it seemed like a daunting task to put those two backgrounds together into something cohesive. But, we worked to create a sound, and a writing style. You can hear both of our backgrounds in the album. Kassie definitely has a little southern in her voice, especially on some of the songs that throw back to old-school country. And you can hear the alternative rock influence, especially in the arrangement and instrumentation of “Talk Yourself Up Now”. I think we settled into a really cool off-center sound. A sound that is flexible…that can extend anywhere from old-school country to singer-songwriter to raw rock.
What role does Nashville play in your music?
Nashville pushes us musically. We are around so many top-notch musicians here in Nashville all the time. Honestly, we start to feel bad about ourselves after a while (and the good musicians are all getting younger!) But this also pushes us so much. It pushes us to be better, to write better, to perform better. In that way, Nashville is amazing for artists. I think we are influenced by the Nashville-way of songwriting too. Not that we write commercial-country songs, but we have taken parts of the Nashville songwriting “process”, like arrangements and certain chord changes, and lyrical content. I just remember writing songs before I lived here in Nashville, and it seemed all so free-style. But I feel like now we have somewhat of a “process” that we use for songwriting, and Nashville was a big part in shaping that.
What aspect of your lives did you get to explore on this record?
Wow. During the last year of songwriting and discovering ourselves, we ran across nearly every topic in the book it seems. Marriage was big one. Then our faith in Jesus was always coming up too. Also, we processed a lot of things through songwriting…such as family members’ addictions, or coming to terms with aging. Pretty much all these topics are explored in this record. We always loved writing songs that were all true. Songs that would give the listener a peek into our real lives. And maybe the listener would even relate to the lyrics and feel connected to them, or even learn something about themselves or the world around them.
Any plans to hit the road?
We have been traveling a decent amount. In the next couple months we plan to be in about 6 or 7 states playing gigs. We will be promoting our new record for the next year. So we will be hitting the road quite a bit.
What else is happening next in My One And Only’s world?
Well, we just returned from Rwanda, Africa! We have been traveling to Rwanda and Uganda Africa for years now. It started out with us being a part of a missions team, then we began to lead missions teams through an organization called Go Be Love International. Now, Kassie and I travel to Rwanda on our own to spend time with our sponsor daughter, Kevine, and also many other close friends there. For the past couple years, we’ve also travelled to Uganda playing concerts! What an experience. It definitely wasn’t easy to handle a tour there (it’s already just difficult enough being in a foreign country), but it has been purposeful. We work with a ministry there called Benjamin House Ministries, which focuses on child sponsorship and family restoration in Kampala. They partner with us as we perform concerts throughout Kampala (and northern Uganda). Through those, we get to be a part of bringing the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to thousands of Ugandans. What a privilege. The crazy thing is, this year we were supposed to do the same type of concerts, but all our concerts were cancelled due to the political unrest that was happening in Uganda just a few weeks back. There were riots in the streets and violence due to the whole situation with Bobi Wine’s arrest (if you don’t know it, just google it). So, those cancellations were disappointing…. but there’s always next time. We love Africa and miss our friends over in Rwanda. We will get back there soon. - Vents Magazine - RJ Frometa


"Getting to Know My One and Only"

Music that comes from the heart is the most honest, and sometimes that honesty isn’t always stars and rainbows. Ask Ben and Kassie Wilson of the husband and wife Americana duo My One and Only. Their debut EP The Past Year, released on September 7, is five tracks of raw, authentic lyrics about their marriage told through powerful vocals, smooth harmonies and perfect instrumentation.

We talked with Ben and Kassie about their journey over that past year and, as a result, their incredible debut project.

CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?

B&K: We are husband-wife Americana duo My One And Only. We are Ben and Kassie Wilson. We have been married over 9 years now and have been separately writing music and singing since we were young, although we didn’t officially come together as a musical duo until about a year and a half ago. If we eat out, we generally eat Thai food. We love thrift store finds and bargains. We are big fans of our Creator. And we also host an Airbnb in Nashville.

CN: Which musicians, country or not, have influenced you both personally and as an artist?



Ben: I grew up listening to a lot of Counting Crows. I always loved the way Adam Duritz portrayed emotion with his vocals. It really connected with me. I’ve seen them live many times and I always loved the way they break down and extend their songs during a live performance. Ryan Adams and Lucinda Williams are other artists who influenced me after I moved to Nashville. I remember seeing Lucinda live and I realized that I knew almost every song she sang at that concert, and that’s when I realized how much of an influence she really was to me. As a songwriter, I am attracted by John Prine and his story-telling writing style and off-center take on subject matter. I love his simplicity too. It takes a lot of experience to boil it down to “simple”, and yet be so effectual.

Kassie: Growing up I can remember standing in front of the tv singing and dancing to Paula Abdul. I loved her so much! Boyz II Men was the first CD I bought and I would listen to it on repeat on my Discman lol. I loved R&B and soul. My parents listened to everything so I was introduced to all kinds of music at such a young age. I’ve always adored Dolly Parton and loved her songwriting and infectious personality. She’s an all-around entertainer and she has been an inspiration to me.

CN: Kassie you are originally from Alabama and Ben you are from Iowa. How did you meet each other?

Kassie: Yes, I am from sweet home Alabama. Me and Ben met over 10 years ago at a small church plant that was meeting in a cafeteria of a school in Antioch (a suburb of Nashville). My then-personal trainer at the gym, who also happened to be the Pastor at this church, invited me to come visit. I’m so glad he invited me because that Sunday was the day I met my future husband. Ben was playing in the praise and worship band and he definitely caught my eye. Eventually, I sent him a Myspace message and I asked him to lunch. I wasn’t afraid to go after what I wanted. The rest is history.

Ben: Ha. Yeah. I was definitely more shy back then. But I also definitely noticed Kassie out there in the congregation. I was pretty clueless about dating and relationships at that point. I remember our first time to get together was eating at some sandwich place in Nashville. I didn’t even pay for her food! I just paid for mine and then let her pay for hers! Wow. I don’t know what I was thinking. I suppose it showed her that she wasn’t getting into this for the money, that’s for sure. Ha. Well, it all worked out in the end. We’ve been married 9 years now, and there will be many more.

CN: When did you realize that your vocals harmonize like honey?! My goodness so beautiful!

Ben: Thank you! Kassie and I have been singing together since before we were married. At that time, she was pursuing a solo country music career, and she would have writer’s rounds or gigs where I would play guitar and sing harmonies. Back then, I’m sure that our mixture was more like gravel than honey (on my part at least!). But we just kept singing harmonies on each other’s music over the years and we learned each other’s inflections and tendencies. And now it seems so natural. In fact, thank you for reminding me that we do sound pretty good together! When you are so close to something, it’s hard to be objective.

Kassie: I love honey!! What a sweet compliment, thanks so much. It’s crazy bc I have always struggled with harmony. It just never came naturally. I always envied people who were able to harmonize with such ease. But after all these years of singing with Ben it just fell in place. I love to harmonize to his voice. There’s no one I’d rather sing with.

CN: You participated in the “Mara Tour” in Uganda, something that you have admitted to being one of the most rewarding musical challenges of your life. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Ben: Yes. I believe our admission was that it was one of the most rewarding as well as difficult musical challenges of our life. The first time we did the Mara Tour, I came down with Typhoid fever in Rwanda before we flew to Uganda. I literally almost died that night in Rwanda. Truly by the amazing grace of God, situations were manipulated by Him so that I could get the treatment I needed. So this was the difficult start to our travels to Uganda, not to mention the very late nights of travelling in a small van in northern Uganda, the culture barrier when organizing logistics, and the dust everywhere that made so many of our team sick. But we persevered through it and we were able to sing into the lives of thousands of Ugandans (mostly youth) throughout the 4-city tour, sharing our talents and our faith and our stories. I always just wanted to be open to whatever opportunity God wanted to open up for our talents.

Kassie: Yes, this was a very difficult trip. From Ben getting so sick, to losing our luggage and instruments, early days and late nights, and not to mention it was the hottest climate we’d ever experienced. But it was totally worth it. It was challenging yet rewarding too. We got to share our music and the gospel with thousands of Ugandans. We got to share our personal testimonies and spread love. After that tour I said I would never go back! I went back the next summer. I guess God showed me! Ha!

Image result for my one and only the past yearCN: Let’s talk about your debut EP The Past Year, which was just released on September 7. What was it like to work with GRAMMY-nominated producer Andrija Tokic?

Kassie: It was an adventure! Andrija is a little ball of energy and I love it!! Working with him was so much fun. His creative direction mixed with ours made the perfect representation of “The Past Year”. He really helped bring our songs to life. And watching him work with the musicians in the studio was like watching a conductor conduct a symphony. It was a sight to take in. He’s the man!

Ben: Yeah, Andrija is a producer that really relies on “feel” during his work. Whatever comes out of his studio has to feel good, you have to be able to sway to it. This really comes across in the recording, where you can hear that the “realness” of the recording is dominant over any sort of rules or gridlines. Our concern when we came to him was that we didn’t want our songs to feel too somber. As we were writing for the record, all we’d really heard of our new songs were the acoustic versions. And when all you are hearing is acoustic guitar and vocals, it seems like every song seems somber! But Andrija helped it all come to life. He was like a maestro conducting the musicians (and us) in the studio, waving his hands all about and getting so into the music. He is a real character.

CN: The EP is an all-analog recording. What lead to the decision to record it that way?

Ben: Well, that’s all that Andrija does. His studio, The Bomb Shelter, in Nashville is simply all analog recording. I knew that I wanted to work with Andrija and I knew I loved the sound he produced from his studio, and so we were up for whatever to get that sound. This is the first time we’ve ever recorded onto analog tape and, wow, I loved it. For those unfamiliar with the “sound” of it, they might recognize it by it’s “old” sound. The way the analog tape saturates gives off that vibe of when you listen to records. Almost everything sounds better when recorded onto analog tape. This really shaped our album sound by giving it that reckless, raw feel. I love it.

CN: The five tracks are so raw and genuine, letting the listener into your personal relationship. Can you talk about your songwriting process? Obviously you are writing about yourselves, but how do you get to that place where it’s so candid and becomes universal that others can see themselves in your lyrics?

Ben: It wasn’t easy finding our own sound when we had just made the decision to become a duo. It was like a trial and error process. But a certain style and sound would come out that we liked, and we held on to that, and we learned from that. When we songwrite, we almost always want to write something that is real and true. I suppose our goal is, like you said, to have the lyrics feel universal and applicable to the listener, even though they are about very specific situations. I’ve always loved songs that spoke about very specific things, even if I didn’t know exactly what the writer was writing about….it’s like they were letting us in on just a scene from their lives, and even though I wouldn’t know the whole plot, it would still feel so personal to me. That’s the style that kept coming out of our writing sessions.

Kassie: We try to write a couple times a week. So we literally make writing appointments to hold ourselves accountable. Sometimes one of us has an idea to write about and other times it seems like we got nothing. So, we will just talk and Ben plays around with chords and a melody. We love to write about personal experiences and be honest with our listener. We all have the same struggles, we just sing about them. I’m ok with being an open book and letting the listener know me on an intimate level. I prefer it that way.

CN: Did you plan on such an honest album for your first release, or did it just reveal itself in the process?

Kassie: We didn’t have a plan. We just wrote for a year. We wrote about troubled times, highs and lows of marriage, family and anything else we experienced. It just came naturally to write about true personal events.

Ben: Yeah, the album is called “The Past Year” because over the last year, we dedicated ourselves to writing, and to discovering who we were as artists. It felt like starting over musically. But it was such a revealing process. So as we were writing, we kind of experimented around with focusing on different topics. There were many songs that just didn’t make the cut. But whenever we would write ultra-personal songs, it just seemed like a fit. And we kept doing that. Like Kassie said, we didn’t plan anything. We just started to discover who we were, and this is what came out. I really love singing such personal songs though. I know that others’ vulnerability has always been very effective and influential to me, and so we wanted to be vulnerable with the audience as well.

CN: Each song is amazing, both vocally and lyrically, and because they are so personal, could you possibly take us through the background of each track?

Ben: Thank you. Well, “Mom and Dad” is a song of reminiscing about your parents as you get older. It’s a weird feeling to remember your parents at the age that you are now. You start to wonder what kind of dreams they had at that time. What were they focusing on? Did they feel like they had it all together (like we thought they did when we were kids)? And Kassie and I think back on memories of our parents and we kind of wish that we could go back and take better advantage of the time. My parents just moved closer to us about 2 years ago. It’s the first time since college that my parents have lived less than 10 hours from me. Now we get to see them quite often, and so I suppose that has jogged my thoughts about thinking of them as people separate from me now. We always think of our parents in relation to their parenting, but now it’s like “wow, they are individual people with real desires and hurts and dreams too”.

“Sometimes Bring Me Back Again” is about that weird thing that happens when the very thing that attracted you to someone in the beginning, now becomes an annoyance, or a frustration. It seems like everyone experiences this, and that thing about that someone can go back and forth between attraction and annoyance. I don’t completely understand it, but I suppose there is a shift that happens when we get really close to someone, like how you can be quickly angry with your spouse, but be more patient with a stranger on the phone. Anyway, it’s a learning process. But, the bridge of this song sums everything up….that through the process, we carry and love each other through it.

“Talk Yourself Up Now” started on a plane. It was very early in the morning, we were flying back from Canada, and there was this young guy directly behind us that was really talking himself up to his friend. Boasting of all sorts of indecent behaviors and using all sorts of vulgar language. And he was talking so loud! I think everyone on the plane was hearing this guy (at 6am in the morning!) It was too much. And it really showed his insecurities. So I put some headphones on and started writing down some of these lyrics. This song is just like a venting. And then, in the bridge, it’s like a plea to those insecure people…”it’s not hard to be loved”. Truth is, you can probably just relax and be yourself and probably be more likable, instead of trying so hard to sell yourself to someone.

Kassie: “Lord I Need Some Mercy” is the perspective from an addict, feeling not worthy of God’s grace and mercy but calling out for it. My brother was addicted to crystal meth for 14 years and it nearly killed him and nearly ripped our family apart. I never lost hope or gave up on him, and I never would have. He went to a year-long Christian recovery program called “Adult and Teen Challenge” and God got ahold of Kevin’s heart. He’s been clean now for over 2 years now and is head of operations at the recovery center he graduated from. I am so proud of my brother. We all need God’s mercy. We just gotta talk to Him, He’s waiting on us.

“To My Rescue” This song is a peek into some hard times of our marriage. Every line of this song is true. Boy, did I sure put Ben through hell. We have been married for 9 years now and we aren’t proud of everything we’ve done but we’ve hung in there with each other. I know I can always count on Ben.



CN: Do you have a dream collaboration in mind?

Ben: I’d love to do a collaboration with John Prine for sure. I always loved his writing and perspective. That would be amazing.

Kassie: Chris Stapleton, he’s one of my favorite singers and writers, it’d be magical to collaborate with him.

CN: If you could describe yourselves in one word, what would it be and why?

Kassie: Softie, I’m really softhearted. People always laugh because I cry so easily. And not always because something bad happened. I cry when I’m happy too. I just love a lot, so with that comes sensitivity.

Ben: Introspective. I’m a thinker. I love to know why I believe what I believe and why I think what I think. That’s why I love seeing other cultures of the world, because they come from completely different mindsets than Americans. That fascinates me to know what other people think is “normal” and “acceptable”. It’s a double-edged sword though, because my introspective-ness can be a hindrance sometimes, especially when it comes to creativity. Sometimes creativity needs to just flow, and I have to allow myself that sometimes.

CN: Now that the album is officially out, what’s next on the horizon for you guys? Tour?

Ben: Yes, we are booking a lot of shows around the states right now in promotion of our EP. I know in the next several months we hit up New York, Atlanta, St. Louis and Nashville. We are also writing a ton of new stuff and looking forward to recording again in 2019. You can always check out our tour on www.myoneandonlymusic.com. We are always adding new dates and we excited to come through some cities we’ve never been to before.

Kassie: Yep, hitting the road to promote this new E.P. And, of course, we are already writing for the next project.

For more information on My One and Only, visit their website at www.myoneandonlymusic.com and follow them on Facebook and Instagram. - The Country Note - Janeen Megloranzo


"My One and Only discuss their musical journey as a duo"

Kassie and Ben of new duo My One and Only, gave us the story behind their musical journey and releasing their album “The Past Year.” Their project gives an honest look at life in their musical storytelling. The two performers have blended their own unique styles to make an outstanding collection of music. You can find their music here.

Read on for our interview…

How did you two become a duo, after working as solo artists?

We were both solo artists for quite a while. Kassie was singing “country-soul” music and I (Ben) was doing “alternative folk-rock” music. We always thought that our two genres were too hard to mash together into one idea. Even the whole industry around these two genres seemed so far apart. But throughout the years, there were people in our lives encouraging us to form a duo…just little comments here and there and advice. But we finally made the jump after meeting with a music business friend of ours who basically told us that we were working against ourselves by not forming a duo. So we made the jump to becoming a duo. At first it was really a struggle to find our rhythm in songwriting and to find our place. But we kept at it, and certain styles kept coming out that we both liked, and we held on to those. What you hear on “The Past Year” is the culmination of all that.

Give us the story behind the song “To My Rescue”

This song was one of our last songs to be written for the record. It talks about real-life situations that happened within our marriage….situations that tested our makeup, that tested our bond immensely. We are not proud of everything we’ve done in the 9 years that we’ve been married, and I know that is true of so many couples. But it’s about how you come out of that circumstance. It’s about how that situation shapes you as a person and you both as a couple. We stuck it out together through the hard times. And it’s only strengthened us. This song is meant to tell others that, just like them, we’re not picture-perfect, and we hope that encourages them to stick it out together and get past those trials, even when it means resisting those seemingly natural urges to run.

How did you come up with your unique style of music?

When we came together as a duo, we didn’t really know who we were as a group. It was almost like starting from scratch. We would ask ourselves what styles we liked, and what kind of songwriting affected us, and what kind of sounds spoke to us. And we would go from there. Trust me, there were many songs that, after writing them, went straight to the trash can. It was a real time of discovering ourselves, and judging ourselves. But we held on to certain things that we liked that came out, and then we kind of added that to our “style”. And then the process would happen again….and we would add something new to our style. And what came out is this kind of rough, acoustic, harmony-driven, passionate, purposeful thing that we call “My One And Only”. And it is all so personal to us. Not just the lyrics, but even the harmonies and the music is all so home-grown. It feels like it really just represents us as people.



What do you enjoy about Americana music?

Americana music is great for many reasons. First of all, it is like a place for all kinds of artists to gather. There are less restrictions and lines to stay inside. You can be Americana, and you can edge on country, or you can edge on rock, or you can edge on acoustic singer-songwriter. Secondly, Americana music seems to exist for the simple love of music. You don’t see a lot of Americana artists that are just in it for the money and fame (although i’m sure they are there). But it seems to be more genuine than that. They want to play music because they love what they do. Thirdly, Americana music, lyrically speaking, is a breath of fresh air. A lot of it lyrically likens back to old country. And I love how old country songwriting was not complicated (at least for the listener). You could listen to the song and follow along exactly as you were listening, and the lyrics still made you feel something deep inside. Sometimes it feels like a bit much when you have to pull out the lyrics to a song and mull it over and over before you can even begin to grab ahold of where the listener was coming from. We’re glad to be in this diverse group of Americana artists.

Did you have a musical highlight (watching a show or meeting an artist) from this previous Americana week in Nashville?

We always love getting out to see Mary Bragg, and we able to see her this last week at 12th and Porter. She and her stripped down band (upright bass, acoustic guitar and electric guitar) sounded so great! Also, at that same show we were introduced to the songs of Kristin Andreassen. She is also an amazing songwriter that edges on bluegrass and folk (and she also clogged for us!) Events like Americana fest are so great to connect people and introduce you to new artists. Love it.

Talk about working with Andrija Tokic, with the music- how did you guys meet him?

I was familiar with Andrija Tokic from the Alabama Shakes record that he produced. I always loved that sound. That analog, reckless sound that felt so good. So when we were playing around with the idea of recording as a duo, we were thinking of producers and I emailed Andrija. He responded with interest in working with us and he loved our sound (he is a sucker for harmonies). It was a real experience to work with him in the studio. He is so full of energy and excitement, and it comes through in the project. Anything that comes out of his studio (Bomb Shelter Studio in Nashville, TN) has to feel good. You have to sway to it. The music almost has to move you physically every time. Andrija brought life to our record. One thing that I was concerned with about our songs is that I didn’t want them to feel ho-hum. All we’d ever heard was acoustic versions of our songs! But Andrija made them come to life. He injected his excitement for real recorded music into the album. There was no Pro Tools during the recording. What you play is what is recorded onto the analog machine. And that’s what gives it that true-to-life feel, which really sets the listener up for the true-to-life lyrics on the record. Andrija was amazing, and he really helped shape our sound in a profound way.

What songs from the new project have been connecting with your fans?

The last song on the record is “O Lord, I Need Some Mercy” and it is about the struggle of addiction. The song is from the viewpoint of an addict…the rock bottom, the helplessness, and the reaching out. We’ve experienced addiction in family members to a very serious degree, and this song sheds light on the mercy and hope that God is waiting to extend to us, if we only allowed it. God has changed the hearts of many of our family members, and it’s amazing to witness. Even in situations that seemed hopeless for years and decades, God was still working during the waiting. He is faithful for sure. We’ve had a family member who was a serious addict for decades, and went through a Christian drug rehab organization called Adult and Teen Challenge, which are all over the world. He went through the program and now works as the head of operations there. What a change God has worked in him! He is now helping others who are in the situation he was in. We hope the song on this record reaches out to anyone who hasn’t yet found what they’re looking for.

Give us the story behind the song Mom & Dad

When I turned about 30 years old, I started to feel more sentimental about my parents. Started to think of them more often and wonder how they really were. Started to remember seeing them at the age that I am now. What a weird feeling! And there are just so many memories that Kassie and I hold inside of us concerning our parents that we almost wish we could go back and take better advantage of the situation! It was all of this that started the song “Mom and Dad”. For people our age, it is a song of reminiscing and a song of sentiment. In the song, there are some memories from Kassie and her late father, Marshall, who “played guitar by the fire” and her mother and also memories from me and my parents. Whenever we sing the song, it is always so special to us. It feels like home to us and reminds us to be in the present moment.

What’s next for you this Fall?

We will be touring and promoting “The Past Year” all sorts of places. In the next few months, we hit up Chicago, St. Louis, Iowa, North Carolina, Atlanta and some other places. Lots of these places will be listening rooms where we can share all sorts of stories and meanings behind the songs. Some of them are house concerts, which are always such cool intimate experiences. Whenever we perform live, we want the listener to feel like they are a part of our lives and our stories. We want them to be a part of the experience. It feels like more than just music for us. It feels more like sharing life with people. You can always check out new tour dates on www.myoneandonlymusic.com. We will be adding all sorts of dates for this fall and upcoming 2019. - Nashville Country Club - Leslie Armstrong


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

Photos

Bio

My One And Only gathers it’s strength from Southern-Soul mixed with Curious-Grit. They've honed their sound in individual crucibles on stage, TV, radio, solo recording, engineering and producing. The merger brings true-to-life lyrics that bid you to wander through hidden scenes in their lives - to find heart, emotions, the real. Blanket the raw with hollow-body guitars and home-grown harmonies, and My One And Only's music cuts through. My One And Only released their debut album “The Past Year”, produced by Grammy Award-nominated Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes,) and features all original songs by the duo – husband and wife Benjamin and Kassie Wilson. They have played stages throughout the U.S., as well as touring in Uganda, Africa, and have both graced the stage of the famed Ryman Auditorium in their hometown of Nashville.

 

Although My One And Only may be the latest duo to hit the Americana scene, Kassie and Benjamin are no novices. Kassie moved to Nashville from her home state of Alabama to follow a country music career. During her solo years, Kassie perfected her songwriting and vocal chops. Originally from Iowa, Benjamin pursued music early, then segued to audio engineering and pursuits in Nashville. It was in Music City they met, and melded hearts and music. The union is the centering of Kassie and Benjamin; the result is a remarkable off-center sound right for the time.

 

My One And Only declares performance as their love-share to the world. "The stories behind our songs make them come alive, and in our live shows, people discover that," Ben said.  Kassie agreed, "We want to share our music and heart with as many people as possible."

Band Members